Aqua Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Hey guys - I'm considering replacing the contents of my tank with a Tiger Oscar, can someone give me more info on what they require? I've been searching on the 'net, but I find it's always better to get info from here! As a side to this question, if I decide to go through with this, I'll be having all the fish & plants displayed at www.nik.co.nz up for sale!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Oscars require a BIG tank Other than that, good filtration, as they are messy fish when feeding and always dig up the substrate too. Plants don't last at all. Temp: 24 - 28C pH: 6.5 - 7.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Aqua said... > ... I'm considering replacing the contents of my tank with > a Tiger Oscar... Resist the call of the 'dark side'... :roll: Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 AJ, find us a killie that grows the size of an oscar and...Hehehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted September 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 hahaha I have a 48"x18"x18" tank, so big enough for one Oscar... Maybe I could start with other cichlids instead? I just want some bigger fish... It's all very nice having a shoal of fish, but I'd rather have a few BIG fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 Oscars and others of their size are too big and destructive for me. I like the chunky middle sized fish like blue acaras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 No offence to all the oscar lovers out there, but IMO theyre over-rated as far as cichlids go. My pair of uaru's were way more intelligent than my oscar (and my new trio look like they'll be characters when they get bigger). Most medium-large central american cichlids will have an interesting personality/attitude, although you'll probably be limited to keeping a single fish in a tank that small. If you want more than one fish you could try a mix of south american cichlids, uaru's, geophagus, sevrums, festive cichlids, keyholes, etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 You pretty much described my tank, David, except the uarus and festive cichlids(Festivums?). I think I'd rather have a couple Oscar sized Surinamensis or Severums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 Good choice of fish!!!!! Oscars are very cool. Intelligent, responsive and so much fun to own. Your tank would only be big enough for one, as you said. Like Caryl has already mentioned, lots of filtration is a neccessity, turning over your tank about 10 to 12 times an hour is good. They are absolute pigs at meal times and tend to spray a lot of their food out their gills. They're fairly well behaved when young, but it doesn't last. Be prepared for monumental amounts of destruction when he/she gets to about 8 or 9 inches. Ours went through 3 heaters, 2 filter outlet thingies and innumerable plants before he started to settle down. Be warned that from a very small size, they will try to eat any other fish in the tank that will fit in their mouths and sometimes, even ones that won't fit. They tend to bang around their tank without much regard for their surrounds, so smooth rocks are a good idea, otherwise they will scratch themselves up on a regular basis. I hate to be a traitor here, but the guys at this site http://www.worldcichlids.com/yabbse/ are the best for oscar questions of all types. They helped me a lot with mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted September 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 If you want more than one fish you could try a mix of south american cichlids, uaru's, geophagus, sevrums, festive cichlids, keyholes, etc etc. More info please!!! Is this kind of like the display tank in Hollywood Fish Farms next to Helen?? (I realise I'm taking a risk making such a direct question lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Nah its not really, thats a planted tank isnt it? Uaru's eat anything thats resembles a plant, and nibble on driftwood too. What I ment was witht hat size tank [and lots of filtration etc] you could keep a mixture of less aggressive cichlids. I'm planning on keeping 3 uaru's, 2 keyhole cichlids and maybe a surinamensis in a 4'x20"x20", it'll be decorated with large rocks and driftwood, and I might put a bit of peat in the filter to help buffer the water, and give it the blackwater look. I like large aggressive cichlids, but until I can afford a 600g tank so I can successfully keep a few of them together I'd rather keep less aggressive fish. I like watching them interact and being able to keep a few different species together, I'm not really into single-specimen tanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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