Bit of Oscar help please

[Humboldt]

Hi,
Nice forum you've got here.

I was just given an 8" Albino Oscar (by a friend who rescued it from someone else but had nowhere to put it but with his 28" electric eel, heh).

In a 29 gallon tall right now until I move and have a bit more space.

I could use a bit of advice about rocking the tank and feeding the beast.

I've read Oscars are particular about their surroundings...uprooting plants and digging gravel, etc...also moving rocks and digging the gravel from under them.

I know my other Cichlids (Ram and Keyhole...different tank) like having rock cave structures...basically 2 walls and a roof for shelter and privacy. But I'd need pretty big rocks to give this Oscar any shelter and don't want one to fall and hurt it or the tank. What would you recommend?

Also...how much/often should I feed this thing? I'm used to feeding my other tank flakes and a few small earthworms, and have read about the Oscar diet but not really anything about how much or often to feed live food/pellets, etc...

Thanks!

Humboldt

 

[cichlidmaster]

Humboldt,

First let me welcome you to the forum.

Now on to your question/s!!

IMO I would simply place a couple of decent size rocks on the gravel bed and leave it at that!!

An 8" oscar in a 29 gallon tank does not provide for much room for decor.

Stay away from feeders!! If you want to feed live than do the earthworm bit!!

Oscars will accept a wide range of foods from flake (quite messy for an 8" oscar) to freezedried/frozen krill, shrimp, fish fillets (cut to appropriate size of course) and anything in-between!!

Don't be affraid to experiment, but please STAY AWAY FROM LIVE FEEDERS!!

CM

 

[impur]

IME with oscars, i used frozen beefheart as a supplement to good quality pellets. They loved the beefheart. I had 4 8-10" oscars in a 100 gal tank for a few years. I don't think they got sick once. If you do go with some decor, do as CM suggested and leave only a few medium sized rocks. The oscar won't need to hide much. The problem you might run into is the oscar scraping himself on a rock and getting an infection. Hope you can get a new home for him soon.

 

[Humboldt]

Thanks for the prompt replies and the warm welcome.

Stay away from feeders...because of the unknown health of them? Or because they don't have much nutritional value? Both?

If ti's a part of their natural diet I'd like to get a few feeders every now and then, but certainly wasn't planning on basing the diet around them.

Also, with the frozen krill or brine shrimp, aren't they too small for it too really notice? Or do you drop in large chunks?

and foodwise...lots of info on the web about what to feed them but not how much to feed them. I know they always act hungry and beg, and will eat when they're not hungry anyways. Any good guidelines for quantity or how often I should feed?

Thanks again

 

[cichlidmaster]

Ok,

IMO a good quality pellet (Hikari cichlid gold) would make a really good staple diet. Meaning this could be used daily!!

The frozen krill is large enough to feed. It usually comes in two sizes so get the larger of the two.

When I said "shrimp" in no way did I mean brine!!! I meant like cocktail shrimp. I know a bit on the expensive side which is why I also suggested frozen fish fillets!!

Oscars may feed from time to time on live fish in the wild, but your aquarium is not the wild!!

You do not have to feed them in order for your oscar to grow strong and live a healthy and happy life.

feeders can and most times do harbor disease and believe it or not do not contain anywhere close to the nutritional value a fish of any kind need to be healthy.

Most people buy feeders to watch the oscar hunt it down, and justify it by saying it's good for the oscar to hunt!!

To this I say BULL!!!!!!

Beefheart would be a good treat food just like the krill, but only in moderation. Even very lean beefheart contains a lot of fatty protein and can cause an oscar to get "fat"!!

Do not confuse fat with big and healthy. A fish can get obese just like a human and suffer health problems.

When young (under 3") you should feed 2-3 times a day, but small amounts. As the fish grows cut this down to twice daily but making sure you are placing enough food uin the tank. This is hard to advise on as you will have to judge for yourself.

When the fish hits near it's adult size 10" or larger I would still feed it twice a day, but fast the fish once a week. This will help the fish excrete any waste from it's digestive tract and keep it healthy.

HTH.....

CM

 

[Humboldt]

Got it. Thank you.

Ok, how about rock salt with the Oscar?

My local shop recommends it for all their fish and I've used it in my 20 gallon, but while browsing around here I saw a post about it being harmful to cory cats and debateable for just about everything else.

Your opinion on that too please?

Thanks

 

[qwik108]

I have always used salt in my aquariums even when I had oscars. It never seemed to bother them. Sometimes they would even eat it when I was dropping it in the tank.I have always heard that it was a good thing to add salt. I couldn't really tell you if it is a good thing or a bad thing because I have been using it since I started keeping fish (3-4 years). But just make sure you ise the recommended dosage. To much salt could hurt your fish. Hope this helps

-Chris

 

[cichlidmaster]

If you do decide to use salt (don't know why you would) please make sure to mix it throughly in a small bit of tank water before adding it to the tank!!

Salt being poured directly into the tank and thus falling on the fish can cause irritation and even burns to the fish!!

I personally don't use it now and have never used it in the past!!

CM

 

[Humboldt]

Have always dissolved the salt in water first...pouring it into the tank in crystal form has got to be the worst possible way. As you mentioned even contact with their body can cause burns, so I hate to think of what it does to their mouth or intestines if they try to eat it.

 

[ChiclidBoy]

BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT U PUT IN THE TANK THE MOVE STUFF AND ARE NOTORIUS FOR BREAKING TANKS
GIVE THEM CICHLID PELLETS AND BRINE SHRIMP AND FEEDER FISH AND CRICKETS THATS WHT I GIVE MINE AT THE PET STORE I WORK AT