This is important info for any newcomer! Just to add a little, call your water supply company and ask if they treat with chlorine or chloramines, there’s a difference in how you treat them
150 GALLON STOCKING?
- Thread starter greaf3466
- Start date
Welcome to the community! I always liked the colors on Geophagus and Severums, they created a peaceful and colorful tank when I had them together, maybe some smaller loaches since they grow slow but they can be a bit nippy I’ve found and need good hiding places, possibly a type of eel but look for smaller species, then you have smaller polypterus species but that’s getting into the predatory side. Good luck with your choices and happy fish keeping!
Oscar’s on average only get to 10-12 inches, very rarely surpassing past 14 inches
Oscars can get to 18 inches under the right conditions. 15 and 16 is not unheard of.
You're both technically right.
The largest Oscar on record is 18". So technically "Oscars can get to 18 inches under the right conditions." Though that's 1 in a million genetics and in absolutely perfect conditions. The one 18" Oscar was caught in the Florida Everglades.
While "15 and 16 is not unheard of"... "very rarely surpassing past 14 inches" is also true.
And "Oscar’s on average only get to 10-12 inches" is also true, though Id add, Oscar’s 'in home aquariums' on average only get to 10-1213 inches.
The tallest person in history was 8'11". But I don't think its practical for every parent to prepare for their child to reach 8'11". I think it makes a lot more sense to prepare for the top end of what's typical, then adapt for the outlying situation.
The largest Oscar on record is 18". So technically "Oscars can get to 18 inches under the right conditions." Though that's 1 in a million genetics and in absolutely perfect conditions. The one 18" Oscar was caught in the Florida Everglades.
While "15 and 16 is not unheard of"... "very rarely surpassing past 14 inches" is also true.
And "Oscar’s on average only get to 10-12 inches" is also true, though Id add, Oscar’s 'in home aquariums' on average only get to 10-
The tallest person in history was 8'11". But I don't think its practical for every parent to prepare for their child to reach 8'11". I think it makes a lot more sense to prepare for the top end of what's typical, then adapt for the outlying situation.
Not to start a big debate on this but there's a member here who is a distributor that stated he's gotten wild caught O's at 16 inches all the time. Big fish are older and harder to catch in the wild. They survive that long by avoiding capture.
It's like lobsters. Most people don't know they're a yard long but you won't catch those much...only the 1-2lb ones commonly seen.
O's in public aquariums are huge also. My own Oscar I lost last March to liver failure/tumor was 15" and pushing 4lbs. It's well documented on this site. And he was still growing. Raised in a 225. Sure some will top out at 12" but that's hardly standard size. It's only standard if they're raised in a 75 gallon with other fish. They can and will get bigger than that unless they're dna keeps them smaller. But a lot of that is care/husbandry too. Another member here had a 14 inch Oscar too.
Having worked in a building with a public aquarium I can honestly say there were Oscar behemoths in the 17-18 inch range. Huge bulldog type heads, thick jaws and faded in color.
