Oscar Cichlid

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#1
Nov 17, 2010
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Pierre SD
#1
Well I dont see ANYTHING cichlid threads within the forum. This isnt really a specific thread. I dont have any specific questions. I just want a open discussion for anyone to hijack or insert their experiences.

My oscar seems real shy. Whenever I introduce him into a new tank(or after a large water change) he always hides. I dont even know if he is a he or she. I never felt the need to check or read how. I probably should. Another thing I read was that they lay on thier side when they are hungry. It lays on its side and mimicks death trying to get smaller fish to approach it looking for an easy meal, in which case it promptly swallows its prey. Anyone else notice this?
 

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#4
Nov 17, 2010
84
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Pierre SD
#4
Oh yeah, the sorrity sisters. I just moved my Oscar out of his small 10 gallon tank, and moved the sorority into two 10 gallon tanks for the oscar to have his entire tank.

The one is set up with 5, a opaque with a couple plakates. Nothing too fancy just walmart. Actually today I went in and was looking for the opaque and couldnt find her to save my soul. I asked my dad for help and after 10 minutes, I found she had swum down into a plastic plant and gotten pinned vertically in the plant. She looked oxygen starved and went up for air promptly. They always nip eachothers fins. Very rarly do they look perfect, but they are very fun to watch.

My second 10 gallon tank has 4. My original betta(who is very tiny still), a very pretty blue with a real mellow personality. With my two newest petco bettas. One being a crowntail. My ONLY fishstore fish(rest are wal mart). They are extremely tiny compared to the others and were in the large tank as a group for about 3 weeks being completly fine.

I dont know much else, they have only been in that set-up for about 24 hours now. I do know that I need to invest in a smaller 5 gallon tank for my Thunder so I can move some of the sisters into his old tank. The five of them get along okay, but im worried the tank is too small for them.


And as for the Oscar, I love him to death. So much to the point I gave him a rosy today :) And would would constitute a dither, in my attempt to appear intelligent, a dither fish would appear to be any group of schooling fish that would not hurt Laviathan, such as tetras, according to (http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=42)? I would think that some tetras(like what i have access to) would be too small and may be mistaken for food.
 

F

Fishman1995

Superstar Fish
#5
May 11, 2010
1,341
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0
North Carolina
#5
here's a little thing i found off a website

Not all fish are good dithers. I use small tetras for my dwarf cichlids, Australian rainbows for some of the African cichlids and Silver dollars for some of the larger Central American cichlids. You need to do some thinking before you purchase the dithers. For example, you may use giant Danios as dithers for your Jack Dempsey when they are small, but after about six months dithers will become feeders. Some dithers like Danios and Australian Rainbows have tremendous appetite and are aggressive eaters and you shouldn’t use them with cichlids that are not aggressive eaters such as Curviceps and Keyhole cichlids. Dithers should not intimidate or steal food from the cichlids. The best way of taking care of this is to read up on the particular shy cichlid and a dither and to observe them at the pet store. Dither fish should mind their own business and not pick on fins of larger fish – don’t use tiger barbs and angels together.

Source:Dither Fish

So for your Oscar, perhaps you could do a school of Danios until he gets to large to keep Dithers with because they'l be snacks
 

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#6
Nov 17, 2010
84
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Pierre SD
#6
When I looked at some profiles of danios, they only get 2.5 inches? Thats half the size of my oscar right now and ive seen him tear apart some pretty big rosies that are about that size, and also I see that they could be fin nippers when not kept in larger groups....

What could another couple choices for Laviathan. Maybe Silver dollars in a school of 6
 

marvin

marvin

Large Fish
#7
Jul 7, 2007
264
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florida
#7
"Well I dont see ANYTHING cichlid threads within the forum. This isnt really a specific" threadMeleemaker
Teenie Weenie Fish your statement is sad but soooo true there use to be about 10 posts a day on the cichlid forum dont even know why i am here as i have been ask to leave... back to your oscar question which IMHO wasen't realy answered.. you are going to need a 55 gal for he/ she...the fish that lay's on its side and plays dead is " nimbo livingstoni" they also turn blue when ready to mate..they actualy look like a grouper.. type my name in the search box top right of page for a picture.
 

marvin

marvin

Large Fish
#8
Jul 7, 2007
264
0
0
florida
#8
my oscar use to play catch with me i put the ball in he would spit it out of the tank.. if he/she is laying on his side you have a problem i have been keeping cichlids for 40 years....
 

