A Question about Oscars

[Papa Red]

At my LFS today they placed an Oscar on sale for around $13.00,...One
that is about six inches long, front to back,...And I was wondering if
it would be okay to place a fish this size and type in a ten gallon
tank, by itself, with a H-200 Dolphin power filter and an air pump and
stone? What would I be getting myself into with this fish? I can tell
by his scars that he's definitely a loner, and will be kept in the tank
all by himself. Thirteen bucks is a lot when one is on SSD, but this guy
seems to have an interesting personality,...sort of like an old Giant
Grouper that I used to know when I was a kid. Do you think that he
could live on crickets [Acheta domesticas] alone, or as his primary food
source,...because I've got ton of them? Thank you very much for your
help. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

[Billy]

"Papa Red" > wrote in message
...
| At my LFS today they placed an Oscar on sale for around
$13.00,...One
| that is about six inches long, front to back,...And I was wondering
if
| it would be okay to place a fish this size and type in a ten gallon
| tank, by itself, with a H-200 Dolphin power filter and an air pump
and
| stone? What would I be getting myself into with this fish? I can
tell
| by his scars that he's definitely a loner, and will be kept in the
tank
| all by himself. Thirteen bucks is a lot when one is on SSD, but
this guy
| seems to have an interesting personality,...sort of like an old
Giant
| Grouper that I used to know when I was a kid. Do you think that he
| could live on crickets [Acheta domesticas] alone, or as his primary
food
| source,...because I've got ton of them? Thank you very much for
your
| help. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.
|

I would reply with a very quick "absolutely not." Even at his current
size, 10 gallons does not give him the space he needs, and that fish
is going to grow, and rather quickly dependant on feedings. The
cramped quarters will cause stress, weakening his immune system,
opening him to illness and eventual demise. Just to make sure you
know, the old "fish won't outgrow their tank" is a cruelly misleading
twist of the truth. Consider something in the range of 35-55 US
gallons, or consider a smaller species.

billy

[bettasngoldfish]

I was under the impression that one Oscar needs at least a fifty five
gallon tank. I wish I could devote a tank that big to one fish. Maybe
some day.....

[Papa Red]

Okay,..Thanks for the advice.~Dean.