Are oscars like marmite? u either love or hate

[Oscarum monstruoso]

i dont see what the big obsession with oscars is to be honest.

Your poll is a giant failure because it is biased from the beginning because of that statement, and despite that the oscar hater position has been shown to be held by a disgruntled minority of fishkeepers.

Oscars are the foundation fish for wet pets and monster fish, they paved the way for what we have today. How someone can see that as a negative is inexplicable to me.

 

[Oscarum monstruoso]

I love em, they're fun, interactive and can look impressive but they're definitely a pain to keep, some might say they're not even worth the trouble. They produce WAY too much waste and take way too much space that could be used for several smaller, better looking, equally interesting Cichlids.

I didn't truly realize how much solid waste they put out until I put one of mine in a small, empty container to give to a friend. I swear the thing pooped like 3 full tablespoons during a 20 minutes drive. Funny thing is he was on a diet of Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+ which claims to reduce their waste by 50%.

The "faults" you mention have nothing to do with oscars, they have to do with your ability to keep fish. Oscars do not poop any more or less than any other fish - their output depends on their input. They cant poop more than they eat. So its up to you to feed what you want, and then to maintain water quality and that has nothing to do with the oscar.

Same thing goes for transporting, its generally not a good idea to feed so much before transporting. Again, the fact that the fish fouled its bucket is your fault. It has nothing to do with oscars.

 

[buddha1200]

most people i know that got into cichlids and monster fish is because of oscars(myself included)

 

[Polyptasaurus]

oscars are a very simple fish for beginners to own. I've NEVER seen a veteran "aquarist" with Oscars...ever....

 

[Oscarum monstruoso]

oscars are a very simple fish for beginners to own. I've NEVER seen a veteran "aquarist" with Oscars...ever....

There are plenty of experienced fishkeepers that have and enjoy oscars, what you are describing are fish snobs that think that oscars are boring because theyre not rare or unique enough to feed their egos.

 

[Aquanero]

most people i know that got into cichlids and monster fish is because of oscars(myself included)

When I was a kid I thought Oscars were the coolest fish in the world and had it not been for those tiger striped gold fish gulping monsters at the LFS I might not be in the hobby today. I am not keeping Oscars at the present time but still owe a great deal to them and have had several over the years and still think they are very cool fish. In many ways they are the corner stone of my love for the hobby and cichlids in general. Cudos to the much melined Oscar.

 

[Yellow_Perch]

The "faults" you mention have nothing to do with oscars, they have to do with your ability to keep fish. Oscars do not poop any more or less than any other fish - their output depends on their input. They cant poop more than they eat. So its up to you to feed what you want, and then to maintain water quality and that has nothing to do with the oscar.

Same thing goes for transporting, its generally not a good idea to feed so much before transporting. Again, the fact that the fish fouled its bucket is your fault. It has nothing to do with oscars.

agreed plus it can vary on your tank size..oscars are what got most ppl into fish keeping. It is also up to the owner, so i agree again 100%..

 

[Yellow_Perch]

oscars are a very simple fish for beginners to own. I've NEVER seen a veteran "aquarist" with Oscars...ever....

I have on the site..

 

[buddha1200]

oscars are a very simple fish for beginners to own. I've NEVER seen a veteran "aquarist" with Oscars...ever....

There are plenty vetern "aqaurist" that keep oscars,the thing is not to many people brag about them because they are common,but the love for them will never fade.
Out of all the cichlids i own central,south american none have had the personality of my oscars.
if i still have the video(will search for it)i will post it of my oscars playing with ping pong balls,while all the rest of my so call great cichlids watched like retards as my oscars enjoyed them selves.I have never seen or heard of another cichlid that likes to play(might be a few here and there)but none as much as oscars

 

[Aquanero]

oscars are a very simple fish for beginners to own. I've NEVER seen a veteran "aquarist" with Oscars...ever....

I don't get this, I didn't notice it when I commented before but I have to say this is a dissapointing statement to see. MFK is dedacated to educating fish keepers of all levels, I've seen and know several "veteran fishkeepers" that keep and love Oscars.