Picked up an Oscar

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Steve_C

Redtail Catfish
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Jan 9, 2017
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Funny thing is as long as I have been in this hobby and many tanks and cichlids as I have I have never had an Oscar. Just always went with the more colorful and harder to find species of cichlid. Then today while looking at the 75g bleekeri/silver dollar tank I just set up next to my 240 Malawi hap tank I got to thinking, I really should find an Oscar for this tank. So long story short, just got home with a nice looking lil 5" albino Oscar. First Oscar I have owned.

I'm not new by any means to cichlid and the size and care, but with that said anything special to keep an eye out with an oscar? My usual feeding for the rest of the tanks is quality pellets 5 days, quality flake 1 day, then krill 1 day. That okay for the Oscar as well or anything they need special?

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my oscars eat anything that hits the water. hungry little buggers and they're growing really fast. I would say the biggest thing is that oscars are the messiest eaters besides maybe snakeheads. definitely the messiest cichlids I've kept.
 
I have no experience with it but I know it's not limited to just oscars. I'm pretty sure it has to do with water quality though. only times you seem to see pictures of it is in horribly murky tanks. Idk maybe someone else knows more.
 
Oscars come from soft acidic blackwater conditions in the wild, so if your tap water is hard it can make them more prone to hith, this can be minimised by having really good water quality.
 
Also, the 75 may be OK for just the Oscar, no other fish. But a 6 ft tank really would be much better. You might want to think about upgrading in the near future. Oscars are fast growers.
 
Well, now I remember why I haven't bought a fish from fish stores in years. I usually get my fish from guys in my cichlid club. I bought this oscar on a whim from a local shop, now guess what, I'm treating him and the tank for ich :eek:

I think I caught it early enough. Heat is up to 85 and added salt, He seems to be on the upswing today. Just sucks I broke my own rule of not buying from fish shops (too much turn over in their tanks) Uhhhhg!
 
You will love him, not many fish that can rival an Oscar for personality, they are very fun and they sulk. Don't be surprised if you change the decor or do a WC and he lays on his side looking miserable lol.
Hith is ime totally avoided by large weekly wc's, do at least 75% a week.
Also try to get him on some greens.
Soon you will have him leaping from the water to take mussel from your hand.
 
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