How Long Can They Live?!

[M.R Otter]

hello fellas, I just wanted to know how long can an oscar fish live......?......I'm recently having three oscars and they are all 8 years old, while my friend's father has an oscar fish that is 22 years old and it's huge almost twice the size of my oscars, I think that my oscar are about 18-25 cm long.Can my oscars live that long and grow to that giant size (almost 37 cm)? all what I know about my friend's fathers oscar is, that it had never been bred or mated and it is eating variety of food from insects to pinkie mice (YUK!!) and even fruits grapes are on the list but rarely. PLZ I NEAD TO KNOW THE ANSWER!!

 

[jmkgreen]

I think you've answered your own question. Given a sufficient quality of life a large fish like an oscar should see itself well beyond 15 years.

 

[indigoj]

Up to 30 yrs and 18"

 

[M.R Otter]

I think you've answered your own question. Given a sufficient quality of life a large fish like an oscar should see itself well beyond 15 years.

So you are trying to say.......That varying my oscar's diet will increase it's lifespan? well this is a list of what my oscar fish in recently eating:
(1)pellets (as a daily food in small portions)
(2)Meal worms (once in two weeks)
(3)platy (once a month)
(4)cricket (once in two weeks too but the oscars are usually spitting out some cricket parts like legs, wings and head)
are these food good or is there something missing or is there something wrong?

 

[indigoj]

leave out the platy and replace with frozen lance fish and prawns. You may want to try earthworms too (good lfs can get them for you). Also add some veggies - either veggie pellets or fresh like peas etc now and then.

 

[Truck]

are you gut loading the platies before feeding? if not theyre of no beneficial value what soever so your wasting your time

 

[M.R Otter]

leave out the platy and replace with frozen lance fish and prawns. You may want to try earthworms too (good lfs can get them for you). Also add some veggies - either veggie pellets or fresh like peas etc now and then.

Thanks andigo those are realy great ideas, why didn't I thinked about them. but aren't earthworms full of fat?! will that amount of fat harm my Oscars?

 

[indigoj]

Not unless you feed them all the time but as a fortnightly treat they will be fine.

 

[M.R Otter]

Not unless you feed them all the time but as a fortnightly treat they will be fine.

thanks again you are having a good source of information, are you probably an oscar fish keeper?

 

[indigoj]

Sadly not at the moment but hopefully again soon. My 2 died recently (not due to diet LOL)

 

[River Dog]

Earthworms are a fantastic treat food for most Cichlids, the Oscars I have kept love em. Also Mussels and most shelfish are a good treat food. I also would leave out the Platy, because as alreay mentioned, the time and effort used to raise feeders and gutload to benefit your O, you would be better off feeding frozen lance. Shelled peas are a good food as it helps with digestion and will be appreciated by your Oscar. As for how long they live, its possible I suppose for them to reach 20 years, but personally, I have never kept one for longer than 12 years.

 

[M.R Otter]

Sadly not at the moment but hopefully again soon. My 2 died recently (not due to diet LOL)

ooh!! sorry I asked and sorry about what I had mentioned about your oscars.........

 

[indigoj]

it's ok, hoping to pick up at least 1 baby soon so I'll have oscars again

 

[M.R Otter]

it's ok, hoping to pick up at least 1 baby soon so I'll have oscars again

post us some pics of your oscars when get them....... you can see my oscar pic in my signature, I hope you love em.....

 

[indigoj]

how big is s/he? looks lovely