A rescue oscar may be coming home... all advice welcome!

Hi fishlore friends! Someone in a local plant swap group is desperately trying to rehome an adult 12" oscar, and I actually have the general knowledge and equipment required to be of help! I have an 80 gallon empty tank and an FX4 waiting to go with it, I'm seriously considering taking him in. I've done some reading and research and I have a basic understanding of oscar care, but I'd love any tips and tricks you might have. One of the things I'm really wondering is what, if any, plants can live with an oscar? Do they have a substrate preference? I have some bags of black sand on hand. I've heard that oscars like to be in busy rooms with lots to watch, and also that they prefer a quieter space. Any notes on this? I have two potential spaces for a large tank- the busy family room and the quieter downstairs den.
Also... I'm guessing he would be a champion at eating guppy culls.

 

Dawn Michele!! Dawn is the resident Oscar keeper. Big boys a star!!
Oscars are great fish with big personalities. The 80g should be fine and an fx4 is plenty of filtration. Oscars like to move things around so think f that when decorating.

 

Dawn Michele for sure. I agree with everything said above. I don’t know about many plants. Maybe a large & established sword potted with some large rocks around the base would work. Maybe some larger anubias as well.

 

Hello. Thanks guys for the mention. I appreciate it. I keep my Oscar Big Boy in a 125 by himself. He makes that look small. Keep in mind they produce a Iot of waste!!! You have to do weekly water changes & keep the water pristine. I have some gravel on the bottom and plastic plant's he likes to move around. LOL. They LOVE to rearrange the tank. They are a lot of fun and have BIG personalities!!!

 

Hi. If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.

 

Thanks so much Dawn Michele ! I have her tank all set up and ready. I totally know she will do what she wants to my hard scape and that little anubias may or may not survive. I wanted to make a bit of a cave for her though, especially as she’s settling into her new home. Her and her brother are currently in a 40 breeder... she’s about to be so happy!
I’ve got media from all my other tanks to kick start the cycle but I’ll still be doing a fish in cycle. My plan is to not feed for the first few days and begin feeding a bit at a time, and of course monitoring water conditions and changing as much as I need.
I’ve got cichlid carnivore pellets, dry mealworms, and frozen bloodworms for food to start off. I’ve read that an every other day feeding schedule is better for adult Oscars? I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I begin this journey. I’m so excited!

 

Thanks so much Dawn Michele ! I have her tank all set up and ready. I totally know she will do what she wants to my hard scape and that little anubias may or may not survive. I wanted to make a bit of a cave for her though, especially as she’s settling into her new home. Her and her brother are currently in a 40 breeder... she’s about to be so happy!
I’ve got media from all my other tanks to kick start the cycle but I’ll still be doing a fish in cycle. My plan is to not feed for the first few days and begin feeding a bit at a time, and of course monitoring water conditions and changing as much as I need.
I’ve got cichlid carnivore pellets, dry mealworms, and frozen bloodworms for food to start off. I’ve read that an every other day feeding schedule is better for adult Oscars? I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I begin this journey. I’m so excited!
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A fish in cycle can be rough, so watch your Oscar closely. You said yours is 12"? So about a year or so old then, the growth will slow down but they'll still be little piggies and want "foodfoodFOOD!" LOL. Usually when growth slows down you can start feeding every other day I think? Never owned one myself but I did house-sit/baby-sit for awhile for a friend who had 2 Oscars of a like size.

I broke their rule and kept feeding since the 2 were in a 180G and a breeding pair.

Chiclid pellets are the best for a staple, if you do freeze dried I'd soak in some tank water plus maybe Vita and Garlic Guard since again, fish in cycle can be hard on them.

Chiclid pellets, frozen blood worms, shrimp, crickets, earthworms (cricks and e.worms should be clean and gut fed good food), there's a lotta choices out there but good pellets should be the main. No feeder fish from stores, even breeding your own and gut-busting them isn't really necessary. Store feeders could have parasites or other diseases so I'd stay away from that.

