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

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TheReefer

Fire Eel
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Apr 13, 2019
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In this video, a guy explains why you shouldn't keep Oscars. His reasons are
1. They rearrange your tank
2. Feeding them is a chore
3. they're aggressive
4. it's hard to find tankmates
5. they need a huge tank
6. You need to do a lot of water changes

For number 1, yes they will rearrange your tank, that's the beauty of them. It's funny to see them rearrange tanks. If you don't like that then you can just not decorate your tank very much, if at all.

For number 2, no, feeding them is not a chore. Go to a local bait shop and pick up some night crawlers, me I can get 24 troutworms for $5 or 12 large night crawlers for $5, go on amazon and pick up some pellets, it's a lot cheaper on there. Go to your grocery store, pick up the cheapest seafood meat (as long as it isn't oily or anything), it could be scallops, tilapia, clams, etc. Go outside and look under rocks and you can get some worms and bugs for them. Go to your local stream and pick up some minnows and crayfish (if that's legal in your area and if you're allowed to do that). Feeding them is AWESOME, I love'd feeding mine when I had them.

For number 3 and 4, yes they are aggressive and yes it can be hard to find tankmates with them. You need to get them when they're both young and have them in the same tank, but separated from eachother so they get used to eachother. You can keep them with so many things, red devils, green terrors, jack dempseys, bichirs, larger catfish, arowanas, gars, flowerhorns, etc. It's all trial and error, but mine have gotten tankmates fine

For number 5, no, you don't need a huge tank. A 55 will work, but a 90 would be perfect for an oscar, no problem. You don't need a huge tank like he was saying

and for number 6, yes you do have to do a lot of water changes. Doing water changes is a part of having large fish. It's not that hard to do water changes.
 
Videos such are those are, in my opinion, made by beginners and for beginners. Whenever I see a video saying “why you shouldn’t keep ____” it just screams beginner to me as that person doesn’t know the likes and dislikes of everyone in the world or the temperament of every one of those fish. It would look more professional to have it laid out as a “this is my experiences with ___” and at the end you say if you would keep the fish again.
Just my personal opinion for whatever it’s worth.
 
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In this video, a guy explains why you shouldn't keep Oscars. His reasons are
1. They rearrange your tank
2. Feeding them is a chore
3. they're aggressive
4. it's hard to find tankmates
5. they need a huge tank
6. You need to do a lot of water changes

For number 1, yes they will rearrange your tank, that's the beauty of them. It's funny to see them rearrange tanks. If you don't like that then you can just not decorate your tank very much, if at all.

For number 2, no, feeding them is not a chore. Go to a local bait shop and pick up some night crawlers, me I can get 24 troutworms for $5 or 12 large night crawlers for $5, go on amazon and pick up some pellets, it's a lot cheaper on there. Go to your grocery store, pick up the cheapest seafood meat (as long as it isn't oily or anything), it could be scallops, tilapia, clams, etc. Go outside and look under rocks and you can get some worms and bugs for them. Go to your local stream and pick up some minnows and crayfish (if that's legal in your area and if you're allowed to do that). Feeding them is AWESOME, I love'd feeding mine when I had them.

For number 3 and 4, yes they are aggressive and yes it can be hard to find tankmates with them. You need to get them when they're both young and have them in the same tank, but separated from eachother so they get used to eachother. You can keep them with so many things, red devils, green terrors, jack dempseys, bichirs, larger catfish, arowanas, gars, flowerhorns, etc. It's all trial and error, but mine have gotten tankmates fine

For number 5, no, you don't need a huge tank. A 55 will work, but a 90 would be perfect for an oscar, no problem. You don't need a huge tank like he was saying

and for number 6, yes you do have to do a lot of water changes. Doing water changes is a part of having large fish. It's not that hard to do water changes.
1. So what. Rearrange what they change. At least they are "involved".
2. BS
3. BS
5. BS
5. Duh! I guess this guy is against big fish. Wow. Who cares?
6. Ok, I guess get smaller passive fish so you don't need to change water too much. Beta ok?
 
Oscars easy to feed, break them to a quality pellet and thats it. worms and such should be a treat not main diet, tank big enof Oscars will not tear up the tank, they are a tall thick fish witch means larger bio load compared to others there size, but again large enof tank for them water changes once a week all thats needed. as for tank mates, I have had my Oscars with jags, BKG, sun cats, plecos, , silver dollars. never an issue, again large enof tank like a 180 tall.
 
Oscars easy to feed, break them to a quality pellet and thats it. worms and such should be a treat not main diet, tank big enof Oscars will not tear up the tank, they are a tall thick fish witch means larger bio load compared to others there size, but again large enof tank for them water changes once a week all thats needed. as for tank mates, I have had my Oscars with jags, BKG, sun cats, plecos, , silver dollars. never an issue, again large enof tank like a 180 tall.
I wouldn't say a pellet should be the staple, I would say that should be half the diet with the other half being frozen and live, though I feed my pike rn frozen and live
 
Oscars are omnivores, quality pellet give them all they need for that and over dosing with proteins adds to nitrate creep. I gave freeze dried super krill soaked in boyds over night the night before water changes because I new it was going to send my tank over the edge but I water changing in the morning so no worries.
 
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