True, hadn't considered all these factors. The LFS where I got Brick turns over their inventory each month. They get a lot of wild caught fish.
How to "age" an Oscar?
- Thread starter FINWIN
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True, hadn't considered all these factors. The LFS where I got Brick turns over their inventory each month. They get a lot of wild caught fish.
I bought a 2” tiger oscar in sept of 2018, grew him out to about 5 inches in a 40 gal breeder and now hes in my 120. Id say its no more then 7-8” now. Id say the only definite thing about oscars is they grow fast lol how fast is the only variable.
So that would put Brick around 9-10 months ideally. The large tank he is in with the huge w/c's each week definitely aided his mad growth...in the 225 he's gone from 2 to 11 inches currently. Until this past month he grew at a 2-2.5" inch per month clip.
Right now once a day. When he was 2" - 4" inches I fed him 6 small meals a day. At 5" - 7" inches 4 times a day. At 8" - 10" inches twice a day. Now it varies between once and twice a day, it depends on how much he eats at a time. Currently he's only eating mealworms and refusing pellets so I soak them in Boyds. He was eating tilapia / krill and now refuses that as well. Once the mealworms run out he's going on a crash diet back to pellets. He's gone through half a bag of mealworms in two weeks.
I ask because mine have slowed down a bit. Probably about a month older than yours. Now about 7"(4 oscars). Maybe due to smaller tank.
Moving to larger in a week or two. Will see what happens. Not really wanting them to get real big real fast. More interested in their health/ appearance and compatibility/ personality. I have always just fed once a day. Very infrequently more than that. They get lots of vitamins.
Interesting that in same tank pbass is growing like a weed.
My whole approach was to base it off of energy / growth need, so I tailored the feeding schedule towards size. As Brick grew I reduced feedings even though he still wanted more. Even when I reduced feeding he was still growing at the same rate, 2 - 2.5" inches. However the last month he only gained 1 inch in length but is thickening up...he's now over 2 inches wide and 5 inches body height. W/C schedule for the 225 was 50% twice per week. At the time he only shared the tank with one other fish, my BP Boss. He would 'burst' in growth after water changes the most.
I experience the same thing. Bursts after water changes. I am doing 2 major changes a week.
Just not bursting at your rate. Also I am not porking them up as I used to. Man their turds are big enough already!
I have read in the forums about feeding fish multiple times to increase growth. I think Brick is getting to the beefy thickening stage from what I have read.
Yes, he's starting to thicken. Off and on there's a no feed day. The thing is, I think it's just his genetics, tank size, and water changes. He doesn't even make the massive mounds of turds like he used to (it maxed out when he was around 8"). I know I wasn't crazy about vaccuming his miles and piles of poop! I've turned the powerheads to the surface where the flow meets the hob overflow and everything is hurled into the filters...so I don't even see turds now, (just filthy filters, lol).
I remember discussing Brick's growth in an earlier thread and some of the members chimed in that a lot could be contributed to water changes, tank size and the fact he was only with one other fish. Basically the 225 got turned over every week. There's recent pics in the "Tank Pics thread" showing how he looks now. I never power fed him at all really. He never got fat, always explored the whole tank and burned it off. An extremely active Oscar, even now. But since young O's need the most energy and protein I let that guide me, then eased back as he got bigger. But no amount of food affected his growth rate at all! It was the same rate until last month when I knew he'd have to slow down horizontally, and he did. Unless I see a definite 'burst' again I probably won't measure him again until he hits a foot. I had speculated he might have wild strain but I don't know for sure. The lfs store I go to gets wild baby Os and turns the inventory over each month.
