My Aquarium

[FishingBuds]

I Have a 20gl aquarium the last few years and time to time I think of going bigger, and getting an Oscar or two, I think they look cool and act cool-I've seen one turn over a fixture in its tank 8-)

but, my platies i have are just cool little fish, the males are always fighting over territories and the females give birth to live fish, they are tough and a foregiving fish to raise also.

Just don't know if I should try Oscars, Anyone have experience with Oscars :-?

[Siebert Outdoors]

I have several chichlids.  They are cool fish always moving about and chasing each other.  Lots of maitenance though.  Oscars are cool but will probably eat anything that fits in their mouth.

[Sean_e_bus_21]

My friend once had an Oscar for like 10yrs maybe more and would eat anything even your finger if you stick it in there belive me i done it before anit that dandy

Sean

[Raul]

I Have a 20gl aquarium the last few years and time to time I think of going bigger, and getting an Oscar or two, I think they look cool and act cool-I've seen one turn over a fixture in its tank 8-)

but, my platies i have are just cool little fish, the males are always fighting over territories and the females give birth to live fish, they are tough and a foregiving fish to raise also.

Just don't know if I should try Oscars, Anyone have experience with Oscars :-?

For a couple of Oscars you 'll need a 150 gal tank, not only they get quite large, they need a lot of space. Been having aquariums since I was 5 until I was 35 ( even had an aquarium store for 10 years ). Don 't purchase "veil tail" oscars, the veil is not that much of a veil at all, only the tail and fins are a little more elongated. Albino Oscars are pretty cool, specially tigers.

[FishingBuds]

I Have a 20gl aquarium the last few years and time to time I think of going bigger, and getting an Oscar or two, I think they look cool and act cool-I've seen one turn over a fixture in its tank 8-)

but, my platies i have are just cool little fish, the males are always fighting over territories and the females give birth to live fish, they are tough and a foregiving fish to raise also.

Just don't know if I should try Oscars, Anyone have experience with Oscars :-?

For a couple of Oscars you 'll need a 150 gal tank, not only they get quite large, they need a lot of space. Been having aquariums since I was 5 until I was 35 ( even had an aquarium store for 10 years ). Don 't purchase "veil tail" oscars, the veil is not that much of a veil at all, only the tail and fins are a little more elongated. Albino Oscars are pretty cool, specially tigers.

Thanks Raul, yea I like the Albino Oscars too, man a 150gl tank-that would look cool. I'd be concerned for the wieght on my floor joists but, man I could picture that tank, cool stuff ;D

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

This is dumpster.  I've had him just over 9 yrs.  He's very well behaved, has an appetite or just about anything you give him.

Heed Rauls advice, 2 Oscars, minimum of 150 gallons.  Also, If you do 2 Oscars, you need to buy them as babies and raise them together.  Otherwise, you'll see a fish fight like you've never seen.  You'll end up with a dead fish or a busted tank or both.

Oscars are a great fish to own.  Very sturdy but like any fish, you need to keep up on maintenance.

[Guest ncbass24]

Cool, I just set up a 55 gallon tank with two 3-4 inch bass. They crush ANYTHING you put in there.

[llPa1nll]

I used to have a Salt Water Reef Aquarium for years. Loved it but wasn't to crazy on the cost and upkeep of something like that. Well I tore it down years ago and have kept the supplies and hardware in the thought that someday I might try it again. Some freshwater fish I had like most here the Oscar and some LM Bass. I later got a Silver Arowana, this by far I think is the coolest freshwater predator fish that swims. It actually jumps out of the water and eats small monkeys and birds on low lying branches.

Here is a pic of a Silver Arowana, in the wild they can grow over 3ft long...

[justfishin]

LBH, great name " Dumpster ". He looks like a bruiser with a tude,lol.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Cool, I just set up a 55 gallon tank with two 3-4 inch bass. They crush ANYTHING you put in there.

Of course they do, they are starving.  

