Overnight Massacre

[nudenurd]

I went and bought 4 Oscars yesterday - I like them, they're seriously cool fish
Anyway, I was told that in general, they didn't get on too well with small fish, so I moved everything under 3cm long into another tank, leaving the main tank with 3 clown loaches, a RTBS, 2 tetras that I just couldn't catch, a pleco and 4 silver dollars.

This morning I found three of the dollars floating... One of them had only a tail left, the rest was gone!
I was in time to save the last one, who is going to a new home at my LFS today. One of the tetras has disappeared, and I still can't catch the other one (any tips?).

So, quite obviously, silver dollars don't go with Oscars... What about my other fish? Will they be OK?
I've noticed a very interesting change of behaviour with the other fish... The clown loaches would always hide in one of the logs and very very rarely come out, however now they're freely roaming the tank and don't seem to hide at all. This may also be because I've put more plants in, making it a little more dense.
Also, the RTBS now always swims around with his fins extended - particularly the one on the top (what's that called?). Previously, he always swam around with his fin flat against his body. Is this a territorial thing?

 

[halfbloodprincess]

Please tell me how big your tank is! You have to have a HUGE tank for four oscars. Oscars get to be huge fish and for one you need a tank of 75 gallons. They will eat small fish like your tetras. They are good with silver dollars but since you have four oscars they must be extreamly aggressive. I suggest rehoming them if your tank is too small.

Good luck with the oscars, they are cool fish arnt they!!!

 

[nudenurd]

Yep, really cool! They've got personality I reckon. Even after having them for just one day I've noticed their different behaviours.
My tank's not huge. 350 Litre, 120x60x60cm

The fish shop I bought them off was very good - they explained that they'd out grow the tank in several months. However, this LFS will take back fish bought from them AND pay 50% of the price they'd then sell them for. They've got quite an impressive quarantine tank setup where they make sure fish are OK before putting them back in the store. They sold me these little oscars for just under $20 each, and they sell the larger ones for closer to $100 depending on size.

This means that I'd be able to cycle fish - once they start getting too big for the tank, take them back and get some more smaller ones. I thought it was a pretty good idea!

I kinda like having a few, because they school together. They also churn up the water pretty well when you feed them!

 

[raptorrex]

i'm sorry nudenerd that is a bad experience. we seem to have two theories when this sort of thing happens. one is to say its the purchasers fault for not doing enough research before making the purchase. the second is it the LFS's fault, because he must have known you were putting them into the same tank, and if he didn't ask, perhaps he should have. i subscribe to the second theory. i look at it like this. if the same shop sold you three tv's he knew were going in the same room, and also knew if you did that they would destroy each other and things around them, you would not think of not blaming him!!! so why is it different in the case of fish!!!

Oscars are truly great fish but very aggressive, they grow bigggggg and need lots of space as has been said! unless yo can afford a bigger tank, i would return the Oscars, also keeping the Oscars will stop you being able to expand your collection.

whatever you do im sure you will find lots of help from TFF members.

 

[QuotheRaven]

sometimes I don't agree with getting fish and then when they have spent the majority of their lives in one tank suddenly get flogged off to a pet shop again. But thats more a human thing and I don't know what the fish thinks about it.... goodluck I've always wanted a oscar

 

[halfbloodprincess]

They will out grow your tank quickly. Your tank is WAY to small for them. It is the size for one oscar alone. I think you should rehome them probably now or if you like the oscars so much (like me, I love oscars) you could sell three of them and just keep that one in your tank without any other tankmates. You could get a really bigger tank and keep maybe a couple of them if you want other tankmates.