Once you get them in the tank they might not wanna eat at first and that's okay, stress can do that - just keep the tank lights off and the room light(s) itself dim and just wait and watch. Offer food, but it might take a few days depending on your Oscar.

Live plants probably will be ripped to shreds - plain smooth gravel or fine sand seem to work best, or an empty bottom tank. Plastic or silk plants will probably be moved around quite a bit.

A 12" like yours probably won't need a hideaway, just tank light off and dim/low light in the room itself.

EDIT: Sand or gravel is fine, just make sure it's smooth gravel so when they dig in they don't get hurt - no sharp edges, etc. As for being in a busy room... this is yes and no, it all depends on the Oscar, in my experience. They're VERY smart fish. Soo..

Possible pro = they get to know you and your household and how it runs.
Possible con = they get attached to someone who disappears to sleep, or the "group" does and you could possibly have a frustrated and pouty Oscar on your hands.

Take it 1 day at a time, with frequent water changes and treats don't go amiss either.

When I house sat for friends, they had 2 14" Oscars in I think it was a 180, hard to remember now. The family went off for vacation and now here I am, a total stranger. It was rough for a few days but eventually they both got used to me especially since I talked to them all the time and paid attention.

Alot of people will say fish don't "hear" use, but I disagree - whenever I'd talk to Arnold and Penelope (the Oscars I was taking care of) they'd LOOK at me - watch me, calm down, etc.

So yeah, watch those levels CLOSE doing a fish in cycle, offer food - pellets best, treats too - to get over the hump since it'll be rough. Talk to them, watch them, make eye contact and keep on top of those water changes. If you do all that I think you'll be just fine.

Thanks so much Dawn Michele ! I have her tank all set up and ready. I totally know she will do what she wants to my hard scape and that little anubias may or may not survive. I wanted to make a bit of a cave for her though, especially as she’s settling into her new home. Her and her brother are currently in a 40 breeder... she’s about to be so happy!
I’ve got media from all my other tanks to kick start the cycle but I’ll still be doing a fish in cycle. My plan is to not feed for the first few days and begin feeding a bit at a time, and of course monitoring water conditions and changing as much as I need.
I’ve got cichlid carnivore pellets, dry mealworms, and frozen bloodworms for food to start off. I’ve read that an every other day feeding schedule is better for adult Oscars? I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I begin this journey. I’m so excited!
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Wait... I just reread this. You have 2 Oscars? At first you talked about HER, then I saw you say: "her and her brother".. so there's 2? This will be double the bioload and 2 Oscars to watch CLOSE as you cycle this tank. Can you tell me how big that tank is? If both siblings are 12"..... that's tight. Do you have a bigger tank available for starting up or did I misunderstand something? I'm tired so it's possible!

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw you said 80 G. Is that the tank the pic, because it doesn't look like an 80 to me. Your one Oscar is 12", the female I think you said then you mentioned the brother. How big is he for the 80 G tank sharing? Also what filters are you using?

We definitely want to make sure you and your babies are doing great.

 

A fish in cycle can be rough, so watch your Oscar closely. You said yours is 12"? So about a year or so old then, the growth will slow down but they'll still be little piggies and want "foodfoodFOOD!" LOL. Usually when growth slows down you can start feeding every other day I think? Never owned one myself but I did house-sit/baby-sit for awhile for a friend who had 2 Oscars of a like size.

I broke their rule and kept feeding since the 2 were in a 180G and a breeding pair.

Chiclid pellets are the best for a staple, if you do freeze dried I'd soak in some tank water plus maybe Vita and Garlic Guard since again, fish in cycle can be hard on them.

Chiclid pellets, frozen blood worms, shrimp, crickets, earthworms (cricks and e.worms should be clean and gut fed good food), there's a lotta choices out there but good pellets should be the main. No feeder fish from stores, even breeding your own and gut-busting them isn't really necessary. Store feeders could have parasites or other diseases so I'd stay away from that.

