Hi, I am new with Oscars so I need some help. I’ve got a 80L tank which I used to have Convicts in which I have now moved to a different tank. I got 3 oscars (3’inch) to start of with even though the pet store insisted I get a minimum of 6! Since convicts were such hardy fish I’m finding this new experience with Oscars quiet interesting.

Few things I’ve noticed about them, they are very messy eaters. I’ve started them off with tetra min flakes which they took quite well & then some frozen blood worms. I’ve now got them some hikari gold pellets which they don’t seem to enjoy very much, they grab a couple of pellets & swim away as if they are not interested, is this normal?

Secondly, I’ve done a 30% water change since I got them 2 weeks ago since the tank seems a little messy. Is it ok to clean the tank this often? I was used to cleaning my tank once a month with the convicts. I use Prime conditioner & Tetra bio cultures after my water change, something I’ve been doing with my previous set up. I’ve also been told my my pet store to avoid using anything to lower or increase ph as this can mess up the water conditions.

As far as the Oscars are concerned, they seemed to have taken 3 different corners of the tank, although there is one oscar who keeps chasing the other one into the cave & doesn’t allow him/her to get out of the cave, sometime using his body to push her/him back into the cave. is this normal?? Signs of breeding??

And before I get told off about the size of my tank, I will be upgrading to 145L by next month.

Please advise me what I am doing right/wrong? Thanks.

angmat wrote:

it is normal to most lfs to say that 2 or 6 will be fine for a small tank basically because they need more sales.


during juvenile stage, oscars eat like pigs. but when you have bad water condition, they will be stressed and stop eating.


water change do help to keep your water in good condition, however, i am afraid you did not have fully cycled tank. when did you start running your tank?

breeding is very far from here unless you've got a fully matured oscar... say 9 inches long and/or more that one year old.


your present tank is way to small for your oscar. same is true with your new forthcoming tank. one fully grown oscar needs at least 55 gal tank with enough filtration. 145L is just 37 US gal tank, way too small for a single oscar.

hope this help.
btw, welcom to the site.

thanks for the reply, my tank was already setup for nearly 2 months with convicts so i guess it should have been cycled?

also thanks for the info on the tank size, will look into asap.

angmat wrote:

i stand to be corrected. yes, it may had been cycled. but without testing the water, no one could tell if you reach the ideal criteria of water parameters.


you're welcome. our goal is to help hobbyist have a happy fish keeping world.

thanks for the quick response paul. I have another question about feeding my oscars. I'm currently giving them pellets in the morning & night & frozen blood worms for lunch. is it ok to give them blood worms everyday?

angmat wrote:
by all means, yes. however, there is also disadvantages in it. if your
oscar used to it, they will never take another food.... so the rule of tumb... better give them variety of food with complete nutrients, coupled with pristine water, your oscar will have vibrant color.

sorry not the best pics, but these are my oscars..what type of oscars do i have?

you have a lutino type (#1) picture
a red Oscar (#2) and a tiger oscar (#3)
giving them the right tank size and water parameters,
you will be surprised how lovely they are.

i concur with paul

biggamehunter wrote:



x3

thanks guys, I'm really doing my best to upgrade a bigger tank asap. just gotta convince the wife

hey guys,

I've just got another question to ask regarding my oscars. I've moved the lutino oscar to a different tank & he's doing really well. my question is regarding my red Oscar, he's in the same tank as the tiger oscar.

The tiger oscar has been growing rapidly compared to the red oscar. I must admit the red oscar does get bullied a lot & is often hiding in the cave. Does stress affect growth? or the fact that he's hiding in the cave is stunting his growth??