big54bob

big54bob

Superstar Fish
#10
Dec 20, 2006
1,486
6
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On my office chair playing Runescape
#10
marvin said:
"Well I dont see ANYTHING cichlid threads within the forum. This isnt really a specific" threadMeleemaker
Teenie Weenie Fish your statement is sad but soooo true there use to be about 10 posts a day on the cichlid forum dont even know why i am here as i have been ask to leave... back to your oscar question which IMHO wasen't realy answered.. you are going to need a 55 gal for he/ she...the fish that lay's on its side and plays dead is " nimbo livingstoni" they also turn blue when ready to mate..they actualy look like a grouper.. type my name in the search box top right of page for a picture.
Click to expand...
Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

That makes no sense
 

F

Fishman1995

Superstar Fish
#11
May 11, 2010
1,341
0
0
North Carolina
#11
It made no sense, his opinion is wrong because i answered one of his questions and No fish lays on its side unless its sick, dead or its a knifefish which your oscar isnt, secondly, MOST people say you should have at least a 75-90 gallon tank for 1 oscar and for 2 about 150 gallons because Oscars need ALOT of room
 

F

Fishman1995

Superstar Fish
#13
May 11, 2010
1,341
0
0
North Carolina
#13
Lets see here first question, have you even ever owned an oscar, second question, Adjusting to new change causes sickness which is why the oscar would lay on his side so how is that correct? and thirdly, Id love to see you maintain 2 14 inch oscars in a 90 gallon tank :D
 

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#14
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#14
big54bob said:
Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

That makes no sense
Click to expand...
I think he was trying to make a refrence to my typo in which I meant to say there are no OSCAR CICHLID threads within this little bubble of threads and I wanted to start one for just general questions and experiences and stories. When I bought mine it was only cause he was carnivore and I wanted to feed him live fish. I thought he was really ugly when I bought him. But ive fallen in love again


And as for his laying on the side, I found this article (Florida Oscar | Astronotus ocellatus) with refrence to Parachromis friedrichsthalii AND Nimbochromis livingstonii both being members of the cichlid family. And pertaining to the water changes, that cause this reaction too. And laying on their side is not exactly a completly way of describing the situation, he will sit on the bottom, and lean to one side. Not completely with his body parralel to the tank bottom.


My oscar is about 4 inches long, maybe even 5 now. So he isnt that big yet, but we are working on bulking him up. He has become much more active in his tank(before I would catch him swimming around after hours when I would turn all the lights off and as soon as he got glipse of me, go hiding underneath his stump and waiting for the terrible light to go away. After his second or even third rosy in the past two days(one yesterday and 2 today as my GF insisted on feeding him one but they were both small today thankfully). So with him having more dominance after devouring a couple live fish, he is feeling more confident and exporting and rearranging the plants without my permission
 

marvin

marvin

Large Fish
#15
Jul 7, 2007
264
0
0
florida
#15
11-23-2010, 03:51 PM #10
big54bob
Super Fish

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

That makes no sense < << that makes no sence Just a question how big is your oscar? u asking me???
 

big54bob

big54bob

Superstar Fish
#16
Dec 20, 2006
1,486
6
38
29
On my office chair playing Runescape
#16
Fishman1995 said:
sickness which is why the oscar would lay on his side so how is that correct?
Click to expand...
The condition is called sulking and Melee found an article about it. Sulking is like emotional shock to a human. They need time to adjust to new surroundings.

Melee for dithers the 2 dither options for a 55gal are GIANT danios and Silver Dollars.
 

marvin

marvin

Large Fish
#17
Jul 7, 2007
264
0
0
florida
#17
Another thing I read was that they lay on thier side when they are hungry.No fish lays on its side unless its sick, dead or its a knifefish which your oscar isnt,Fishman1995
leaning is not laying on side glad some one cleared that up. as far as nimbos are concerned some one didn't do much reasearch. nimbos are the only fish i know of that that playing dead is part of there.... plan.big54bob my oscar was 15 + inches that was several years ago. if any one has doubts check out u tube if its still there but there are other fish that do tricks.... one flips a ring to its owner.. in 40 years i have breed many nimbos. if you want a mind blowing experance about how little you know about fish go th Cichlid-forum.com
 

marvin

marvin

Large Fish
#18
Jul 7, 2007
264
0
0
florida
#18
11-23-2010, 08:31 PM #13
Fishman1995
Large Fish




Join Date: May 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 856

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Lets see here first question, have you even ever owned an oscar, second question, Adjusting to new change causes sickness which is why the oscar would lay on his side so how is that correct? and thirdly, Id love to see you maintain 2 14 inch oscars in a 90 gallon tank was this directed to me fish man?? if so where did it come from??
 

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#19
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#19
Awww family :)

At least we are getting a good discussion, but everyone wants to try to prove to everyone that they know more. I mean you guys do realize all you are doing is pounding on your chest and im guessing the vibrations are pissing your fish off. I know oscars are really sensitive to vibrations and he hates it when i vacuum my room
 

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