><" ohmygod, i did the newb

[BettaBoyz]

well, i was at walmart. of course i had to go see the poor fish. i checked out this one tank with about a zillion Bala, Red-Tailed Black Sharks, Black Sharks and Gouramis in it. a single, teeny fish was there. no info other than his price, apparently he was a 'Lava Fish'. he looked so tiny, and so cute, and so... sad... i did the newb and bought him.

urgh.

only when i get home do i find out he's really a Red Tiger Oscar. 12" of fish! he's only little now, an inch long at most. my questions are: will he snack on my Tetras? how fast will he grow? what's the best tank to squish him into?

yup, i plan on keeping him; IF he will fit in a 20/29 gallon tank. the poor little bug, i shouldn't've done that... but he looked so sad, he was begging me to take him home. he even gave my finger a kiss how could i have left him?

everyone makes 12" mistakes

 

[smb]

only when i get home do i find out he's really a Red Tiger Oscar. 12" of fish!

12" is probably an understatement. I would say up to 16" would be more appropriate. 14" more or less the norm.

my questions are: will he snack on my Tetras?

Yes, he will eat anything that will fit into his mouth. And his mouth will get huge.

how fast will he grow?

App. 1" a month and will probably be about 10" at the end of the year. This is a generalization because it depends on how much he's fed, what he's fed and how good his water params are.

what's the best tank to squish him into?

At full growth, I would recommend a minimum of 75g tank.

 

[BettaBoyz]

thanks SMB ^^ it's not that i really mind him munching on the Tetras, i was planning on euthanising them anyway since they aren't schooling well and seem very depressed and i haven't got anywhere else for them to go.

hmm... could he 'survive' in a 29g with regular (very regular, say 35% weekly changes rather than the 20% biweekly my 10 gets) changes for about... three years? i may sound a bit cruel, but i really like this little fishie and my dad is dead set against me having a 20g in my room, sneaking in a 29g is going to make him explode. by the time i can afford the 75g and everything i'll be 17, and by then i'll probably be able to keep that tank downstairs. my dad's renovating now, that's why he's against extra tanks anywhere.

he's already got a very big mouth, the little bugger ^^ he'll be fed Betta Bites (eep xX) Brine Shrimp Pellets and crushed snails for this week, next week i'll be adding Cichlid Pellets to that list and he'll probably eat the Tetras and some Plattie fry along the way =)

 

[missyintx_99]

You might be able to get by with a 55g for a while.......... but eventually he will even outgrow that. Do you have a friend with a bigger tank that might be willing to give him a good home?
I got a Tiger Oscar maybe 3 months ago and he was about 5" then. He's now hit the 8" mark and is still growing. And smb is right. He will eat anything that will fit in his mouth and his mouth will get big fast.
My Oscar ate my 2.5" pink con (the Con's name was Cojones, he lived and died up to his name) and there was nothing I could do about it. Trust me, nothing will be safe with him.
I wish you luck, and ask you please don't think you can "squeeze" him into a 29g tank for life. It just won't work.

 

[AquaNut]

Oh bettaboyz! Please please please take the oscar to a reputable lfs or *cringe* back to Wal-mart. I'm in the process of trying to save a beautiful oscar who's been living in a 20 gallon tank; it's just simply nowheres near big enough for them. Although I plan to put Chester in a 75 gallon (if the floor people ever get my new flooring in), many people say you can keep an oscar in a 55. Anything smaller would be out of the question.

 

[BettaBoyz]

-nodnod-

as soon as i can i'll get Phoenix (the Oscar) a new and better home. with a lot of work i could probably get him a 50g, but it would take longer than anyone- me, him, other aquarists, my parents, and the other fish- would like.

edit: i just thought of something. my dad has a 50g stashed away that he's been plotting to fill with marine fish. but, he like Oscars, told me they're great 'puppy-fish'. perhaps i can keep my bugger in his own 29 for a little while (would 6 months be okay?) my dad isn't the world's most... er... active aquarist. he gets bored with setups quite quickly, empties everything out and restarts. perhaps i could wait for this to happen, and then move Phoenix in. would that be okay?

 

[smb]

perhaps i can keep my bugger in his own 29 for a little while (would 6 months be okay?)

I would think it would be ok in a 29g for up to 6 months considering he's only 1" right now.

Please remember that the 50g you will put him in will need to be upgraded, imo if you are to keep him for life.

 

[missyintx_99]

I think that would be cutting it kinda close. But, it beats the heck outta going back to Malwart.