hey everyone im new here and i fell in love with an oscar 3 weeks ago....i am getting a 55 gallon tank in about a month and would like to now as a newbie toowning an oscar is there any breed that would be good for a new owner? and would love anytype of advice on keeping the oscar maybe what things to put in the tank? what type of filter i am clueless but want to give my future oscar a long and healthy life, thanks alot:kiss:

Welcome to the site. The best thing you can do is read what is on the site. It should give you an idea of what you will need to house and look after your Oscar correctly. As for what type of Oscar to go for, it would just be like if you were buying any other pets, choose one you like the look of. However, make sure the tank is nice and clean and you choose an Oscar that is active and alert. Don't go for one that is just sitting in the corner doing nothing, that's not what Oscars do.

As for filtration, I would strongly advise you to go for some kind of external filter. Choose one that is rated higher than the actual tank. You want to circulate the water quite a few times in an hour so that the water is nice and clean. Like I said, have a read what's on the website and you should get an idea of what sort of setup you need. If you are going to 55 gallon tank, remember that is the absolute minimum for one Oscar so you won't be able to have lots of other fish with it

thanks alot the site is very helpful! im only going to have just the one oscar by himself

OFL advise is spot on. I will add that when you get one only feed what he will eat in 3 mins and no more no matter how much he begs. Also get a testing kit and get your tank cycled before you add oscars. See the site for cycling your tank

thanks

Be aware that Oscars can be vandals. Protect your heater and anything else that is fragile in your aquarium.

i knoew they uprooted plants and stuff...how can i protect the heater?

thebeastie14 wrote:


Using a robust heater is something that is probably advisable. I haven't known Oscars to break something on purpose, they normally get knocked off the side of the tank when the Oscars are swimming around the tank, sometimes at night when they get spooked. Just put it in the corner out of the way. Things always get moved around when you keep Oscars so you might have to keep an eye on it.

thanks alot i CANNOT wait until i get my tank so i can "Pimp" it out for my oscar then i can go get the litte guy how much are they? when they're babies

To protect you heat you can buy heater guards. They are inexpensive. They are just a plastic covering for the heater