Anyone with Oscars?

[cajunamy]

I'd like to get one for culls from my breeding program - but I'm wondering if they would tear up decorations, esp live plants? B/c I am definitely planting my 55.

Although I suppose I could plant my current 15 sorority instead and put Oscar in the 55.

My plan was to add all my females thus far (9 adults) into my 55. Then I was going to divide up the 15 for more boys.

I also have a 37, but that is being used as a growout ... I guess I just need another large tank! lol. My husband will LOVE that idea....

[Oldfishlady]

Oscars are great employees for a fish room...lol.....however, as they grow their taste in decorations usually change and they will rearrange on a regular basis....mine would even drop a plastic plant out of the tank on occasion and always would be seen carry the plastic plants around....never could keep live plants in their tank once they got over 4 inches....their taste changed...lol.....and would tear them apart........and due to all the needed water changes that Oscars need......the plants don't fair well anyway......Oscars are messy eaters and poop machines......I had two big filters running at all times along with a sponge filter and made 90% water changes 1-2 times a week all depending on what I fed....I would drain the tank down to the point the Oscar are laying on their side and as the tank filled with water....they would play...really neat to watch...sadly they out grew the 75gal in less than a year and so they got rehomed right after their first spawn....neat beast.....a lot like puppies....tear everything up, playful, personable and will follow you around...well as much as they could in a tank....but I swear if they could have got out they would come sit in my lap.......lol......
If you have a choice...get a 125gal and at least 2 Oscars...they are social fish after all......

[Shimizoki]

I second everything OFL said. I have had 2 oscars, the eldest whop passed away a year ago would destroy all the plants and constantly get Hole in head disease (We just couldn't keep the water in his 120gal clean enough I guess) We kept him in an overly heavily planted pond during most of the year to remedy that.

The youngest we picked up just a few weeks ago. he is still tiny and can't do any damage yet. He will follow you around and like bettas, have personality. Great fish.

You should google Long Fin Oscars... They are amazing and I want one.

[Oldfishlady]

Oh...longfinned Oscars....I have seen pics...now that is an awesome looking fish.......this really make me want to get them again.....but dang....I need a bigger tank....much bigger.....laffs.....

[ALS1104]

i absolutely LOVED my oscars. they were sooo smart and they were awesome fish. i wish i could set my tank back up again... i had two i saved from a 5gal tank when they were both 6" or so... i brought them home and put them in a 68 gal acrylic tank... i let the tank cycle for a week before i went to pick them up and had the small gravel type rocks with the bigger river rocks mixed in perfect and had it planted all nice and i was SO proud of how it looked. within 24 hours of bringing the fish home they had ripped every plant i had to pieces... had dug holes in the gravel... picked the rocks up in their mouths and spit them at the tank in the middle of the night (which was nice because the tank was in my bed room)... ripped the end off the filter... long story short theyre the most destructive fish in history. youre not going to be able to keep a pretty tank with oscars- EVERYTHING is a play toy! its really annoying but theyre so cute you cant get mad at them... i had to buy fake plants, all of which had the little rocks on the bottom to weight them down but i ended up having to tie big weights to them to keep them from ripping them up and spitting them out of the tank. i honestly think they did that just for me to put it back in so they could rip it up again... had to take out the pretty gravel and just keep a small amount of big rocks for easy cleaning... which they continued to spit at the tank to get my attention. they would constantly turn their fake tree trunks and stumps upsidown and i finally gave up turning them back over because within 10min it would be turned over again... i guess thats just not the way they wanted them... the first 2 filters i bought werent enough (two 50 gal) so i had to buy a magnum 350 canister filter and run all 3 to keep the water clean- theyre really dirty fish.... mind you i was doing water changes regularly. and i tried to put a few would be tank mates in with them and they quickly turned into snacks.... even a giant snail... but other than being obnoxious theyre absolutely adorable, super smart, fun to feed, and have dog like personalities. i loved when theyd get excited and greet me when id come home

[cajunamy]

I am thinking of buying a rubbermaid storage tub for my growout, one of the larger ones, then I can use the 55 for oscar...