Keeping Your Oscars Entertained

[markandhisfish]

with oscars being such intelligent fish , i was just wondering what if anything do you do to keep yours "entertained" or mentally stimulated , and how do the fish react to it ?

 

[Verminator89]

I know Lesley added pingpong or bouncy balls to her tank with Chops. I tried with mine, but he was scared senseless of the thing. I know they are intelligent, however i wasnt aware they are like dogs inwhich you can give them toys as such.

I find plants in general provide enough amusement for my Oscar to tear them around. Failing that my two cats who like to lay down along the length of the Arcadia light unit make good entertainment. A few times i've come upstairs and my cats have a wet tail where they've allowed it to dangle that bit to far, and mr Oscar likes to have a nibble

 

[star4]

The bouncy ball worked with Chops for a while, now he just tends to stare at it. Check out his journal, the Christmas tree kept him entertained for the 3 days it was up. I have one of those vivarium hanging plants dangling over the spray bar, he likes to nudge that off and drag it round the tank.

 

[markandhisfish]

im thinking about adding a couple of silk plants for mine to either chill out in or , drag around which is more likely . at the moment the like to kind of "play" in the sand .

 

[star4]

You can get some lightweight plastic plants for them to pull up and drag around the tank, thats if you dont mind keep putting them back in again. Or these stick on ones are just great.

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXO-TERRA-SILK-PLANT-ABUTILON-SMALL-VIVARIUM-DECOR-/160431715314?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Reptiles_Spiders_Insects&hash=item255a79b3f2#ht_1653wt_698

Vinny loves playing bungie swimmy jumping with his

A handfull of ramshorn snails for them to hunt out keeps them occupied too.

 

[bae1994]

guppys

nah silk plants would probably entertain but when i had my rio 180 years ago (before i new anything bout fish keeping) my sev used to love a clam type bubbler as it let out big bubbles at random intervals so he chased them alot so although they look pretty wierd and out of place they may do the trick

 

[shelaghfishface]

talk to them mun!( yes i appear to have finally lost the plot!) dont put 'toys' in coz it just frustrates the hell out of them ( imho) they love interaction tho.. very clever fish

shelagh xxxx
happy new year mate, nice FB pic by the way xx

 

[shelaghfishface]

haha just noticed the names of your fish.. wernt having a chines that night were you??

 

[markandhisfish]

lol its not just you shelagh i talk to mine too . the missus thinks im mad , but i say they like the attention . think i need to do some fb pics where im actually smiling lol i look a right misery guts there! . cheech and chong wasnt inspired by chinese lol google the film up in smoke starring cheech and chong and youl get the joke .

 

[shelaghfishface]

i dont talk to mine!! sheesh what do u take me for your pics cool!
ah right i'll have a look.. thort you was miffed when the car blew, tucked into a takeawy and thort yep.. number 7 and number 39 lol

 

[markandhisfish]

lol nope but funnily enough i did get a chinese that night .oh sorry lol forgot to wish you happy new year back xx

 

[minxfishy]

Yep you do look happy in the FB pic - not, you ol misery Still better than mine though

I agree with not putting toys in, like balls etc, they have a tendancy to whack them and they could go upwards and smash a light bulb. Plants are the usual things to play with, mine love to tug on theirs and re-aranging bogwood and gravel is another fun game apparently

And Shelagh you need to be 'smoking' to enjoy a cheech and chong movie

Btw, my plants are the vivarium type plants (exo terra I think they are called) that have suction cups to put the plant on the side of the glass, so obviously they enjoy pulling on them around the glass side, its actually quite useful if you need the glass cleaning

 

[shelaghfishface]

haha im getting the new and fashionable pot head life this year then lol

happy new year mags.. ure a proper mate and i love you to bits xxxxxxxxxxxxx

coolio mate.. hope yours rocks xxx

 

[minxfishy]

Back atcha babe xx Hope this years a goodun x

 

[markandhisfish]

my lights are safely protected by the coverglass , but ive read quite a bit about the whole "toy" thing and general belief seems to be that they are not playing with the pingpong balls , rather trying to get them out of "their" territory . i rekon il get some of those stick to the glass plants , ive wanted some silk "floating" plants for ages , and i rekon those would fit the bill nicely . the cheech and chong thing isnt a reference to drugs , i mean ok so i do smoke the odd bit of weed now and then but i deffo dont do drugs , more because cheech and chong are a couple of crazy dudes so i thought that would fit well with a couple of mad oscars .

as for the pic mags , i took it myself with my phone when i was bored at work 1 day its about 3 years old . there aint many pics of me in existence cos i hate having a camera pointed at me . unless of course im smashed , but trust me you dont wanna see those ones