Year One: Then and Now
- Thread starter FINWIN
- Start date
I had kept mostly livebearers, goldfish and catfish prior to trying cichlids. But I came here and 'read up' quietly for months before joining MFK. The idea of their intelligence and 'wet pet' status appealed to me. I haven't been disappointed. Try an Oscar! Everything you read about their personality is absolutely true! They will test your patience at times with their antics.
You know I'm wondering if the type of red oscar Brick is was used to make the Chili Pepper Oscars...the only real difference I see is the white heads and along the back. Brick's color just kind of exploded once he got around 5-6 inches. Like a molten lava look. Then it got more red and less orangish...the black pigmentation started retreating past 8 inches, you can see it in his fins and body specks. Now his pectorals have turned nearly solid black which is why you can't see them in the latest pic. The red started spreading up his jawline as well.
I read somewhere red Os were found in the wild in the 60s.
Brick is pretty much pellet raised on various Hikari. He also ate sweet potato, krill, mealworms and peas. For a brief period he ate tilapia, but I find he goes through 'picky' phases more now than before. Now he's on a mealworm kick again, so I soak them in Boyds. The krill is known as a red enhancer but he was red to begin with...maybe some slight increase in his eyes I guess. When Brick was small I thought he was going to be one of those shiny copper Os. At 2 inches he had a 'sooty' face like he was rolled in dirt, lol.
I'll wait awhile for the next measurement to see his further progress, maybe 6 months. I'd heard the Reds tend to grow fastest, then tigers, then albinos. Maybe some more experienced O raisers can chime in on that. So far Brick's giving every indication of being on the larger end of the spectrum, we'll see.
Approach to raising the fish
w/c (obviously)
started with lifetime tank sizes (though I'd love to put each BP in a 55 if I had the room).
loads of water movement and oxygenation
bold color backgrounds, canopy/jungle theme blues, browns, purples, greens, yellows are ok. Red is not. My fish will not stay long in 'wide open' spaces and will only use the full tank consistently with a shaded canopy. Only exception is if two or more are together. Color substrates, green or blue.
toy basketball for O
lots of nooks/crannies to explore
2 meals a day (Oscar started with 6 down to 2 as size increased)
Diet
Hikari Excel, Hikari Red Parrot, Hikari Gold. Bug bites, meal worms, krill. Oscar also loves sweet potato, peas and bananas as a treat. Sometimes eats tilapia. My BPs hate peas. The severum and chocolate like them. Severum snacks on the pothos.
My chocolate and BPs aren't picky and will eat anything. Oscar goes through crazy picky phases that are totally random. Sometimes the severum gets picky but his hunger strikes are short.
w/c (obviously)
started with lifetime tank sizes (though I'd love to put each BP in a 55 if I had the room).
loads of water movement and oxygenation
bold color backgrounds, canopy/jungle theme blues, browns, purples, greens, yellows are ok. Red is not. My fish will not stay long in 'wide open' spaces and will only use the full tank consistently with a shaded canopy. Only exception is if two or more are together. Color substrates, green or blue.
toy basketball for O
lots of nooks/crannies to explore
2 meals a day (Oscar started with 6 down to 2 as size increased)
Diet
Hikari Excel, Hikari Red Parrot, Hikari Gold. Bug bites, meal worms, krill. Oscar also loves sweet potato, peas and bananas as a treat. Sometimes eats tilapia. My BPs hate peas. The severum and chocolate like them. Severum snacks on the pothos.
My chocolate and BPs aren't picky and will eat anything. Oscar goes through crazy picky phases that are totally random. Sometimes the severum gets picky but his hunger strikes are short.
Small mention of key points in Brick's development
At 7 inches head profile got taller/steeper. His "big noggin" phase. Nearly a third of total body size.
At 8 inches made massive waste nonstop...peaked at this size, cleanup a nightmare. Highest body contrast in color.
At 10 inches top and anal fin barely touching tail.
At 11 inches anal fin elongates, overlapping tail
Now at 12 inches both top and anal fin overlap tail easily. Brick will swim with them on one side or the other. In the pic he's holding his anal fin on the other side of his body. Has developed a circle of black 'pepper' like spots on his tail.
behavior timeline
2-4 inches wild energy, greedy, bold, fearless. Inhaled food
5-8 inches "foo fighter" stage, high energy and aggression. Finger nipper when grabbing food. Ran into glass and spooked a lot at nothing. Siphoned food like a vaccum.
10 inches bully stage, less fighting, more playful. Got into mischief wrecking tank. No interest in toys.
11 inches - now "Boss" stage. Breaks up fights, starts fights, keeps the peace. Ignores minor squabbles between other tank mates. Still will wreck tank on occasion. Plays with his basketball.
At 7 inches head profile got taller/steeper. His "big noggin" phase. Nearly a third of total body size.
At 8 inches made massive waste nonstop...peaked at this size, cleanup a nightmare. Highest body contrast in color.
At 10 inches top and anal fin barely touching tail.
At 11 inches anal fin elongates, overlapping tail
Now at 12 inches both top and anal fin overlap tail easily. Brick will swim with them on one side or the other. In the pic he's holding his anal fin on the other side of his body. Has developed a circle of black 'pepper' like spots on his tail.
behavior timeline
2-4 inches wild energy, greedy, bold, fearless. Inhaled food
5-8 inches "foo fighter" stage, high energy and aggression. Finger nipper when grabbing food. Ran into glass and spooked a lot at nothing. Siphoned food like a vaccum.
10 inches bully stage, less fighting, more playful. Got into mischief wrecking tank. No interest in toys.
11 inches - now "Boss" stage. Breaks up fights, starts fights, keeps the peace. Ignores minor squabbles between other tank mates. Still will wreck tank on occasion. Plays with his basketball.
Coming up on a year with Tango. Here are his latest pics...he's getting big. Very tall bodied. I love his 'sleepy' eyes.
Now officially at one year for Tango. He's one hefty parrot, even thicker than the above pic taken back in March. He's watching cartoons here. I don't overfeed him at all...he's just getting hulking. Because of his growth I've had to up the water change schedule. White marble below him is a 1" shooter for size reference.
Brick's current appearance as compared with the last pic shown here from December. His black pigment has come back like crazy. He is now between 12-13 inches.
Better views of the black pigment in his tail. He could change back again, impossible to say. At times his head goes black like when he was a juvie.
