New here

[MikeNHouston]

Hey everyone new to the site. I have kept fish off and on for many years. Currently I have a 75 gallon tank and I'm currently cycling a 125 gallon tank.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Hi Mike

Welcome to the community. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about what you are getting up to.

How about a photo of your 75g? And what are your plans for the 125g?

 

[MikeNHouston]

Here is a picture of my 75 with 3 small Oscars and 3 Plecos. I have some Ruby reds that I used for help finishing the cycling process. Which I figured would get eaten at some point through the growth of the Oscars. My Plans for the 125 is to move the Oscars there and maybe and some others that can go well with them to add color or color and activity to the tank. At that point I would like to go with either Mbuna or Peacocks and Haps for the 75. My problem is what to go with in each. Picture of the 125 coming at some point once I get it set-up completely still looking for decor for it while it cycles.

 

[Andy Sager]

Hi and welcome
As an Oscar lover myself, I would say to be prepared to change this decor as the fish grow. You'll want to add larger caves and rocks for the fish to set up territories. Even larger pieces of wood ( real or fake) will do wonders for an Oscar's psychy. Your decor looks pretty now but too open for Oscars. You want some open areas for swimming and some rocky/wooden/ cave areas for homes. Oscars are very intelligent fish and can be trained to do certain behaviors. ( In an old book on Oscars it said a fellow in Germany taught his Oscar to pull in a string that rang a bell whenever the fish wanted to be fed. They really are like aquatic puppy dogs. )

Water quality will be very important. Clean water and good foods makes them grow. Grown Oscars make big poos so over filtering will also be important. Most Oscars get Hole in the Head /Lateral Line Disease from poor water quality or vitamin deficiency so they both are very preventable.

Once again, welcome. Looking forward to seeing pics as your fish grow.

 

[MikeNHouston]

Yeah I am well aware that I will need those things as they get larger that's why its taking me so long to find what I am looking for in decor for the new tank. I plan on setting up large caves that I can make smaller while they are still small and open up as they grow or let them open it up the way they want as I know they will do. I am currently filtering the 75 with a Fluval 407 and a 100 gallon HOB filter with BIO media and the normal fil;ter packs. The 125 has Dual Fluval FX4's on it so that filtration should not be an issue and I do weekly 40% water changes so nitrates stay in the 10ppm range (According to API Master test kit).

I would love to train my oscars to do that but I imagine the bell would be going off all the time with those pigs LOL.. The last Oscar I had he loved to be petted and hand fed and he also hated my ex wife he would splash her anytime she went near the tank..

 

[Andy Sager]

Sounds good. I hear ya when it comes to the petting. I had one that would cuddle into my cupped hand and another that liked to suck my thumb. :^s It was a sight to see for sure but it kinda got annoying when I was trying to clean the tank and he just wanted to play with my thumb.
As for splashing the Ex, there are gender preferred birds, dogs, cats, Monkeys, horses and pigs so why not fish too? LOL

 

[af2018]

I’ve never seen a fish dislike anyone but now I really want to! This sounds hilarious.

 

[MikeNHouston]

I can promise you that fish couldn't stand her if she was with in 3' of that aquarium he would splash her. Now keep in mind this is an 9" or 10" Oscar so there was a good bit of water coming out of the tank at her. I finally had to put a lid on the tank (to keep Marital Bliss LMAO).

 

[af2018]

Sounds like your ex lacked a sense of humor

 

[Andy Sager]

I can promise you that fish couldn't stand her if she was with in 3' of that aquarium he would splash her. Now keep in mind this is an 9" or 10" Oscar so there was a good bit of water coming out of the tank at her. I finally had to put a lid on the tank (to keep Marital Bliss LMAO).

She must have really ticked him off one day and he never let her forget it.

 

[af2018]

I was totally gonna say she was probably mean to him

 

[Airborne 82nd]

I think you trained your Oscar

 

[MikeNHouston]

She never liked the idea of fish she really didn't like the oscar but I don't think she was ever mean to him. But who knows. I trained him to do a lot of things bur that's one thing I didn't train him to do. Probably only because I didn't think of it lol ...

 

[Andy Sager]

She never liked the idea of fish she really didn't like the oscar but I don't think she was ever mean to him. But who knows. I trained him to do a lot of things bur that's one thing I didn't train him to do. Probably only because I didn't think of it lol ...

Maybe one day she passed by the tank and flipped him the "The Bird" and he responded by " flipping her the tail"