More tank pics, updated
- Thread starter FINWIN
- Start date
Thanks for the comments, all. Was checking out this Steeler/Bengals blowout.At the fish store, they had an adult Oscar that reminded me of your Brick. He was thick and bulky and definitely had the physical appearance. Didn't have the length, though.
Just wanted to mention it
Funny thing, because Brick is so thick and has a big head he doesn't look 15 inches long until you put the ruler up. He almost looks 13 until you actually measure. And as I said elsewhere my hands from wrist to index finger is 8 inches, and he's almost twice that. I used an old ruler I got from work...its an oddball that's 15 inches and he went tip to tip.
At the LFS I got Brick from they had a donated Tiger Oscar that was at least 14 inches and probably more. The fish was gorgeous, massive and obviously well kept. Black with wide orange markings. They had it in a tank with two large devils. The three fish floated suspended in their corners with nobody moving. Price on the O was $45 dollars and it sold a day later. It was then I saw the true potential of oscars up close.
Brick's additional body width was kind of startling because I thought he had swelling on his sides. Not true! It was an illusion of his scale colors and the fact he's gotten even thicker...his head's been the same width for nearly two years but his body tapered. Now when you see him from above he tapers more towards the back near his tail.
I have enough pictures to show his transitions as he aged. You'll see the changes in his head as well.
No pictures in this part, so let's get to it.
Book 1
Brick. (aka The King aka Dinner for 2)
PRELUDE
1. How it all began.
In 2018 I started lurking at MFK. I had surfed the web for fish sites because I had been out of the hobby awhile and wanted a large tank with different species then what I kept in the past. Plus I wanted to refresh my knowledge for updates. So I bounced around to Oscarfishlovers.com and Parrotcichlids.com and various message board sites and got fascinated. I knew absolutely NOTHING about cichlids. But the challenge of having big fish was exciting. So I'm like,' cichlids huh?' Did even more research and read a few excerpts on how scientists were fascinated and did many studies of the 2,000 or so species. Their intelligence, social structure and breeding rituals. I got even more interested. So I found MFK and literally read 90 percent of the threads for weeks like a junkie. Weeded out the stupid and hormonal stuff and focused on the good threads. A wealth of information I soaked up. I was more determined than ever to try cichlids. Little did I know!
2. Preparation
I wasn't kidding myself. I knew it would be expensive getting back into the hobby after a layoff. Main thing would be the cost of the tank I wanted. I could work around the filtration and deco as far as price and build some of my own. I went to Joey's site (King of DIY) for some inspiration for inexpensive but effective filtration for big fish. Then came the drag of saving up money, about 7 months. Ended up going with Custom Aquariums. Once I got the tank (225) I couldn't wait to fill it with water! I also needed some idea of how long the drain/fill would take. The next drag was waiting 8 weeks for the tank to cycle. I felt like a mad scientist in a lab, checking and testing every three days.Writing notes like a chem major.I would stare at the tank and imagine my new fish inside!
3. Choices
Ok, next step. What fish? Oscars!! Hadda have one. Or two. Three? Blood parrots too! Maybe a catfish or something else? Muh brain was spinning. Kuhli Loaches? Goldfish? What? Then I decided..Oscar a must. Tank not enough for a giraffe cat, so...nixed that. A chocolate? Severum? Okay. Weather loach? Ugh, cold water. Wouldn't work. Considered a red devil pleco but not at $350 bucks a pop. Wanted a blue and green phantom pleco but they were scarce at the time.
