RE: Don't Buy Oscar Fish - 6 Reasons Why

[jaws7777]

Didn't sum anything up to me.
Are my fish happy? I don't know I'm not aquaman. Do they have space, clean water and plenty of swimming room? Yes.
Does an oscar in a 55? No.
This is getting far to repetitive and Jaws seems to have short term memory loss.

Lmaooo you cant get one single quote accurate and my memory is bad

It doesnt surprise me that TBTB comment does nothing for you.

 

[islandguy11]

Like you, I think an Oscar in a 55 is not good at all. But consider this scenario to muddy the already very dirty water. A guy has an Oscar in a 55g, he realises it's not ideal and so to compensate he's meticulous with his maintainance and feeds the fish only the best food. His neighbour has an Oscar in a 180 but his maintainance is terrible and he feeds the fish scraps off his dinner plate. Who is the better hobbyist and which is the luckiest oscar? I'm betting that scenarios like this are happening all over.

Which is the luckiest oscar in the 2 cases you describe above? Neither. I'm pretty sure if the guy in question had started to advocate keeping an Oscar in a 180, not maintaining it and feeding it table scraps, he'd be just as quickly and strongly derided here or any other decent aquatic forum.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

I'm going now, want to watch game of thrones.
It's been a pleasure though.

 

[TheReefer]

LOL, yes, I think that Jeff missed that part of the story. That, and my comments that apparently caused some members here angst, were posted prior to the OP's awakening regarding the keeping of O's in a 55 gallon tank. Sorry, no free pass on his previous comments, or on the piss poor care sheets that I can only assume were used to support his personal views, on a 55 working in most cases.

S skjl47 "The no big need for pitchforks aspect of the OP's story was he at first owned up to that being a mistake which is in the past and now knows better."

No Jeff, he did not at first own up to anything being a mistake, he didn't change directions until 36 posts in. His initial post was made on Thursday, 2:00 PM. His "Now I know better and wouldn't have done that, but he did fine," comment was posted on Friday, at 4:13 AM. I missed it, because I was in bed sleeping. lol

And there never was any pitchforks, or stoning. According to the OP's data he's 38 yrs old, I would think plenty old enough to take some criticism on a fish forum. I doubt that he went to bed crying himself to sleep.

I've been sick as a dog for the past few days, the only thing keeping me vertical for part of that time has been some serious pain killers, and even in that condition, I seem to be keeping the story straighter than most.
I appreciate the OP posting that later comment, but my initial criticism was directed at his initial comments, not those made later in the wee hours of the following morning.

Lol, I take the criticism fine, it wasn't like you guys were full out attacking me, even then I wouldn't care much. I thought about it a bit, but I didn't think much more of it.On that note, hope you feel better

 

[PYRU]

This thread...
"Big Rich and Ohio Fish Rescue suck" thread...
A thousand similar threads...

on MFK?

Tolerated?

Really?

We are sawing the branch we are sitting on, my dearest, wise, and fish-loving peers...

Now I think there are voices of reason in each thread but all in all...

* * * * * * *

FWIW, I agree with kendragon in that

... Where are the big fish keepers and their fish as of 10 years ago?... it's slim pickings today!

... by bashing big fish keeping, we are killing the MFK and the new generations of MFK-ers,

.. whether our members, prospective members, or not.

People learn first hand the most and the best. Someone who has never grown their oscar from a small to large size in, say, a 30 gal or 55 gal, might never become motivated or even fathom getting a bigger tank, or building a pond, etc., that is, grow in the MFK vein and realize how cool and exciting that is!

Ken told me personally: "Oscars and 55g are great affordable starters to learn from." I sign under it.

Why do you think Ken keeps a huge school of huge-growing mahseers in a relatively small pond WITHOUT A BIOFILTER?
Why do you think he keeps 5 golden dorado in a "starter" 225 gal?

Ken says not one of us, not me, nor you, ever asked him why...

Now here is the guy, a true MFKer, who understands the spirit of our choice of poison and is quietly tinkering in his shop and humbly showing everyone that it can be done (yes, agreeably for a while, a long while, but a long experience-building and knowledge-building, and MFK promising while!) by his own example!

Why do we need to be such idealists, theorists and paper fish keepers and always assume if one doesn't have a forever tank for a fish or a 100% proof plan, they should NEVER GET THAT FISH? This is most ridiculous. Please, give people a chance to start somewhere and grow! Don't squash future MFKers, please!