[Guest ncbass24]

Cool, I just set up a 55 gallon tank with two 3-4 inch bass. They crush ANYTHING you put in there.

Of course they do, they are starving.

I just released one of them today, he was getting chased around alot by the larger one. How many earthworms and/or minnows do you recommend giving the bass per day?

[FishTank]

I had two oscars for years in a 55 gallon.  They had the personality of cats.  They always wanted attention and believe or not they like to be petted.  When one died after 7 years, the other become depressed, would not eat and also later died.  Sounds weird, but I have heard of this as actually being called "Oscar Blues.  

I now have a pair of Frontosas in that tank.  Cool fish.

[fourbizz]

My family had a custom home built when I was about 10. We had a 295 gallon tank built into the house. the filter system (which was massive) was in the basement. It was very very cool, but also a TON of work to maintain. Through the years we had a myriad of fish in that tank. But from day one till a couple of years before we moved we had two oscars. One was named Oscar ( aint that clever?) and the albino was named b*tch (aint that crude?). They grew to be massive, maybe 11 inches or more. My mom is kind of a tree hugger, so they didn't get feeder fish. She wanted them to eat only cichlid pellets. But why don't you try and keep a twelve year old from feeding them grass hoppers and baby crawdads ;D

[jdw174]

Had a buddy that had a rather large Oscar named, naturally, "Oscar".  Every time he came home Oscar would come to the glass to greet him.  Funny thing was, whenever he came in drunk and tried to talk to the fish, Oscar would turn his back on him and wouldn't even look at him ;D  If I got one, he'd have a tank of his own, period.  Buddy used to buy feeder goldfish at the local pet shop for about 10 cents apiece and that's what he fed him.  Roland Martin did a show a few years back where he was fishing in canals around Florida that run through housing developments.  People had discarded their Oscars in the canals and they were spreading like crazy.  That's what he was fishing for.  Real scrappers, too.

[=Matt 5.0=]

Had Oscars and other Cichlids from the time I was 10 up until 20. Went to salt water reefkeeping 12years ago. The Cichlids are pretty low maintenance, great advice from everyone here. The only real thing they are prone to is "hole in the head disease". Seems to be most common when they are fed live goldfish. Other than that, keep a brick on the cover, because they can jump. Lost my oldest one that way...came home one night, he was dried up on the floor like a potato chip. Very sad, he was about 8 yrs old. I was a fan of the Jack Dempseys and Red Devils too, very personable fish. Good Luck!  

Matt

[Raul]

Forgot too add: don 't bother much on the tank decor, gravel, rocks and some driftwood, Oscars like to dig so they tear up aquarium decor in an eyeblink.

Yup, I also did saltwater reefkeeping, had a massive display of hard & soft corals plus fish in a 20 gal tank ( kinda like a challenge   ) here 's a list of what I had in it:

2 open brain corals

1 elegance coral

1 plate coral

1 bubble coral

2 leather tonga mushroom corals

3 rocks of colonial anemones ( mushroom corals )

1 sebae white anemone

1 sebae yellow anemone

1 purple long tentacle anemone

3 cleaner shrimp ( yellow )

3 cleaner shrimp ( red )

2 orchid shrimp

3 anemone crabs

10 turbo snails

1 bicolor blenny

1 pseudochromis diadema

1 square pink anthias

1 yellow anthias

1 flame angel

4 firefish

1 brown saddleback clown

2 fiji damsel

Used to have another long tentacle anemone but the elegance coral ate it  >.

[FishingBuds]

Had Oscars and other Cichlids from the time I was 10 up until 20. Went to salt water reefkeeping 12years ago. The Cichlids are pretty low maintenance, great advice from everyone here. The only real thing they are prone to is "hole in the head disease". Seems to be most common when they are fed live goldfish. Other than that, keep a brick on the cover, because they can jump. Lost my oldest one that way...came home one night, he was dried up on the floor like a potato chip. Very sad, he was about 8 yrs old. I was a fan of the Jack Dempseys and Red Devils too, very personable fish. Good Luck!

