shunnedniki
New Member
9 1/4 inches Red Tiger Oscar [Ossie] and the Goldfish Trio
Posts: 2
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Post by shunnedniki on Apr 30, 2015 17:51:56 GMT -5
I am Niki. I'm 27. I'm profoundly deaf in left ear and severely deaf in right ear. And the unique thing is I wear normal hearing aids and successfully function and communicate with very little trouble in the "regular world" I grew up in the hearing culture, basically mainstreamed in kindergarten and so on. Anyways, I brought home a 4 inch Red Tiger Oscar October 13, 2014. Basically saved him because my friend was huffing duster and changing tank water and left him in a 5 gallon bucket with nothing but water. I incessantly told him to hurry but nothing... just passed out. Well I brought him home in a 1 gallon pitcher. I was so.... UNAWARE OF A SINGLE THING. I think my brain did a "Pearl Harbor" type of bombing because this was an overload to my mind and.... i do not take failure as an option. And i need to prove to my father how crucial the tank size is for him. He is nearly 10 inches. AND. He.... blew.... my.... mind.... i seriously thought I was going crazy. But he interacts and communicates in his own fish way. Like WOW. and i have exhausted my brains out and would just like a small list of what would be best and recommended for him because I cannot make up my mind and my father would be more agreeable if it was a list directly from someone like you. Because i have killed the biological cycle again. And have been on top of everything and just want to upgrade and never have to upgrade again if that is even remotely possible. And I've stayed up nights in a row just talking to him and comforting him and I know this is cruel but I'm waiting on my check to just get everything and i mean every fricking thing. I just have to prove to my father how necessary and it can just be a list of mechanical and all. And odd thing, why the heck is he obsessed with bubbles? He literally has to have more than one or he throws a fricking fit! I'd think a 38 is way too small, right? I am just losing my mind and just need someone who actually knows his stuff. (Btw Carl, wondershells are.... one of the holy grails of aquarium keeping, I'm going to start buying from you) I also have 3 goldfish and.... oddly enough, one looks like Hitler. Strange.
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Post by Carl on Apr 30, 2015 18:58:49 GMT -5
Welcome to Everything Aquatic Niki!! I hope you enjoy our information and it is helpful for your Red Tiger Oscar Carl
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Post by devonjohnsgard on May 1, 2015 9:37:40 GMT -5
Hi there! Welcome to the group! What all do you have right now? Filtration is a start. It won't be to hard to get something set up for him. Thanks for letting us know more about you! I'm 27 too and employed at AAP.
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Post by angelminx on May 1, 2015 18:08:01 GMT -5
Welcome, Niki!!! I joined the group last year, and have learned so much! As Devon said, if you could give us a list of what you already have, it would help. I used to have an Oscar, too (she died a few years ago). I got her when she was just a baby, and I kept her in a 30 gallon tank, however a 55 gallon is much better (mine was already occupied). A canister filter is a good choice (mine is a Filstar XP2), and you should have a 2nd filter as well. I didn't have the canister filter at the time, but used a Whisper power filter rated for 60 gallons. Carl has a good article on filtration and types of filters. You want to be sure your filter(s) will be able to handle the biological load your fish will put out. Also, be sure to get some Seachem Stability to help with the cycling process since you already have the fish, and some Seachem Prime as well. A word of warning: Oscars can be destructive to equipment! My girl liked to bang the heater against the side of the tank (look for a titanium one, Carl has them), and/or be sure to find a way to protect it. I think what irritated her most about it was the red light coming on when it was in heating mode (she also "liked" to chase a laser light around when I would shine one into the tank). I also had to replace the intake tube(s) on my power filter quite a bit since she liked to tug on it and so it was always cracking where the pieces fit together. Again, look for Carl's suggestions (see his articles on the American Aquarium Products site)--I didn't have them at the time. They love to "play", too. A ping pong ball floating in the water is good. As well, since they like to rearrange things I gave her a couple of plastic plants that she could drag around. I used a shallow substrate (about an inch deep) because they are diggers and are always taking up a mouth-full of gravel and spitting it out into mounds, leaving "holes" in their tank. I also gave her a small rock, ~ an inch and a half in diameter, that she liked to pick up and spit out into different places at times. Sometimes, including in the middle of the night, I could hear her spitting it against the side of the tank. If you keep it small enough there should be no tank damage (if you use rocks as decor, be sure they are large so they can't be moved about). An acrylic tank is less likely to get broken, is much lighter in weight, and can be modified, but they are easily scratched, so if you get one for an Oscar, be sure anything used in it does not have sharp edges. Good luck with your new Oscar! Angelminx
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