Dovii are also CA cichlids...which are less prone to gettin HITH and LLE...although it is still possible.
The deal with oscars
- Thread starter sandtiger
- Start date
i just picked up another oscar at wal-mart.. its black with the gray lines but no red.. he looked neat so i had to buy him..
rayman45 said:
how the hell do you have so many animals and tanks????
the food and electric bill must be up the a**!!
kevin714 said:
HITH is a water quality/nutrition issue. In other words, it ain't the fish's fault. I raised a pair of oscars to 8" and 10" in a 29 gallon flatback hex aquarium when I was 16 with insane filtration and great food (not my personal choice, and I definitely don't recommend it and won't do it again). Those fish were gorgeous and had no signs of HITH/HLLE. My then boyfriend/now husband had a breeding pair he raised to 12"+ in a 100 gallon with a pair of severums; they were absolutely perfect (have some pics of them I can scan and post if anyone is interested--the male had true dorsal ocelli). Keep your nitrites/ammonia at 0 and nitrates in the 20ppm or less range and feed your fish a varied diet that includes a balanced pellet and you aren't going to get HITH. Of course, most people who buy oscars don't have a clue so the turn-ins you see at pet stores are rarely going to be anything special--but why would you want to buy an adult anyways? Half the fun with oscars is raising them up from babies.
Laura
my oscars i have started to get hith so i quit feeding the fish and stuck with flake food and pellets and it went away.. now they are fine.. so i only feed them fish for a treat and the show..
so far my experience w oscars has been good...
no prob w HITH so far...
feed them chopped up shrimp. I guess its all about water cleaniness...
no prob w HITH so far...
feed them chopped up shrimp. I guess its all about water cleaniness...
Stella said:HITH is a water quality/nutrition issue. In other words, it ain't the fish's fault.
--but why would you want to buy an adult anyways? Half the fun with oscars is raising them up from babies.
A 4 or 5 inch oscar is hardly an adult . However I made no inference in my post whether I wanted to buy one or not. I was just backing up my point with a personal observation that they are prone to HITH which I don't think any experienced fishkeeper would argue. I know how to raise them without getting it and as I said in my post I have done it. I have also raised foot long pikes without getting HITH and they are also more prone to it than other cichlids. It does take extra diligence when keeping them thats all and somtimes we can all be guilty of missing water changes from time to time.
"have some pics of them I can scan and post if anyone is interested--the male had true dorsal ocelli"
Please do...i'm a little curious about this DORSAL ocelli...like in the dorsal fin? Weird. HITH and LLE are definately related to water quality and nutrition. When i left for college my oscare were AMAZING...no HITH, LLE...nothing...peak conditions...when i came back a year later....sadly...they had HITH, and some pretty serious LLE cuz my 'rents were less than dedicated about keepin the water and feedin regimine. Sucked. I was able to nurse them back...but twas difficult. Also, hard water seems to make it harder for SA cichlids to get HITH and LLE...I don't really know why this is...maybe cuz hard water is more stable and less fluctuations....but if you are seriously having troubles with HITH and LLE, and aren't trying to breed ur fish, try using harder water. Might make the difference...
Please do...i'm a little curious about this DORSAL ocelli...like in the dorsal fin? Weird. HITH and LLE are definately related to water quality and nutrition. When i left for college my oscare were AMAZING...no HITH, LLE...nothing...peak conditions...when i came back a year later....sadly...they had HITH, and some pretty serious LLE cuz my 'rents were less than dedicated about keepin the water and feedin regimine. Sucked. I was able to nurse them back...but twas difficult. Also, hard water seems to make it harder for SA cichlids to get HITH and LLE...I don't really know why this is...maybe cuz hard water is more stable and less fluctuations....but if you are seriously having troubles with HITH and LLE, and aren't trying to breed ur fish, try using harder water. Might make the difference...
I had Oscars for a while years ago when I started getting keen on everything aquariums! They were great fish and so much personality.
I think Oscars are one of the first 'big' fish people go for, then as their interest in fish grows they look for something a little more unusual? There is nothing wrong with them, they are just probably one of the most common large fish to own for less experienced aquarists. I would own them again, but as has been mentioned, I have other fish higher on the wishlist now and we can only have so many!
I think Oscars are one of the first 'big' fish people go for, then as their interest in fish grows they look for something a little more unusual? There is nothing wrong with them, they are just probably one of the most common large fish to own for less experienced aquarists. I would own them again, but as has been mentioned, I have other fish higher on the wishlist now and we can only have so many!
