Took the wife to the fish store......Bad Idea

[Wolfman]

Ok so I am still working on my first fish tank 55 gallon I haven't even got the kinks worked out of this one yet but I went to the LPS to order my first cory's and I took the wife to look at all the pretty fish. Well as I was ordering the fish Sarah "the wife" looked around the store. I finished ordering the fish and turned around to see Sarah playing with a fish she had fallen in love to my horror it was a 6" oscar......ughhhh.... I explained to her that oscars were big, aggressive, and poop just because there is nothing else to do. "But he so sweet" "I love him" "he is so pretty" "why can't we get him" "I want him". This is what I heard all the way home.So my question is are there any fish out there with the personality like an oscar. He charmed the pants off of my wife so I have to do something. I know oscars are great fish but I'm not ready to go there yet.

P.S. Sarah say's she will buy whatever it takes to get this fish so I could just wait till next year and get a 100 gallon but I need to learn the in's and out's first
Thanks Wolfman

 

[Stradius011]

I think you'll have to feed them those feeder goldfish to oscars (so sad :-[). They produce a lot of waste.

 

[Richard]

Uuuumm, Oscars have been known to bite the very hand that feeds them, literally, when they get big, so tank-maintenance suddenly becomes very interesting at that point.. they're also splashers at feeding time, so you may want to keep a mop and pail handy..lol.

 

[Butterfly]

Gunnie has beautiful Oscars, I believe there are pics posted here somewhere. Hers are in a 100G tank.
I know she feeds hers cichlid sticks and various other things but don't know about the live food. Maybe she will chime in here soon
Carol

 

[not4you]

Dude, you said "she will do whatever it takes!!!!" You've been given the greenlight, floor it, get another tank, don't look back, whatever it takes. You've been infected MTS and you don't even know it! You're SOOOOO lucky!!!

 

[Butterfly]

Yep if both of you are into fish that is the ideal situation
Carol

 

[lokky.funky]

You are so lucky Wolfman,

My wife is not that cooperative when it comes to fish keeping..

I'll have to tell her several times, just to feed the tank when I'm away..

 

[Isabella]

Tell your wife that "doing whatever it takes" also includes 50 - 100% weekly water changes in an Oscar tank, lol If she's willing to do even that, well then ... why not get an Oscar tank? Only, she'll really have to do "whatever it takes" for the Oscar to be happy and healthy. These fish don't like to be left alone. They're curious and they'll demand a lot of attention.

P.S. One Oscar should be kept in not less than at least 50 gallons of water (I'd personally give one Oscar something between 75 - 100 gallons at least). So, that's a LOT of water changes!

 

[Wolfman]

Thanks everybody for your comments but we kinda got away from the question. Are there any fish smaller than an oscar with that loveble personality. I know there great fish but I also know there a lot of work so that's why I am holding off on the oscars. thanks again

 

[Isabella]

Hmm, Discus and Angelfish are ones of the larger species that are also not as aggressive as Oscars can be. Though, if you get Discus, make sure you get at least a 75 gallon tank for them, and do an excellent job with water changes, as Discus need excellent water. And if you get Angelfish, I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than 30 gallons for a pair of angels. Besides, it's best to have just 2 angels per one tank, unless it's some really large tank. Angels don't need as excellent a water quality as Discus, but I'd strive to do my best as well for angelfish, keeping nitrate at 20 MAX, and 0 at best. If you decide to have any of these 2 species and want other species in the same tank, please ask here if your combinations will be safe. Good luck

 

[smillermom]

I care for an Angelfish at work and he is very friendly and a joy to care for plus you can have a variety of other fish with him. Another great cichlid is the Blue Ram. They like to be in pairs but are great lilttle fish that have a great interest in what is going on around them. I have a species only tank of convict cichlids. They are great parents and will breed alot. If your fish store will take the babies or if you can remove eggs when they breed, these guys are a blast to have and watch the interactions. You are very lucky as your options are varied for your size tank.

 

[dmcl1]

Another vote here for Angelfish. We've had ours (just one so far) for a month now and he/she is really a character and fun to watch. Be warned, they ALWAYS act like they expect to be fed if you so much as walk into the room. LOL

 

[Wolfman]

Thanks everybody lord knows I need all the help I can get

 

[Isabella]

Thanks everybody lord knows I need all the help I can get

Then just stick with us

 

[jumpingtadpoles]

my vote goes to betta's. They have quite large personalities, especailly if given the proper care, and a chance to spread his fins ;D

 

[Wolfman]

Ok will add the betta to the list of options. thanks

 

[Ryan.O.]

Hey man there are also some cichlids called Severums. they r really playful and my friends lets it eat out of her hand. they r probably bigger than oscars but they r not as messy and I will definitely b getting 1 very soon when I get a bigger tank

 

[Gunnie]

Severums are beautiful, but they also get quite large.  You might want to just go to a website that specializes in cichlids like cichlid forum and look at the species profiles of south and central American cichlids.  They also have cookie cutter set up ideas for different size tanks in the Library under Quick Reference.