Oscar vs. Flowerhorn -- opinions please!

[punchiechip]

I don't mind you crashing at all, I love your story! Thanks for sharing.

Jexnell stunning oscar!! I never really fancied the albino ones but seeing one full grown might be a game changer, haha.

Thanks Cal, I'll definitely look into those.

 

[punchiechip]

punchiechip ,

Good input from everywhere here! A female flowerhorn can get pretty big but might work better in a 75. They're underrated and colorful too! For an Oscar you'd want to go 6'. It takes my oscar 4 feet just to stop at full speed. Maybe 5' but only if it's boxy asf...like a funky 4' x 2 'x5 'custom build cubeish.

My red oscar Brick is currently 5 y.o. I'd run out of adjectives to describe his personality, but he's loads of fun when he isn't cranky. His size is 3.5" W x ~7"H x 15"L. Estimated weight 2-3 lbs. Be prepared for water changes and monstrous turds unless you have great filtration and water movement. Best thing I did recently was add real plants. It can work with O's but there's a method to it.

I think because FHs have to be isolated there isn't as much chance of seeing their full personality because they can only interact with one source. Most Oscars can have at least one tankmate so you see their range better. One thing about oscars rarely mentioned is that they will use all levels to swim in, so the need for space is crucial in addition to water volume.

Here's Brick...isolated current shot and in the 225:

View attachment 1536548


View attachment 1536547

WOW, I had NO idea they could get *that* large!!! Seeing this full photo really puts it into perspective and makes the original thought of a 75 laughable! So...how DO you make live plants work??

--also as side note and as a continuation of my thoughts of gathering info elsewhere rather than asking people with experience -- I went to Petsmart yesterday ("just to look" because I'm a fish addict and it's next to the grocery store); they had a new shipment of lovely oscars; the sign on their tank listed their minimum tank size as "40 gallons".

Talk about laughable...until you realize people follow this advice!

 

[FINWIN]

WOW, I had NO idea they could get *that* large!!! Seeing this full photo really puts it into perspective and makes the original thought of a 75 laughable! So...how DO you make live plants work??

--also as side note and as a continuation of my thoughts of gathering info elsewhere rather than asking people with experience -- I went to Petsmart yesterday ("just to look" because I'm a fish addict and it's next to the grocery store); they had a new shipment of lovely oscars; the sign on their tank listed their minimum tank size as "40 gallons".

Talk about laughable...until you realize people follow this advice!

Oh yeah they can get big. I've seen 17-18" inchers in public aquariums but they're old and faded. If you want to get the most potential out of your Oscar, get a big tank, do lots of water changes and then wait. If he/she has the dna to be larger it will happen. Don't read too much into early growth rate either...all o's are crazy growers but not all turn out big. Brick was raised in the 225 so that was a factor. Oddly enough he stalled at 11 inches for a while then picked it up again. The bigger they get the slower they grow. It's like a sliding scale. For Brick it went like this:

Year one: 12 inches
Year Two: ~14 inches
Year Three: 14 inches
Year Five: 15 inches (two years to gain one inch)

So it's a tiny creep at this point. But your oscar grows in 3D, not just length. It's the bulk and bioload that really takes over. If you're interested, there's a complete timeline of Brick in the "More Tank Pics Updated" thread starting at page 219.

Here's my own sizing chart for adult oscars

10-11" small

12"-13" average

14"-16" large

16"+ giant

I've been a fan of pothos in the tank but more recently got guppy grass and hornwort. I blend the real plants into the artificial ones for protection and a base from salad lovers. It helps while the real plants grow and get established.

 

[Joshuakahan]

WOW, I had NO idea they could get *that* large!!! Seeing this full photo really puts it into perspective and makes the original thought of a 75 laughable! So...how DO you make live plants work??

--also as side note and as a continuation of my thoughts of gathering info elsewhere rather than asking people with experience -- I went to Petsmart yesterday ("just to look" because I'm a fish addict and it's next to the grocery store); they had a new shipment of lovely oscars; the sign on their tank listed their minimum tank size as "40 gallons".

Talk about laughable...until you realize people follow this advice!

