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I quit | 11 comments (11 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#2)
by RaiderFan92 on Fri Dec 01, 2006 at 05:03:45 AM PST

Well as I said before, I make time to do water changes as needed, so that means I will do daily water changes if I need to to keep my oscar happy. So Im not as stupid to just put a monster fish in a barely big enough tank and treat it like a normal fish. And Iv said this before too, I sound irresponsible but Im not.

And by the time the oscar is full grown Ill have a new tank, and unlike irresponsible owners that just plop a baby oscar into a 10 gallon and plan on moving them, Im getting money for it now, and should have maybe half a year at least to buy it.

Plus, the first thing Im going to buy is a 80 gallon capacity power filter.

Trust me, I sound stupid, but Im not. I have it all planned out, and Iv spent hours online researching oscar diets, size, habits and all that before buying one even crossed my mind. I just thought the were cool fish. But now that I have a 29 gallon, imagine how much time I spent looking up info about them.

I know what Im doing.
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."-FDR. True, unless your playing against the Oakland Raiders.
[ Parent ]

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#3)
by MollieGuppy on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 03:53:54 AM PST

Sounds all good, Sometimes if you look you get monster external filters with unwanted tanks that go for about £10 roughly $20 thats how i managed to get 2, Im thinking about jumping to marine and i know how confusing research can be. Saying that if there is anywith marine out there i would appreciate help.
Ok but you did fail to mention you were going to buy it a new tank.
All the best
MollieGuppy

[ Parent ]

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#5)
by RaiderFan92 on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 07:53:16 AM PST

You sound a lot nicer on this post then your first one. I thought you were angry with me or accusing me of making a poor decision! Sorry I got a little jerkish in my reply.

And I keep my temperature around 80 degrees.
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."-FDR. True, unless your playing against the Oakland Raiders.
[ Parent ]

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#6)
by MollieGuppy on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 12:11:03 PM PST

Sorry if that was the way it came through, I diden't intend it that way, I dont get angry. You could try a little cooler with the temperature as fancy guppies like cooler temperatures. Ive been Debating the oscar situation for a long time but opted for the breeding route. I would though like an oscar. But you should know how far a teens budget goes.
regards
MollieGuppy

[ Parent ]

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#7)
by RaiderFan92 on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 02:19:18 PM PST

Oh, I thought you were an adult. And ya, I dont have that much money eiter, and my parents dont like to let me borrow money for aquariums and fish because they think that Im "obsessed", but oscars are cool so obsession is ok!
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."-FDR. True, unless your playing against the Oakland Raiders.
[ Parent ]

Re: Ive done my research on oscars! (none / 0) (#4)
by MollieGuppy on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 03:54:27 AM PST

And Whats you tank tempreture ?

[ Parent ]

Raider, I'm sorry guppies have been so (none / 0) (#8)
by unclescott on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 04:22:42 PM PST

frustrating. I certainly understand going to something else that also interests you.

Fancy guppies, maybe by the nature of being inbred and have those "unnatural" fins, are less tough than the wild ones or some other aquarium fish.

As you know, there will be even more water changes for the oscar in time, in terms of volume and maybe in terms of the percentage of the change. Where you might have gotten away with a 33% percent weekly partial with the guppies, I'm sure your research has suggested something closer to 45% once or twice a week for the oscar(2) would be even more beneficial. And maybe Santa would want to bring you a python water changer for getting the dirty water out of your tank. ;) (Set it up within hose distance of your laundry sink.)

Even though I think of at least the wild and maybe the red oscars as tougher than guppies, if kept warm, they would still benefit from that week or more seasoning period for the water. Like the guppies, they will breath better, be less prone to illnesses (fin rot for guppies, hole-in-the-head or lateral line disease for big cichlids) and have possibly maintain a stronger immune system in water which has shed unwanted gasses and absorbed at least a little free oxygen.

