Has anyone ever wondered this? They have the size, they have the powerful jaws, so why in the world can they not hang with a Red Devil! Arg! lol Ive always wanted an O, but both times Ive tried it, its ended in disaster for the O. I can remember that when I was new to fishkeeping that I always thought that O's were these big tough fish. Truth is, they arent tough at all, only dangerous to anything that can fit in their mouths. I guess its like people who are under the misconception that betta's are tough. I remember a time I thought that too, untill I saw 1st hand what a red tail shark can do to a betta in a single day.
Why are Oscars such pushovers?
- Thread starter sg1
- Start date
It all comes down to feeding and breeding habitats. Breeding sites for central american fish are often hard to come by, but the "flooded forest" of the Amazon basin during breeding season offer almost unlimited space.
Another issue regards feeding behavior. Some fish, mbuna for instance, protect a specific feeding site, like an algae covered rock from which they graze their food. That is not necessary for fish in the Amazon basis where food is plentiful and not restricted to isolated areas.
Another issue regards feeding behavior. Some fish, mbuna for instance, protect a specific feeding site, like an algae covered rock from which they graze their food. That is not necessary for fish in the Amazon basis where food is plentiful and not restricted to isolated areas.
Ksane;2088751; said:
Well, not exactly, with the dog example, there is a huge size discrepancy. O's are just as big as Devils, probably an inch or 2 bigger even once full grown.
Ok, good point. I guess it'd be more like a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever then, huh? lol
Actually cchhcc's explaination makes sense to me.
Actually cchhcc's explaination makes sense to me.
In the spawning season, Japes is often known for his aggressive nature
Old English saying sums it up. "Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog."
Natural selection, environment, predation all affect how a creature is going to develop.
As far as i remember, the cichlids in Central America are pretty high on the food chain (at least, higher then their South American relatives). Perhaps this has contributed to their extra aggression.
I'm not a biologist by any means, but its all to do with evolution of a species. check it out on google, its a pretty interesting subject. (check out "island gigantism"
)Craggy
in my dads tank he has a 13" RD that has a recently killed an 10" carpinte and 8" salvini. he has a 11" oscar that lives in their, the oscar is kinda like his punch bag, i suppose he kinda likes the oscar cuz he could easily kill him anytime he wants.