Matt

Thats what I remember was they seemed like bullies, in high school I saw one knock over a ornamnet, my friend always thought they were cheap ornaments fallen over, and one night I told him that I just saw your fish knock over your ornament.

I think they are cool fish

Anyone know How sensitive are they to the water changes :-? My old farm house temp can change rapidly sometimes.

[burleytog]

Roland Martin did a show a few years back where he was fishing in canals around Florida that run through housing developments. People had discarded their Oscars in the canals and they were spreading like crazy. That's what he was fishing for. Real scrappers, too.

I've wanted an oscar since I saw that show back in the late 80s on TBS.  But I have a hard enough time taking care of an independent cat.   :-/

[=Matt 5.0=]

Roland Martin did a show a few years back where he was fishing in canals around Florida that run through housing developments. People had discarded their Oscars in the canals and they were spreading like crazy. That's what he was fishing for. Real scrappers, too.

Catching Oscars in South Florida is easy. Just need to throw a rooster tail in the 'Glades somewhere... ;D ;D This was back in '99.

[=Matt 5.0=]

Forgot too add: don 't bother much on the tank decor, gravel, rocks and some driftwood, Oscars like to dig so they tear up aquarium decor in an eyeblink.

Yup, I also did saltwater reefkeeping, had a massive display of hard & soft corals plus fish in a 20 gal tank ( kinda like a challenge ) here 's a list of what I had in it:

2 open brain corals

1 elegance coral

1 plate coral

1 bubble coral

2 leather tonga mushroom corals

3 rocks of colonial anemones ( mushroom corals )

1 sebae white anemone

1 sebae yellow anemone

1 purple long tentacle anemone

3 cleaner shrimp ( yellow )

3 cleaner shrimp ( red )

2 orchid shrimp

3 anemone crabs

10 turbo snails

1 bicolor blenny

1 pseudochromis diadema

1 square pink anthias

1 yellow anthias

1 flame angel

4 firefish

1 brown saddleback clown

2 fiji damsel

Used to have another long tentacle anemone but the elegance coral ate it >.

Raul, that's a ton of life stuffed into a 20g!

If anyone one is interested.......http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=770710&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[skillet]

 Went in a pet store not long ago and headed for the fish section. They had a Peacock Bass (about 6") in a tank by itself and was asking $69 for it. At that price, I hope it did tricks! The fella that was working there said that they were from the Cichlid family . Was wondering if anyone knew if there was any truth to this or just BS...

                                            As Ever,

                                             skillet

[=Matt 5.0=]

Went in a pet store not long ago and headed for the fish section. They had a Peacock Bass (about 6") in a tank by itself and was asking $69 for it. At that price, I hope it did tricks! The fella that was working there said that they were from the Cichlid family . Was wondering if anyone knew if there was any truth to this or just BS...

                                          As Ever,

                                          skillet

True, Peacock Bass are from the Cichlid Family  

[Raul]

Hey Matt, pretty good job yo got there.  

The catch in keeping all that stuff in my tank was:

1.- Weekly 50% water changes

2.- A munster size skimmer

3.- Ozonizer

4.- A big wet/dry system

Man that can breed Discus can acomplish anything.  

Too bad I had to tear it up and sell all the animals when I had to close the store back in 1996, the terrible economic situation of the country during those years forced me too, aquarium fish are not a necessity, with what I sold I was barely able to pay the electric bill, all the rest of the money came from my pocket.  

[bassdocktor]

Matt, awesome looking setup. I've wondered how people get the in wall tank but I've never checked it out. Very cool project.

[=Matt 5.0=]

Thank you   Only took me 18 months to finally get it done. Did EVERYTHING myself, except for installing the carpet.  Now, more Ikea trips to finish furnishing the kids room (mantown)