I’m thinking of changing to oscars….help!
- Thread starter Chrislisk
- Start date
You would think so but it’s really not. It’s less about space and more about bioload. Oscars really have no right to be as messy as they are lol.
I had to do fin level so down to 6” or so of water so roughly 70% every week and constant spot cleanings after feeding. It’s a lot of work but it’s very rewarding.
If you have an African tank, then I am thinking you must have hard water..... Oscars are more difficulty to keep in hard water due to HITH disease. 1 oscar in a 5ft tank would require at least a 75% water change a week. More fish, then double this amount.
Jexnell
recently had an oscar in hard water before rehoming him to a place with softer water (lower TDS and lower GH)
With CA/SA fish its more about territorial aggression...in most cases overstocking like in African setups just results in serial murder...but depending on the lottery u could end up with a community in a bigger tank (risky). Most American cichlids want to be king of the hill regardless of tank size. If you want a wet pet a solo Oscar is great and imo better than a tank of Tropheus or predator haps; however, this is the individual fish lovers perception. Different strokes. I would go Amphilophus as a wet pet myself ?
PH is not a measure of hardness (GH). I'm not saying it is a no go, it just a lot more work than 50% water change once a week. Depending on your water hardness, you could be forced to lower it if you plan on keeping the oscar for 10 years or more. There are geos that do okay in hard water setups like redhead geos.
There are good alternatives from CA to the oscar and geo setup you want.
duanes
could provide pretty good recommendations for a 120Something like a milder "vieja" type with a harem of firemouths would be an example.
With Oscars it's all about food/space/water changes. Have all three and you'll max your O's potential. They hate being crowded. For a 120 I'd do just the O, but if you must, only add 2 fish no larger than 5 inches. Your w/c schedule will probably have to be one fin level and one 50% per week.
When they're eating and growing especially they are poop machines. When my O was around 8 inches he put out his weight in waste every day. So much fun vaccuming piles of turd logs!
As they mature they put out less but the bioload is still heavy.
First year looking at 10-12 inches.
After that it's up to care, time and genetics. And if you end up with a huge O the w/c schedule is even more critical.
When they're eating and growing especially they are poop machines. When my O was around 8 inches he put out his weight in waste every day. So much fun vaccuming piles of turd logs!
As they mature they put out less but the bioload is still heavy.First year looking at 10-12 inches.
After that it's up to care, time and genetics. And if you end up with a huge O the w/c schedule is even more critical.
Oscar Cichlids certainly a personable fish and a fun one to keep. Big monster fish lots of personality and they recongize the hand that feeds them.
Another cichlid very similar to the Oscar, in fact they live in the same area as oscars is the Chocolate Cichlid.
The Chocolate Cichlid maxes out at around 8-10''. You can keep a pair or 3 in your 120 if a single fish sounds hard to do.
The chocolate is perhaps more colorful than an oscar in my opinion.
Their only downside is they are WAY more prone to hole in the head than Oscars and they need softer water. But if you can manage to make your hard water soft this is a cool fish.
Another cichlid very similar to the Oscar, in fact they live in the same area as oscars is the Chocolate Cichlid.
The Chocolate Cichlid maxes out at around 8-10''. You can keep a pair or 3 in your 120 if a single fish sounds hard to do.
The chocolate is perhaps more colorful than an oscar in my opinion.
Their only downside is they are WAY more prone to hole in the head than Oscars and they need softer water. But if you can manage to make your hard water soft this is a cool fish.