Those who push down someone else's throat "Don't do it unless you can do it ideally (!!!) over the fish' life of 10-30 years" ideology must not be tolerated on MFK, I am sorry. Or feel free to shoot yourself in your buns. Choose a cheek and an angle carefully, your more important parts are on the same level...

Worst comes to worst, can't upgrade, so there is the commonly accepted, affordable, and humane ways of euthanasia, in our case clove oil... It's still but a fish, guys. It's not a child. Not even a dog or a cat, which are euthanized by a myriad. But still, a vast majority of keepers, I believe, will find a way to upgrade or, if need be, keep a fish in a smaller-than-should-be tank until they earnestly saving $$$ or building a new home for them...

* * * * * * *

Yes I have a 3.5' piraiba in a 4500 gal. It's just a young oscar in a 55 gal, just scaled down. So what, will you bash me too? Cry it's cruelty, a prison, what am I thinking? Am I a disgrace to the MFK and an abuser of animals?

Yes, I have a 3' wels in a, o horror, 240 gal, 8'x2'x2'. Am I an abhorrent fish keeper? Maybe it is me who should be euthanized and all my fish confiscated? To anyone whose fingers have inadvertently gone down for their holster right now, I have bought larger tanks that need to be set up and I am gluing wels' future tank. I aim and try to but can't do it ideally.

I started with 15, yes fifteen (!), koi in a 27 gal and a channel catfish in a 120 gal. If I came to MFK today, I'd be stomped and spat on. And if I listened, I'd not be an MFKer I am today or not at all.

It also leads to an abominable hypocrisy and double standards. Ken and I are "untouchable" cuz we semi-proved ourselves over time. A new kid on the block with the same fish in the same tank is a shark bait... Please, give him/her a chance and time they need like Ken and I were given!!!

* * * * * *

What I am saying, please, let's be reasonable, people's circumstances constantly evolve and change, today's 12-year old with an oscar in a 30 gal keeps a 4' redtail catfish in a 5000 gal at 22 years old... let people be the free people, help them grow, uphold, help (wisely!), think ahead, nurture the MFK future. Or otherwise face extinction, Mr. Wooly Rhino and Mrs. Mammoth... or go to the FB, IG, Twitter, and YouTube right now and be done with MFK.

Well said. Too bad its buried in a pile of self righteous anthropomorphism.

 

[RD.]

I think the intention of those who responded strongly was to nip that malpractice in the bud before somebody even younger comes along and takes it as good practice.

Bingo

Lol, I take the criticism fine, it wasn't like you guys were full out attacking me, even then I wouldn't care much. I thought about it a bit, but I didn't think much more of it.On that note, hope you feel better

Thanks Mike, I'm sorry that this thread turned into such a clusterphuck.

 

[skjl47]

Lol, I take the criticism fine, it wasn't like you guys were full out attacking me, even then I wouldn't care much. I thought about it a bit, but I didn't think much more of it.On that note, hope you feel better

Hello; I do not know if some will let it go but perhaps you can clear something up. Is it correct that you do not currently have an Oscar in a 55 gallon tank?

The concept that what I do now is more important than stuff from the past is what seems important to me. I could make a list of things done back when I was 12 and for some years after that I no longer do.
If I had a bunch of wishes I would use one to go back to 1959 and tell my young self what I now know about fish keeping. If I only get three wishes I will use them for something else.

 

[RD.]

Clearly, some won't let it go. We all get it, Jeff, the OP doesn't currently have an Oscar in a 55 gallon tank. DOH!

 

[TheReefer]

Hello; I do not know if some will let it go but perhaps you can clear something up. Is it correct that you do not currently have an Oscar in a 55 gallon tank?

The concept that what I do now is more important than stuff from the past is what seems important to me. I could make a list of things done back when I was 12 and for some years after that I no longer do.
If I had a bunch of wishes I would use one to go back to 1959 and tell my young self what I now know about fish keeping. If I only get three wishes I will use them for something else.

Correct, I do not have my oscar in the 55 anymore, I eventually kept an oscar again in a 90 which some still think is too small, but seeing as the oscar was around 14 inches and the tank was 18 inches wide, I think he was fine.

 

[jaws7777]

Correct, I do not have my oscar in the 55 anymore, I eventually kept an oscar again in a 90 which some still think is too small, but seeing as the oscar was around 14 inches and the tank was 18 inches wide, I think he was fine.