Do oscar fish like flower pots, and how old should they be till you try to pet them?

i am getting an oscar fish the day after christmas and had a few last minute questions. Do oscars lke to hide in flowerpots like some people put in there aquarium? And how do you know when an oscar fish is ready to be petted? That was one of the highs for getting this fish. Are cory catfish a good bottem feeder for a tank with one oscar? And do they like a lot of decorations and plants, or just a few?

Do oscar fish like flower pots, and how old should they be till you try to pet them?
Oscars will want to grow an inch per month if they are healthy and getting the right food. I hope you have an appropriate sized tank for your fish. One adult oscar should be housed in no less than a 55 gallon tank. An oscar will become an adult in 12-14 months at an inch a month.





Unless you get them together, an adult will not tolerate the addition of another oscar in the same tank. Best results are obtained by buying 6 small oscars and raising them together.





They are carnivores and need a high protein (45% minimum) diet. Do not start feeding them feeder fish. There are a lot of parasites and diseases that can come into your tank with the feeder fish. I had five at one time in a 125 gallon tank and taught them to eat a good high quality dog food pellet. They would come to the surface and actually take the pellets out of my fingers.





They are dirty fish and need a very good high volume filter and a good heater that will maintain the water at around 74-78 degrees.





They will continually rearrange whatever decorations you put in the tank, so be sure to use plastic plants so they will not get torn up.





Corys are not good tank mates for oscars, they are small and will eventually get eaten. Get yourself a plecostomus that will grow up with the oscar. They are armored and will get quite large so the oscar cannot eat them.





Do not be distressed if you see your oscar laying on its side, that is something that oscars do frequently. It is normal.





Don't forget to do your regular weekly partial (30-40%) water changes to keep him in good health and the water clear and free of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Get a good test kit and test your water every week or so for those three toxins.





Feel free to email me if you have more questions. Be sure to enter your email address two times in the "answers" site so it will be confirmed and you can receive emails back.
Reply:Since you have chosen to not allow people to contact you, I cannot answer your email.





You must confirm your address in the profile for yahoo answers so you can be contacted. That means you must enter it twice. Report It

Reply:There is nothing wrong with petting a fish as long as your hands are wet so you don't hurt their slim coat. I used to have a dwarf gourami that let me pet him, it was very funny. But even more funny is my guppy that lets me pet her. If you want to pet your oscar, start it at a very voung age so he can get used to you, and by the time he gets older he will come right up to you. Oscars do like flowerpots to hide in, just make sure you get some pretty darn big ones because oscars grow to 15 inches and sometimes bigger
Reply:From http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/o...





""Oscar behavior in the aquarium is fascinating to watch. As mentioned previously, Oscars are considered to be the most "pet-like" of fish. Oscars enjoy digging up gravel and moving small rocks to pass the time. Other activities they enjoy are chasing a bobbing ping-pong ball and playing tug-o-war with a piece of colored hose. Aside from their playful nature, Oscars are extremely territorial, particularly when they are ready to breed. When breeding, they will not tolerate other fish in the same area. In a four foot tank, this means that all other fish need to be removed, or the Oscars may fight with the others until a death occurs. Other than at breeding time, Oscars will generally tolerate other large fish. My Oscar's tankmates have included Green Terrors, Jack Dempseys, and Plecostomus. All of these have been tolerated, other than at breeding time. Surprisingly enough, despite their aggressive nature, Oscars seem to enjoy their owners petting them!""








This from my own experience - make sure it is a plain terra - cotta pot - no paint or glaze on it, and make sure you fill it a little with the gravel so the fish are unable to move it around. I've had one break when it was hit into the tank glass.
Reply:do NOT pet them. bare hands are very bad. I hope this is just a joke. you don't realy mean to pet fish do you...please say no.
Reply:Fish Don't Like to be PET!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they like salt water aquariums.