Once you get them in the tank they might not wanna eat at first and that's okay, stress can do that - just keep the tank lights off and the room light(s) itself dim and just wait and watch. Offer food, but it might take a few days depending on your Oscar.

Live plants probably will be ripped to shreds - plain smooth gravel or fine sand seem to work best, or an empty bottom tank. Plastic or silk plants will probably be moved around quite a bit.

A 12" like yours probably won't need a hideaway, just tank light off and dim/low light in the room itself.

EDIT: Sand or gravel is fine, just make sure it's smooth gravel so when they dig in they don't get hurt - no sharp edges, etc. As for being in a busy room... this is yes and no, it all depends on the Oscar, in my experience. They're VERY smart fish. Soo..

Possible pro = they get to know you and your household and how it runs.
Possible con = they get attached to someone who disappears to sleep, or the "group" does and you could possibly have a frustrated and pouty Oscar on your hands.

Take it 1 day at a time, with frequent water changes and treats don't go amiss either.

When I house sat for friends, they had 2 14" Oscars in I think it was a 180, hard to remember now. The family went off for vacation and now here I am, a total stranger. It was rough for a few days but eventually they both got used to me especially since I talked to them all the time and paid attention.

Alot of people will say fish don't "hear" use, but I disagree - whenever I'd talk to Arnold and Penelope (the Oscars I was taking care of) they'd LOOK at me - watch me, calm down, etc.

So yeah, watch those levels CLOSE doing a fish in cycle, offer food - pellets best, treats too - to get over the hump since it'll be rough. Talk to them, watch them, make eye contact and keep on top of those water changes. If you do all that I think you'll be just fine.

Wait... I just reread this. You have 2 Oscars? At first you talked about HER, then I saw you say: "her and her brother".. so there's 2? This will be double the bioload and 2 Oscars to watch CLOSE as you cycle this tank. Can you tell me how big that tank is? If both siblings are 12"..... that's tight. Do you have a bigger tank available for starting up or did I misunderstand something? I'm tired so it's possible!

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw you said 80 G. Is that the tank the pic, because it doesn't look like an 80 to me. Your one Oscar is 12", the female I think you said then you mentioned the brother. How big is he for the 80 G tank sharing? Also what filters are you using?

We definitely want to make sure you and your babies are doing great.

This is fantastic info!! The brother is being adopted by someone else- I’m just taking the sister. Sorry I should have been more clear!
fortunately it’s reading week, so I have a break from classes and can put all my attention into getting this tank started safely and happily. I’m a little worried about the condition she’s going to be in- the person said the two have been fighting quite a bit so I’m worried she’ll have some body wounds. Also I’ve got an FX4 filtering it so that’s pretty good I think!

 

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I see you flooded this tank already but just a thought. You mentioned you had 2 possible places for this tank. Is the other one away from a window?
Where you have it set up now could be problematic...

 

This is fantastic info!! The brother is being adopted by someone else- I’m just taking the sister. Sorry I should have been more clear!
fortunately it’s reading week, so I have a break from classes and can put all my attention into getting this tank started safely and happily. I’m a little worried about the condition she’s going to be in- the person said the two have been fighting quite a bit so I’m worried she’ll have some body wounds. Also I’ve got an FX4 filtering it so that’s pretty good I think!

Glad I can help! Ahh, okay good to know about the adoption. Are you sure the one you're getting is female? No that it matters (it doesn't) but usually Oscars can be hard to sex unless you physically see them pair off and begin the mating dance. Wiggle butts, body vibrating, gill and fin flares while kind of circling each other with some lip locking and lots of swimming side by side, etc. Was just curious! a 12" is mature for sure.

How big is the tank they're both being kept in? Hopefully not too small. If that person has any Stress Coat to add to the water maybe 12 hours before you get her, that would be good. If not, when YOU get her - add some Stress Coat to her tank water. That'll help ward off anything like ich and such.

