# tiger oscars



## gary007 (Apr 3, 2011)

hey do u have a tiger oscar in your tank? what is the minnium for one oscar? u see theres one on its own at pet store and hes small like 3inches but on description it say can reach up to 30cm which be around 14inches. from what i am hearing they are the best fish with personality and can play fetch with table tennis ball lol and attack plants and knock filter over. my 55g is empty and maybe he be fine but when an adult he going to look big in there.


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

75G min, I prefer a 90G since they're really messy fish.
Most large cichlilds have this personality, I would recommend a Midas or a Red Devil for a "wet pet".
Mine are all very personable, they always react when ever I pass them.
I'd even suggest a Flowerhorn for a 75G-90G.

Most of the people I talk to about Oscars were simply not prepared for an Oscar, which in turn spoiled their experience with them. 
They do a lot better in a large tank, & like company of other Oscars.
2 Oscars will never work in any 4' tank, & having 1 is still a lot of work.
It's possible but not worth the trouble IMO.
You would be doing daily WC's, you might as well be keeping Discus to be completely honest.
In a 6'-7' tank you could stretch out the WC a bit more since they could handle the excess bio-load an Oscar would produce.

If you want a fish for the 55G try a Texas or 2, or any of the medium size cichlids.
It's just as much fun to watch a pair or even a group.


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## gary007 (Apr 3, 2011)

is it true they are messy fish and require daily water changes? that would be tiring lol weekly is enough for me. 55g been empty for nearly 2weeks, im trying to be a pro lol and have water good to keep fish longer if i can. someone said oscar has teeth and bites hard and can jump out of the tank if bored.


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## paul_28 (Jan 20, 2011)

my friend has 2 oscars in 100g but they move slow and stay still alot. he has clown loaches and parrotfish in there too. your tank be ok for one oscar and i know people who keep oscar in 20gallons but it attemps to escape tank and destroy decorations so u see oscar can tell u when hes fed up so keep lid down lol


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## 240sx (Sep 4, 2010)

What do you want to know about an Oscar?

I've kept mine in an 80 gallon for the last 8 years. He is at least 12 if not 13 inches... moving him to a 130 6 footer very soon... He is very personable but most big fish are. He's awfully lazy and a very messy eater. He isn't very aggressive but has grown up with many other fish. 

He will share the tank with his brother, and 8 year old green severum, a very young red devil, common pleco and 3 peacock bass. (that I just got from BeN!)

In the past he's lived with a large Parrot(RIP Polly!), Salvini, Convict, Firemouth cichlids, Bala Sharks and a school of Clown Loaches (my tank babysat many fish)

here is a picture of him in a temporary 55 gallon (Which is TOO SMALL FOR ANY OSCAR) before the 130 is ready. 

IF you buy one, be sure you can provide for it as it might outlive you, at least a 90 gallon with good filtration and water changes, my 80 was not deep enough, the extra 2 inches depth are so good for them, At least a 90 for a single one unless you're going to house a pair and nothing else.

The picture of him in the bucket was after my 80 sprung a leak and I moved him... This was one of the larger buckets I have...


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

paul_28 said:


> my friend has 2 oscars in 100g but they move slow and stay still alot. he has clown loaches and parrotfish in there too. your tank be ok for one oscar and i know people who keep oscar in 20gallons but it attemps to escape tank and destroy decorations so u see oscar can tell u when hes fed up so keep lid down lol


man an Oscar in a 20g. tell your friends that thats pretty cruel to a fish.


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## paul_28 (Jan 20, 2011)

its space that people hav'nt got for what like 5foot long tanks. even at youtube theres clips of oscers in smaller tanks but they are more agressive like that and can tell the owner how they feel. petshops should'nt sell oscers unless they know its going to a minnuim thats good which 55gallon is fair, thats 4 foot along tank.


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

55G is not enough @ all.
When I was a kid I(My dad) had 3 O's growing out in a 55G, they all started out small & grew very quickly.
Once a pair formed we sold the other O.
THe pair didn't last long in the 55G, the ate every other fish in the tank other than a Raphael Catfish.
I would fine them on the carpet almost on a daily basis.(tough fish none ever died)
They knew where the lids were & would jump through even if it was closed.
We even put weights on the lids, but they would just jump until they knocked the weight over.
We sold the O's & got a "fish friendly" setup in the 55G.
When I suggest a tank size for O's it's always 90G min IMO.
The extra height will most likely keep them from jumping out so often.
My dad didn't like the extra work of having O's in our(his) 55G, he spent enough time with his discus.

People have O's in 55G & it works for them, but IMO it's not big enough & is not really worth the extra work when you can get another 4' tank that will house them more comfortably for you & your fish.


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## beaux (Jan 18, 2011)

yes i wouldnt attempt another oscar without at least a 100 galon tank, and even then i doubled the filtration. verry messy fishies but its like havin a friendly wet dog i swear hehehe. mine would come over n swim thru your hand if ya put it in his tank.


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

Biggest oscar I've seen is a 6 years old 16" red oscar. They only become your wet puppy when they are smaller up to 12-13" and as they get older they become less interactive and lazy.

I have a 10" oscar that will jump off the top of the water and grab the prawn off my finger. Any aggressive cichlids will actually act like a wet puppy. Even other perch type fish such snakeheads, datnoids, lates etc etc will act like a wet puppy.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I've got 2 oscars (thanks Immus!) in a temporary 75g tank. They'll be moving to the 180g tank shortly as soon as it's set up. I wouldn't keep a single oscar in less then 80g, as they just grow too large and no animal should be kept in too small a space.

They are messy, but very friendly fish. They need good filtration (like a canister), frequent water changes, and a varied and high quality diet. They are absolute pigs about food, so you need to be very careful not to overfeed them and to make sure any tank mates aren't losing out on the competition for food. Mine see me walk past the tank and swim to the top to beg for extra treats.

Also, they WILL eat any other fish that they can fit in their mouth, and they can fit in a lot more than you might think. I lost a 4" buenos aires tetra to these guys. Gone without a trace.  The largest oscar is only 6" right now, so do the math....


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