# getting a red tiger oscar



## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

So I'm gonna be getting a red tiger oscar for my 70 gallon tank....

I know they get hole in the head, I'm wondering is there something to get that will help prevent it ?

Also I know some of ya's put ping pong balls in, do ya put a hole in it for it to sink ? Or just let it float ???

Are live plants ok with these guys or how do ya anchor plants down as I know they dig lol... I hope to get a bubble wall in the tank as well, not exactly sure if it'll be enough have to check local spots for air pump... Either get single 12", or 2-12" or something along that line....

Any help would be apprciated


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## Mbunaaddict (Oct 28, 2010)

Your oscar will not get hole in the head if you keep up with normal WC, have sufficient filtration, and feed a healthy diet.

I have not tried a ping pong ball yet but if i were i would poke a small hole and fill partially with water. This way it would still have some boyancy.

Having plants in the tank really depends on whether or not your oscar wants them there. Mine is 8 months old and doesn't seem to mind them. Others will pull them up everytime you plant them.


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## hauntingurcoma (Dec 19, 2011)

I had a 14 incher that would tear the plants apart...real or fake..all depends on the individual.I used ping pong balls..I floated them and sunk some of them and he used them either way.Water changes,good filter and a good diet will prevent hith. My big guy loved kix cereal for being a good boy!! lol


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

Hmmmm, I'll have to grab some ping pong balls for when I get one  and some rocks

We have like 15mollies and they eat everything !! I tossed in a couple algea disks for my chinese algea eaters and the mollies went crazy over it... I think if I feed the oscar pellets the mollies might try to eat em... Do the pellets usually float or soak ?


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## Catfish Dan (Apr 12, 2011)

What are the dimensions of your tank? A bare minimum for an Oscar, alone, is 55 gallons. These guys grow FAST and are very messy fish! I'd recommend water changes twice a week with a thorough vacuuming of the substrate each time. This will decrease the chances of illness getting a hold of your Oscar. They're accustomed to pristine water conditions in the wild. Check your chemistry regularly with an API (or similar) test kit, not the paper strips available at many box stores. Especially keep an eye on nitrates, which accumulate fast with Oscars.

You also mentioned Mollies- are there other tankmates? Oscars will eat anything they can fit in their mouth, and choosing appropriate tankmates can be tricky. They're not so much aggressive as, "Oh, hey, Mollie buddy, watcha doing?...Oops! You slipped into my mouth, omnomnom". If you are planning on housing Mollies or other smaller fish with your Oscar consider them feeder fish. And by smaller I mean less than 6 inches :wink:

If you do go the Oscar route they make amazing pets. Just be sure to read up on them and give them the home they deserve! Here's a good starting point.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=120976


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

Tank denminsions are 48long, 19high and 18 wide..... And yes I know that 55 is MIN .... I read through the oscar's 101 a couple times now....

Ony fish in the tank at the moment are the mollies, 2 small apple snails, one algea eater think pleco ?? Dunno.... And 3 chinese algea eaters.....and yes I have API test tube kits for everything except the nitrate LFS has some on order wed next week


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