Also be sure to look her over good if they've been fighting and there's been no way to separate - any cuts, bruises, swelling can be taken care of with constant water changes. Beyond Stress Coat for this situation, I wouldn't really want to try anything else. Oscars don't like meds all that much and it's hard to say who is going to have a bad reaction to things. This includes salt (freshwater aquarium salt, NOT saltwater reef). If she looks REALLY beat up though, I would suggest salt.

There's a lot of back and forth about if salt really helps but in my opinion, it does. It can help kill off bacteria as a mild analgesic and it also helps to de-bride damaged or dead tissue so if your girl is beat up enough, I'd suggest the salt but we'll get to that if she needs it. If she's beat up, please post some pics here so that the members can have a look and weigh in. A lot of damage can be healed with just good water but you never know so it's always best to have a bit of a back up plan.

So her 80 G has an FX4 (good canister filter btw) - is there a second, or what else? She needs heavy filtration, over and above what's needed since she'll be a messy eater and pooper. 2 FX4's would be great. Also in terms of space, I just looked again at the pic of your tank. Since she's 12" that big driftwood might get in her way a lot so watch her for the first week, make sure she had enough room to swim.

Dawn Michele can help with a list of the best chiclid pellet/etc. food so you can have it all on hand.

 

Hello. Hope all is well. He will probably sulk when you put him the tank. Don't worry just keep an eye on him. Big Boy will actually go on his side and pout!!! It is the funniest thing. The driftwood looks GREAT in the tank but will be a problem. Oscars need lots of swimming room & I can see him banging into it and scraping up his skin. I split Big Boys feeding into twice a day. He likes it and it works out well for him. This is what I feed. I like to give him a variety.
1. Northfin Tropical Sticks
2. Dainichi Cichlid Color Supreme Pellets
3. Hikari Cichlid Excel Pellets
4. Hikari Cichlid Gold Pellets
5. Tropical Cichlid Red & Green Large Sticks
6. Cobalt Predator Sticks
7. NLS Probiotix
8. Omega One Cichlid Pellets Super Color

 

Redmare that tank looks great! I’m with Dawn but I’d wait it out. If it’s moving the wood remove it but if not let it be. Looks like a good place for it to hide when it first gets there. If the person you get it from is doing away with the tank grab the filter and add it to your tank. Instant cycle . If not it’s a fish in cycle which is fine and easy to do. Hope you enjoy your new Oscar! Awaiting pictures .

 

Glad I can help! Ahh, okay good to know about the adoption. Are you sure the one you're getting is female? No that it matters (it doesn't) but usually Oscars can be hard to sex unless you physically see them pair off and begin the mating dance. Wiggle butts, body vibrating, gill and fin flares while kind of circling each other with some lip locking and lots of swimming side by side, etc. Was just curious! a 12" is mature for sure.

How big is the tank they're both being kept in? Hopefully not too small. If that person has any Stress Coat to add to the water maybe 12 hours before you get her, that would be good. If not, when YOU get her - add some Stress Coat to her tank water. That'll help ward off anything like ich and such.

Also be sure to look her over good if they've been fighting and there's been no way to separate - any cuts, bruises, swelling can be taken care of with constant water changes. Beyond Stress Coat for this situation, I wouldn't really want to try anything else. Oscars don't like meds all that much and it's hard to say who is going to have a bad reaction to things. This includes salt (freshwater aquarium salt, NOT saltwater reef). If she looks REALLY beat up though, I would suggest salt.

There's a lot of back and forth about if salt really helps but in my opinion, it does. It can help kill off bacteria as a mild analgesic and it also helps to de-bride damaged or dead tissue so if your girl is beat up enough, I'd suggest the salt but we'll get to that if she needs it. If she's beat up, please post some pics here so that the members can have a look and weigh in. A lot of damage can be healed with just good water but you never know so it's always best to have a bit of a back up plan.