Cichlids have a tendency to pick on smaller fish. Oscars are pretty intelligent fish and like to be busy. At least one authority has interpreted their tendency to move all of the gravel from one end of the tank to the other as an effort to avoid boredom. I fear that for that reason your oscar will have pulled the guppies apart long before he can swallow them.

If you just have one or two very young oscars in that 10, that will not be a problem. I'm confident that you will have made arrangements, by the time they are larger.

You and Mollie-Guppy, I would bet are both guys about a year apart in age. I really have appreciated both of you in terms of your enthusiasm and willingness to look stuff up and read about the fish you are interested in.

Please stay in touch. However, as you probably know, there are several other sites which specialize in caring for large predators. Waterwolves.com, Monsterfishkeepers.com and Aquaticpredators.com are a few of the sites advertised around the TFH columns such as "Top of the Food Chain" and "Cichlidophiles". There are a bunch of good cichlid sites on-line too.

I met a couple members of one of those big fish sites a couple of months ago. They were pretty chary of swapping fish or sending things to aquarists under 18. Being pretty pleasant people, I was a bit taken aback by that attitude. I thought of your cautions along that line.

A favorite verse of mine has been "Let no man despise thy youth..." Just be yourself and don't come on strong or defensive and you will do swimmingly there. :)

All the best!
unc

[ Parent ]

Re: Raider, I'm sorry guppies have been so (none / 0) (#10)
by MollieGuppy on Mon Dec 04, 2006 at 08:17:53 AM PST

If you ever come to the uk don't mention anything ending in "ophile" you will get people pointing at you and edging away slowly. somehow british people relate enything with ophile to a criminal offence.
Its a mad world
I have been not allowed to buy fish because i wouldent look after them properly as i am only a child.
Regards
MollieGuppy

[ Parent ]

LOL! So a bibliophile isn't someone who loves (none / 0) (#11)
by unclescott on Mon Dec 04, 2006 at 09:40:10 AM PST

reading and books, but someone who might rob a library, tear up books or do something worse than that! That crowd would probably think that a cichlidophile ate them raw or worse. :)

That is interesting in that in American history there has been a group of citizens especially appreciative of British culture. As "phils" they were lovers of the culture. I don't recall the precise term (which will come to me at 2AM).

Isn't it sad that a term which can mean something wholesome and positive, such as love or appreciation of something seen as noble, [ like a guppyphile ;) ] gets so warped in this world.

Probably still ok to be a "phobe".

[ Parent ]

Re: Raider, I'm sorry guppies have been so (none / 0) (#9)
by RaiderFan92 on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 08:21:33 PM PST

Thanks unclescott. Remember, I got that 29 gallon? I would never put even a baby oscar into a 10 gallon because I would only have areound 2 months to get a new tank. And I only have one oscar.

I did some research on the internet (long and hard research.....*rolls eyes and sighs*) and what I got was that some oscar breeder think that if someone is willing to do plenty of water changes and has a very powerfull filter, VERY powerfull for the tank size, then they can keep a full grown oscar happy and healthy in 29 and 30 gallon aquariums. Sure, they wont turn into those rare 20" giants, but theyll still be regular sized and healthy. So I might put that aquarium money towards a better filter.

And he wont be lonely. Oscars are awesome and Ill be up in my room for plenty of time so that it all wont be so boring for him (or her).

Any oscar toy ideas anyone?

AND-----I looked up there habits in the wild, and its actually pretty interesting. They pick a plot of land about 3 or 4 meters in diameter, then clean it and move everything around how they want it, like its there HOUSE! Then they gaurd it from anything that goes in. That is wierd and awesome, other fish just cruise around and eat stuff, but oscars pick some real estate, and PERSONALIZE it to THERE likeing! It might just be becasue Im tired, or because Im wierd, but I think that is just so COOL!
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."-FDR. True, unless your playing against the Oakland Raiders.
[ Parent ]

I quit | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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