Large Empty Tank And Thinking Of Oscars.....

[Ryan_W]

MATT!!!

Why have you gone and done this to me when I was pretty much 100% on my stocking for my 475L?!

Even Dannielle likes the look of Keith!

Now the question is, what is the smallest fish in inches that would be okay with a sub 5" Oscar? I know they grow bloomin quick but I'm not too sure on their temperament as a whole.

Tanks looking ace mate, will have to pop up soon and have a looksy!

Ryan

 

[mattlee]

MATT!!!

Why have you gone and done this to me when I was pretty much 100% on my stocking for my 475L?!

Even Dannielle likes the look of Keith!

Now the question is, what is the smallest fish in inches that would be okay with a sub 5" Oscar? I know they grow bloomin quick but I'm not too sure on their temperament as a whole.

Tanks looking ace mate, will have to pop up soon and have a looksy!

Ryan

sorry Ryan......

i have had an absolute nightmare trying to stock this tank as there are just so many nice big fish to choose from this is my first big fish tank so i am very new to them and im possibly not the best to answer your question but ill have a go.....

oscars do apparently grow fast compared to other cichlids and i was told to buy the smallest oscar i could find as it would quickly out grow the others. as you can see i didnt follow this advice and bought the biggest one i have ever seen their temperament really is individual to the fish, they do get to be big powerfull fish that can handle most other fish but Keith seems a big softy so far and even backed off from my 5.5 inch rotkeil when first introduced, Keith is about 11-12 inches as they grow so fast i wouldnt really want to add anything less than 5-6 inches with an oscar as it may end up as lunch. this didnt help my stocking plans as Keith is a giant and i had already bought some very small fish for the tank to grow up in there (these are now for sale ) but had to get adult fish to join him in the tank and as we know the bigger the fish the more expensive the fish i seemed to be lucky and find several fish at lfs that would never have these fish in even as juvis and got a few bargains too (£10 for the gold sev).
if you are now thinking of getting an oscar then i would stock the tank around him/her as before you know it your smaller fish might start to dissappear or you might have to make choices about moving or selling fish to suit. Keith has a huge mouth and would easily swallow most fish smaller than 4 inches and they wouldnt touch the sides
this pic is of the 6 inch gold sev and Keiths big head....

and here is Keith face to face with the camera....

if you are ever passing then you are more than welcome round for a brew, beer etc and a close up encounter with Keith and friends

 

[hamfist]

Nice Oscar Matt ! Hasn't got the big bulgy eyes that many oscars have, which I can't stand. I like him.

 

[mattlee]

Nice Oscar Matt ! Hasn't got the big bulgy eyes that many oscars have, which I can't stand. I like him.

thanks mate

he really is a beauty and seems very very healthy without a single mark, hith or any damage at all (except for the few scales that were damaged when netting him at wharf)

 

[star4]

I keep looking at the pics and cant help wondering if Keith has some wild strain in him with those white patches, he certainly is gorgous.

More pics of the rotty too please

Nice Oscar Matt ! Hasn't got the big bulgy eyes that many oscars have, which I can't stand. I like him.

Most oscars you see with big buggy eyes are because at some point they have probably been kept too long in a tank too small. My Rusty (who I had at 1 1/2") has fairly small eyes compared to Chop's big eyes.

 

[mattlee]

I keep looking at the pics and cant help wondering if Keith has some wild strain in him with those white patches, he certainly is gorgous.

More pics of the rotty too please

Nice Oscar Matt ! Hasn't got the big bulgy eyes that many oscars have, which I can't stand. I like him.

Most oscars you see with big buggy eyes are because at some point they have probably been kept too long in a tank too small. My Rusty (who I had at 1 1/2") has fairly small eyes compared to Chop's big eyes.

you can see why i paid over the odds for Keith now i didnt ask the staff at wharf if Keith was wild or just another oscar donated by a customer, i wish i had now from what ive been looking up dont wild strains have the red spots along the dorsal fin too instead of just at the base of the tail? if this is right then there is a good chance he could be a bit wild......

star ill get some more pics of the rotkeil as soon as i can he is much more out and about now and has adapted to his new mates much better in the last day. ill try get some tonight for you

 

[bullit]

how much was he?

 

[mattlee]

how much was he?

now that would be telling......

 

[Verminator89]

Must say Matt, i'm in awe of your Oscar...and i'm loving the sig picture of him! Quality!

 

[mattlee]

cheers James.

just for star i have been and got a couple more pics of the rotty. and just to confirm that my jaguar catfish is a true jaguar catfish i have a couple of his rear end that i could see through the wood enjoy.....

 

[kizno1]

Very nice.
yeah that is a true jag it just really didnt look like on in the first pick but i agree with you now
How much did you pay for it? Ive been wanting one but the cheapest i can get is £45.

 

[Verminator89]

Matt you need some blur free photos haha

I want a rotty so bad. Lesley keeps suggesting them to me trying to tempt me, and i so am...but i can't. Especially with having recently got my own lil Oscar to look after.

 

[mattlee]

Very nice.
yeah that is a true jag it just really didnt look like on in the first pick but i agree with you now
How much did you pay for it? Ive been wanting one but the cheapest i can get is £45.

i think the fact that it was in a bag and quite stressed as it had been in my car for about an hour and a half didnt help its colouration much on the previous pics.... the jag cost me £45 and is about 5-6 inches in length including the tail i would say. i am picking up another on saturday thats slightly smaller around 4.5-5 inches for £15 privately ill see how they get on and maybe add a third to the group at a later date.

Matt you need some blur free photos haha

I want a rotty so bad. Lesley keeps suggesting them to me trying to tempt me, and i so am...but i can't. Especially with having recently got my own lil Oscar to look after.

i am no photographer as you can see and when the fish move its always at the time i take the pic these pics are the best out of about 15 i took

 

[mattlee]

as i was taking the last few pics (badly) i heard Keith crunching something in his mouth he then spat out a smashed up MTS.....i put about 20 various sized MTS in the tank to stir the sand up a bit and so they would get the tiny bits of food that the fish didnt.

was this a good idea or might it damage Keiths mouth?

 

[Verminator89]

No harm shoudl come from this i would have thought. Certainly not a big bulky oscar like Keith. My dempsey loves nothing more than crunching pond snails when he spots them. The only place they thrive in my tank is inside the filters haha, the tanks always free...but filters are riddled. I wouldnt have thought it would be much of an issue in the short or long term running of this tank


As for the pictures, this is why i take hundreds of snaps. After 10 or so photo's i go back and see which ones are blurry. Any with blur on get deleted and i go back to snapping away Takes a while though i'll admit that, but the photo's are worth it having them crisp and clear. Motion shots are hard to achieve, especially with faster fish.