So her 80 G has an FX4 (good canister filter btw) - is there a second, or what else? She needs heavy filtration, over and above what's needed since she'll be a messy eater and pooper. 2 FX4's would be great. Also in terms of space, I just looked again at the pic of your tank. Since she's 12" that big driftwood might get in her way a lot so watch her for the first week, make sure she had enough room to swim.

Dawn Michele can help with a list of the best chiclid pellet/etc. food so you can have it all on hand.

I believe the tank that the two cichlids are currently in is a 40 breeder. Yikes. I'm told she's 15 months old. I have no idea if she's actually a girl or not- the owner called her a she and I'm good with that. I do have stress coat on hand!

Hello. Hope all is well. He will probably sulk when you put him the tank. Don't worry just keep an eye on him. Big Boy will actually go on his side and pout!!! It is the funniest thing. The driftwood looks GREAT in the tank but will be a problem. Oscars need lots of swimming room & I can see him banging into it and scraping up his skin. I split Big Boys feeding into twice a day. He likes it and it works out well for him. This is what I feed. I like to give him a variety.
1. Northfin Tropical Sticks
2. Dainichi Cichlid Color Supreme Pellets
3. Hikari Cichlid Excel Pellets
4. Hikari Cichlid Gold Pellets
5. Tropical Cichlid Red & Green Large Sticks
6. Cobalt Predator Sticks
7. NLS Probiotix
8. Omega One Cichlid Pellets Super Color

Thanks! I got the cichlid gold pellets to start off- I like variety as well and will grow out my collection. I'm going to keep a close eye and see if the driftwood is a problem or not when she first moves in- I'm totally ok with taking it out if she's wanting more swim room. Perhaps it's just a human thing, but I feel like it would be more interesting to have your tank kind of divided up with different sections to be in than always just being in the same one space.

 

So here's where the story takes a turn- I was supposed to pick up the oscar today... the lady has been absolutely unreachable. No answer to texts, phone calls, facebook messages..... I'm so confused. I have a suspicion someone offered to pay her for it, and she decided to take that and just not tell me at all....
Well, if this does fall through, I've already gotten my whole family on the oscar hype train. My mom is crazy excited. So I think I'll do a full cycle and then get my own baby oscar!

 

So here's where the story takes a turn- I was supposed to pick up the oscar today... the lady has been absolutely unreachable. No answer to texts, phone calls, facebook messages..... I'm so confused. I have a suspicion someone offered to pay her for it, and she decided to take that and just not tell me at all....
Well, if this does fall through, I've already gotten my whole family on the oscar hype train. My mom is crazy excited. So I think I'll do a full cycle and then get my own baby oscar!

If you get your own baby Oscar you should look into wild Oscars. Foo the Flowerhorn just got one recently and it’s the cutest little thing.

 

IM sorry to hear that. That will be cool if you get a baby. It's so much fun to watch them grow!!!

 

IM sorry to hear that. That will be cool if you get a baby. It's so much fun to watch them grow!!!

I’m disappointed and sad I’m not able to help one who needs a home.... but honestly so excited to do the whole thing! Plus I won’t have to deal with any consequences from bad care that might have problems I don’t even know about. It’ll be so fun to have a little googley eyed baby

 

I’m disappointed and sad I’m not able to help one who needs a home.... but honestly so excited to do the whole thing! Plus I won’t have to deal with any consequences from bad care that might have problems I don’t even kn

I can't wait to see pictures of your new baby!!!

 

I can't wait to see pictures of your new baby!!!

 

Nice!! What his name?

 

She’s just been released into the tank- she’s quite alarmed! She put on some stress bars within seconds (and she was slowly bucket acclimated). She’s tucked in a little cave.
And since I started writing that, the stress bars are gone and she’s exploring the whole tank!! She’s so cute!!

I’m thinking I’m gonna call her Ursula but I’m open to suggestions. No idea if it’s a boy or girl but she’s giving me girl vibes lol