Oscar "Growing up process"

[xenoside]

Hey I was wondering, as currently I have a Tiger Oscar (Named him "Fish") that appears to have hit a "Oscar Growth Spurt" in the fact that over the last month and a half his size (and appetite) have sky rocketed. I first purchased him in october as the smallest fish in the tank at around 3 inches. He grew steadily to about 5 inches, but over the last month or so hes hit 8 inches. He is now terrortorial and competes with the same size Green Terror (Flippa) and Blood Parrot (Flaming hair guy) over a pot. I suspect this is natural, however Flippa will inflict bite marks of some sort on the Oscar (fish), but he can still handle himself. Flaming hair guy, is agressive but not much happens, afterall, he is a Blood Parrot. I was curious if there was something to be done about this fighting, or should i just wait it out untill it will eventually end? I feed them a variety, typicaly Omega One Cichlid pellets, but about once a week i will unthaw some full sized Shrimp and chop it up for them, with a few hints of lettuce and carrot here and there.

Thanks for reading, and thank you in advance for any wisdom shed on this issue.

 

[DMD123]

If you are housing an 8" Oscar with a Green Terror of the same size along with a BP in a 55g; that is why you are having aggression issues. You will need a larger tank to house those fish comfortably without aggression.

 

[xenoside]

Soon I plan to rid the Green Terror by donating it to a local fish store. It really does not add to the beauty of the tank. At that point do you believe that they would live comfortably and without aggression?

 

[DMD123]

There is a ton of debate on proper tank size for many of the fish we keep. Because of the size and messiness of Oscars a 75g would be the smallest tank that would be recommended for a healthy fish for life.

 

[badlad53]

I agree... you can keep a single o in a tank that size if you are willing to make frequent water changes (or figure out some other way to keep NITRATES very very low). But bigger is always better. The blood parrot and oscar will likely ignore each other for the most part though... but too many variables to say for sure...

 

[xenoside]

I change about 25% once a week. Yeah i've read in some places that 55gal is the absolute minimal for an Oscar, however in other places i've read that a minimal of 125gal. So i just make frequent water changes and use different nitrate additives.

 

[DMD123]

Yeah i've read in some places that 55gal is the absolute minimal for an Oscar, however in other places i've read that a minimal of 125gal.

A typical 55g is only about 12" wide, which an oscar can easily outgrow. For your fishes comfort at least an 18" wide tank would be recommended.

 

[BigO6687]

Do not use any of that chemical bs on ur tank, your oscar cannot thrive in a 55 gallon period.
How well does a 16" fish maneuver in a 14" wide tank? The absolute minimum for an oscar is 75g. Anyone saying 55g is
The blood parrot would be fine as the only large fish in there as would the gt if it was a female

 

[BigO6687]

Also.. 25% a week is nothing u should be doing at least 50%, even more with the stock u have

 

[Chaz88]

For the short term, if they are fighting over the same pot, rearrange the tank with more hiding spots and line of sight breaks. Might help with aggression.