New To Oscars Plz Assist

[TheDood326]

So i have some questions for all you oscar-maniacs??

-Do oscars gain more color as they grow or do they gain more color when you bring them home from the lfs?
-What will oscars eat? whats the best variety to feed them? what do they love to eat?
-Should i get a pair of oscars or just one and a red devil or something?
-What would be some good tank mates for oscars in a 60 gallon tank?
-Does Anyone have a REAL way of telling the sex of an oscar?
-What plants/aquarium decour should i obtain for an oscar tank?

 

[jb12288]

Oscar and a Red Devil is out of the question, unless you would like a dead oscar in a few months. Oscars eat anything with an infinite appetite, but its best to keep them on a staple food of some kind of cichlid pellet, I used Hikari Cichlid Gold. You should only get one Oscar in a 60 gallon with maybe a pleco. Sexing an Oscar is impossible until a pair is formed. I would say sand for a substrate, but it gets dirty easily and forms a black layer towards the middle-bottom so small gravel would be my choice. And as far as plants go thats a big NO with a capital N. You can use slate, some other rock types, and bogwood to decorate your tank. Oscars do gain more color as they mature IME.

 

[shelaghfishface]

oscars colours will slighty change as they get older,
they need a varied diet of ( this is what mine get) cichlid pellets,fresh prawns,shrimp,peas,cod,) i dont feed live food,nor do i feed beef heart (some do of course)
i would keep decorations to a minimum,get a heater guard, they do get very playful, and love "moving the furnaiture about"
decs take up room which the fish needs, think about planted bog wood or something, but be prepared for it to be shifted about.
there is a way to sex them, its done by looking at their vents or something,but i dont have any info on that and its defo NOT for beginners to try !
dont put a green terror in with an oscar,it will turn into carnage eventually, why not adopt a larger one that someone has had to return for the size reason?
if you cant get at least 6 small ones to get a pair out of, then i would go with only one ( yes in that size tank 1 ) its not 100% that u will get a pair and things will get aggressive then your left with 5 that need new homes,they are beautiful fish im a massive fan,and its a descion i wont ever regrette,
i wouldnt go with large rocks,slate,as they will move it about and theres always the chance they could crack the tank
this is my jambos tank, he doesnt actually move anything about just yet, maybe he`ll start soon tho

 

[Spishkey]

So i have some questions for all you oscar-maniacs??

-Do oscars gain more color as they grow or do they gain more color when you bring them home from the lfs? depends. if they are stressed on the way home from the lfs they will turn a dull colour and lie flat on their side. once they are comfy again any colour they had will return. yes they also develope a bit more colour as they grow.
-What will oscars eat? whats the best variety to feed them? what do they love to eat? anything and everything. dont be fooled by their 'dog begging' imatations. feed a good variety. blood worms, shrimps prawns cichlid pellets, veges etc mine get a once a month treat of a hot dog sausage just cause they go so crazy over it. yes its unhealthy but as a treat one between them, its not so bad.
-Should i get a pair of oscars or just one and a red devil or something? unless you have room to get six small ones and let them pair off, and have homes waiting for the other four when they have paired off, just stick with one!
-What would be some good tank mates for oscars in a 60 gallon tank? 60 gallon, whats that 220 litres? thats not really a lot of room. say with one oscar you could add a pleco or some other bottom dweller? anything else would be pushing it really,especially if it took up some of the oscars territory, oscars need there room!-
Does Anyone have a REAL way of telling the sex of an oscar? yes. wait until they reach 14-18months and are sexually mature. they will pair off together. other than that you would have to take a juvenile out of the water and stick their bits under a microscope. not good for the fish and not good for you either! it is virtually impossible to sex an oscar until they form pairs and breed. dont be fooled by these sites saying you can tell from their gill covers/markings/etc.-What plants/aquarium decour should i obtain for an oscar tank? no plants, not even plastic ones, they will be eaten within minutes by an oscar (if its big enough) gravel substrate. not sand. oscars will disturb the sand too much, it will get in your filter and break it! as bare as possible tank. nothing too light, oscars will redecorate the tank how they want it!


my pairs tank which they share with 4 catfish and 3 australian red clawed crayfish. yes i know there are plants in the pic but trust me, thehis pic was taken a few days after set up, and the plants were gone as soon as the oscars realised how much fun they were to uproot and toss around!

 

[foley69]

i like your tank spishkey how big ???

 

[Spishkey]

2 point something meters

 

[bugsy66]

Another thing that Oscars love to play with is a ping pong ball. Once they get use to it they are just playing a way with it in the tank. I seen this in a LFS and they are so funny to watch, they try to grab the ball but it keeps on turning in the water so it amuses them to no end. Worth a try when you get one.

Nice fish, very personable.....