I heard a PetSmart employee tell a customer, while using the 1” per gallon thing, that a 10g is good for an Oscar

 

[Trouser Cough]

I heard a PetSmart employee tell a customer, while using the 1” per gallon thing, that a 10g is good for an Oscar

Years ago I went to someone's house to buy something I just had to have off of CL. Whatever it was, it was in that guy's bedroom and in the corner was a 20G tank w/ a Pacu in it that was so big it not only couldn't turn around but it also had to be hand fed because if a piece of food fell to the bottom of the tank that fish couldn't put it's head down to get it. The man that owned it seemed to be of a delicate nature and was clearly distraught over the situation but his budget didn't have room for a solution.

Ever since that day I've filtered the comments from pet shop employees pretty hard. I'm sure they're well intentioned but until you've experienced the misfortune that an ill informed response can cause it's tough to know how important it is not to give answers you *think* might be correct.

There was less than 2" of available space ahead of and behind that fish.

 

[punchiechip]

I heard a PetSmart employee tell a customer, while using the 1” per gallon thing, that a 10g is good for an Oscar

Good grief *face palm*
Did you say anything? I'm definitely *that* person who would have butted in; I can't help myself lol...not tooting my own horn but I used to run a betta rescue (I would get free dying bettas from stores, rehab them, and rehome the ones I didn't want to keep long term). If I'm in ear shot of employees trying to sell small tanks to betta buyers I definitely insert myself right into that conversation

 

[Joshuakahan]

Years ago I went to someone's house to buy something I just had to have off of CL. Whatever it was, it was in that guy's bedroom and in the corner was a 20G tank w/ a Pacu in it that was so big it not only couldn't turn around but it also had to be hand fed because if a piece of food fell to the bottom of the tank that fish couldn't put it's head down to get it. The man that owned it seemed to be of a delicate nature and was clearly distraught over the situation but his budget didn't have room for a solution.

Ever since that day I've filtered the comments from pet shop employees pretty hard. I'm sure they're well intentioned but until you've experienced the misfortune that an ill informed response can cause it's tough to know how important it is not to give answers you *think* might be correct.

There was less than 2" of available space ahead of and behind that fish.

I have corrected a few store employees, I even gave an elderly customer my phone number to walk her through setting up her FOWLR since the employee was giving such bad advice. In this case, I talked to the manager since I sort of know him
I’ve considered working in a Petco/Smart part time just to correct some of this, but nah lol

 

[Joshuakahan]

Good grief *face palm*
Did you say anything? I'm definitely *that* person who would have butted in; I can't help myself lol...not tooting my own horn but I used to run a betta rescue (I would get free dying bettas from stores, rehab them, and rehome the ones I didn't want to keep long term). If I'm in ear shot of employees trying to sell small tanks to betta buyers I definitely insert myself right into that conversation

In this particular situation, I talked to the manager because I wanted what I said to sink in, not just be forgotten or dismissed when left 30 seconds later

 

[punchiechip]

I have corrected a few store employees, I even gave an elderly customer my phone number to walk her through setting up her FOWLR since the employee was giving such bad advice. In this case, I talked to the manager since I sort of know him
I’ve considered working in a Petco/Smart part time just to correct some of this, but nah lol

OH MY GOSH you just reminded me!!! In my teens (what some 22 years ago?) I applied for a job at Petsmart and got it (I was always a lover of animals). At orientation the manager looked at my shoes and said, "Are those the only sneakers you have?"
"Yes..." I said. Now mind you, these were some plain brown sneakers with white tread. Nothing really that unusual about them.
"Huh. You're going to need some different shoes. The bottoms have to be black."
I asked if Petsmart would pay for these shoes, to which he replied, no. I just put down all my paperwork I was filling out, said, "never mind" and walked out!

This has nothing to do with this topic but I had to share as I completely forgot. Something tells me they're more lax about these sorts of things these days. I mean I see what the kids are wearing now...! LOL

 

[dmyersWv]

I have talked to a few employees of the big box pet stores and found that the training they receive is very limited and incorrect in a lot of cases. Some go above and beyond and do research on the fish online, but as most know that is very often incorrect. I can't help but speak up when someone is buying 2 oscars, 2 jack dempsey and a gold fish for there new 55 setup. All the same day of course.