 

[iroc]

watch out for deals like this, my friend was told the same thing only when he brought the fish back they said they already had enough and to try back in 2-3 weeks, he waited then went back and they said the same thing again. end of the story is 2 of his fish died and the other one was a very unhappy fish which he ended up giving away ( the bala I have now......I underlined was becuase the bala is very happy now until he has to go cuz he outgrows my tank)

 

[nudenurd]

sometimes I don't agree with getting fish and then when they have spent the majority of their lives in one tank suddenly get flogged off to a pet shop again

I see where you're coming from. It does seem somewhat morally incorrect now you put it that way...
I love these oscars - they're by far the most interesting fish I've owned thus far. I'm currently in a time of uncertainty... I'm being interviewed for a job with Google (you beaudy!) interstate or maybe international. If that comes off then I'll probably take the oscars back and give my tank/fish to my flatmate. Otherwise I'll keep the oscars and when they get bigger, I'll get another, much bigger tank for them

Failing all that, I'll take halfbloodprincess's advice and take three back, keeping only one. One's better than none

I've also been considering piranahs... Will they eat oscars?

 

[halfbloodprincess]

I am glad I helped! And I am not sure if they will eat oscars but I dont think they would it they were big enough(the oscar). But still I am not quite sure.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

no piranhas. they're tricky fish and your oscar is bound to either (a) beat it to death or (B) get chewed on. red-belly piranhas are really just large tetras with teeth--which means that they need to live in groups, that they'll squabble for dominance, and that they're actually pretty skittish. cichlids are definitely not compatible with these needs.

one possibility with the oscars is that if you have members of both sexes, you might end up with a breeding pair. but if that happens, you won't have much time to evacuate the extras! i bring this up because its pretty common practice for cichlid breeders to buy several baby fish and wait to see if a pair forms as the fish grow up. thus, keeping 4 oscars in a 115g/430L tank is kinda ok if its only temporary.

ask around in South American cichlids for an estimate of how long it would take to see a breeding pair to form and that will give you an idea of how long you can safely house all 4.

 

[liamblair87]

im sorry but if u had a 300 gallon instead of a 300 litre u might be right for four oscars... we arent trying to hate on u and your cool fish... but we wanna see them healthy... by the way.. what are u feeding them? and what is the ratio of males and females??
oh and have u got any pics i love oscars...

 

[sandraje75]

I went and bought 4 Oscars yesterday - I like them, they're seriously cool fish
Anyway, I was told that in general, they didn't get on too well with small fish, so I moved everything under 3cm long into another tank, leaving the main tank with 3 clown loaches, a RTBS, 2 tetras that I just couldn't catch, a pleco and 4 silver dollars.

This morning I found three of the dollars floating... One of them had only a tail left, the rest was gone!
I was in time to save the last one, who is going to a new home at my LFS today. One of the tetras has disappeared, and I still can't catch the other one (any tips?).

So, quite obviously, silver dollars don't go with Oscars... What about my other fish? Will they be OK?
I've noticed a very interesting change of behaviour with the other fish... The clown loaches would always hide in one of the logs and very very rarely come out, however now they're freely roaming the tank and don't seem to hide at all. This may also be because I've put more plants in, making it a little more dense.
Also, the RTBS now always swims around with his fins extended - particularly the one on the top (what's that called?). Previously, he always swam around with his fin flat against his body. Is this a territorial thing?

hi there, I bought 2 Red Tiger Oscars about 8 weeks ago, they were approx 1inch long and had been together at the pet shop with no probs so i assumed it would be easy! . . . well 2 weeks later one was growing faster than the other and he started attacking his roomie (I had them in the 4ft tank and FIL has a 6ft he said I am welcome to when Oscar gets to big)
I ended up having to set up my 2ft tank as a hospital cause Oscar nearly killed Felix! my FIL picked Felix up 2weeks later(he needed to cycle his 4ft tank first) and Oscar is now just over 6 inches, in just 8 weeks. I have been told thats fast for him to grow but I just think he is happy to have his "room" all to himself, I also mix his feeds and do frequent water changes.
He is a buggar with plants though he pulls them out and shreds them up, thinks its a game I'm sure.
anyway goodluck with whatever you decide to do but be warned mine grew very fast lol