Is This True!?!

[Knox213]

Basicly.

I Was reading on the interent
and some-one said

"You dont need a heater for a oscar... I've had a oscar when he was new born (Removed him ASAP) and he grew and adapted to living without a heater" At this point i was like #128###?


I Was wondering

If this is possible would that mean you could keep one in a pond

(Not having any idea's to do so... Just wondering )

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

No sorry mate...they do like a cool down period as its natural and they can be found in water of around 18c for short periods in the wild...but they are 100% a tropical fish and will not last very long at all in unheated water.

 

[minxfishy]

Depends on what the temperature in the tank was, if it stayed around 24c then it would be fine without a heater, however, Oscars do not like lower temperatures and become lethargic if it drops much below 24c, in some cases it been known for them to die in colder temperatures if they are constantly too low. So what temperature is he saying he kept it at?

 

[Wills]

Simple answer is no, they are a tropical fish from a tropical climate. Though it has to be said if I was taking on an Oscar I would be more concerned about getting a 6 foot tank with massive external filters way way way before I would consider not spending £10 on a heater for the tank.

With the guy you read about, I'm not going to flame him as there are reasons why it could have worked to an extent it depends on how it was kept and in what country. If it was a country that is hot all year round then that could be a reason why they didnt need a heater. One harsh approach to it is that oscars are a commonly abused fish crammed into all manor of tanks for example we had a nightmare case of 2 oscars in a fluval edge once and it had apparently been set up for 2 months or so and the owner was living in total ignorant bliss.

When he was saying he was new born. I dont understand oscars are egg laying fish not livebearers so if someone tells me that they raised a lone fry in extremely questionable circumstances then again it adds to this not being right.

I wouldnt believe it nor recommend you do the same.
Wills

 

[shelaghfishface]

a heater broke in my oscar tank about a yr ago now, and took a while to suss out what was wrong with him( very lethargic like minx says), but yes it was the drop in temp...they are much happier living like little old men with the heating on all the time

tho in the summer i dont really use one unless im expecting a very cool evening, but in winter for sure

 

[Knox213]

Depends on what the temperature in the tank was, if it stayed around 24c then it would be fine without a heater, however, Oscars do not like lower temperatures and become lethargic if it drops much below 24c, in some cases it been known for them to die in colder temperatures if they are constantly too low. So what temperature is he saying he kept it at?

I Know... I Knew it was b/s from the start

a heater broke in my oscar tank about a yr ago now, and took a while to suss out what was wrong with him( very lethargic like minx says), but yes it was the drop in temp...they are much happier living like little old men with the heating on all the time

tho in the summer i dont really use one unless im expecting a very cool evening, but in winter for sure

Yep. Summer i cant leave my heatr on or the fish will boil and.. die

 

[snowflake311]

If you keep the room the tank is in a constant 75F or warmer the water in the tank will be the same as the room temp. So you could keep any fish with out a heattrr if your house is hot all the time. But no one keeps there house that hot all the time unless it's an old people home.

 

[bitteraspects]

If you keep the room the tank is in a constant 75F or warmer the water in the tank will be the same as the room temp. So you could keep any fish with out a heattrr if your house is hot all the time. But no one keeps there house that hot all the time unless it's an old people home.

thats not true. my house is 78 degrees all year round.

as previously mentioned, it depends on the temperature of the house. oscars should be in the 75-82 degree range, give or tank. if your tank is not naturally this temperature, you will need a heater.

in regards to your summer heating scenario, that is wrong too.
heaters have a built in thermostat to regulate the temperature by shutting the heating element off when the tank reaches the right temp. so you can keep it on in the summer, but it wont be doing anything if the tank is already at the proper temperature.

 

[Knox213]

If you keep the room the tank is in a constant 75F or warmer the water in the tank will be the same as the room temp. So you could keep any fish with out a heattrr if your house is hot all the time. But no one keeps there house that hot all the time unless it's an old people home.

thats not true. my house is 78 degrees all year round.

as previously mentioned, it depends on the temperature of the house. oscars should be in the 75-82 degree range, give or tank. if your tank is not naturally this temperature, you will need a heater.

in regards to your summer heating scenario, that is wrong too.
heaters have a built in thermostat to regulate the temperature by shutting the heating element off when the tank reaches the right temp. so you can keep it on in the summer, but it wont be doing anything if the tank is already at the proper temperature.

I Keep it off anyway..

It stays on atleast 82 degree's...

My house is fairly warm so

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Yeh but you want it for a pond

 

[Knox213]

Yeh but you want it for a pond

No nononoonononono im not that dumb

it was just a question if oscars COULD adapt to coldness if they could..

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Oh you did say in your first post whether it is possible to keep it in a pond

Like i said in the wild they spend a small amount of time in the mountain wash...at around 18c...but as a rule they are a typical Amazonian Tropical fish.

I wouldn't go on house temperature to tank temperature...bearing in mind water is cooling.

I dunno man, i wouldn't personally do it...considering a Heater can cost as little as £6.99 @ pets at home...and most baby Oscars cost around £5.99 around here...its a small sacrifice for such a great pet