4. The Tank
Considering the largest tank I ever had was a 55 long the 225 seemed gigantic. I went with tempered glass on the sides which reduced wall thickness to 1/2". Regular glass would have been 3/4". By doing this I gained back several gallons on the same footprint. Eight weeks to cycle. I could have gone to 7ft but it would have been close regarding access space on the sides because the fish room has a funky triangular shape. Glass is starfire clear on the front and sides, regular on the base and back. Printed forest background on back. Custom Aquariums will even make a special background if you supply a photo. Four men struggled to lift it even with suction cups. Batfish Aquatics, a local distributor did the install. I took over from there. 90% drain time, 1 hour with pond pump. Fill time, 1:30 to 1:50 depending on adjusted water pressure for temps. Since the pipes are warmer in the summer, fills are a bit faster. 2 Jaeger 300 watt heaters, two powerheads. Each powerhead connected to two jumbo sponge filters each rated for 125 gallons. 85lbs.Hawaiian blue floral sand from Sandtastik, a Canadian company. Booya. Top frame is marine grade steel. I can barely get the aquaclear 110s on each frame section. Tank approx. 462lbs.dry weight. 72"L x 30"H x 24"W. if you want a glass aquarium built like a tank, Custom Aquariums gets my highest recommendation.
5. Bad choices
Got a beautiful sun catfish (11") and a goldspot pleco (4") hoping they'd be good tankmates. Didn't work. The sun catfish died in three days. Gold spot rolled over the day after. Got another goldspot. Rolled over. A third. This one died while stuck on the glass...touched him and he fell back like a stiff. The owner of Beltway Aquariums and I got into a shouting match about the returns as he was lecturing me about water testing. Let me be clear, this guy is a first class @hole but he sells great fish...they specialize in Central/South American and exotics and have been in business since the 70s. Those type of stores are unicorns in my area unless you go online. The wife is nice and deals with the public. Employees openly talk about the owner on the floor and the @ss sits in the back eating lunch. Sometimes they even have full sized Pacu in the front display. Somebody donated a dozen huge clown loaches, all at a foot. They were gone 2 weeks later. As long as you know who (and what) you're dealing with you get great fish. I wasn't looking to be his friend so I didn't give a rats @ss about his attitude...I was there for the fish. I called him a stupid fat f+++er and he calmed down. The employees were laughing. After that we had a sane conversation.
Turns out the cat and pleco were wild and from really soft water...oddly enough the tank of approximately 100+ gold spots they had all 'disappeared' in less than a month. So either they had one helluva run on Goldspots or something funky went on.
THE CHOICE
Once I knew I was getting oscars, I wanted contrast in color. I debated some combination of tiger/red/albino. So I waited until I got to the FS to look everything over. They had oscars! A whole tank of babies, very uniform at 2" in length. However some were long and bullet shaped, some thicker and 'high back'. About 40 or so all scrambling to the front when I stood in front of the tank. How to choose?
After a few minutes my eyes fell on this gorgeous black tiger with bold orange stripes. It was hard to focus too much because the babies kept squirming everywhere. I got called away to check out the parrot tank. When I came back I lost sight of the tiger. And then a tiny, pushy red O squeezed between his siblings and waggled like crazy. He was adorable with a sooty black head (like he got stuck in a fireplace) red body and black fins. I had to have that one then. I also picked an albino who was near the back. Brick and the Tiger were among 30% or so of the 'big' babies. To this day I believe Brick picked me, not the other way around.
1. Settling In
Transport home no issues...had them in a cold pack container back to DC, about 50 minutes in traffic on a Saturday. I named the red one Brick and the albino Ice.When I placed them in the tank they both dropped to the bottom like little fish weights, lol. After a few hours they were swimming around and exploring.
I purchased three 'teenage' parrots. Boss, Kong and Patch. There was a giant version of Patch at the store, a huge pink female the size of a grapefruit. But she was a bit floaty and I didn't want issues. May have been Patch's mom. The store owner's wife asked if I was sure I wanted to mix baby Os with those parrots but I was confident and told her 'no problem' because I had a big tank. She repeated the parrots would be too much for the baby o's. I said it could work...she kind of looked at me like "you'll find out." And did I ever.
After about a week the parrots were settling on a pecking order. They were wild and full of energy. Brick and Ice roughhoused with the parrots at first but they were too big and started banging the o's around. Ice started to hide and withdraw. Brick kept right on playing and fighting.
Something was off with Ice. He started hiding in the plants. I was worried but had no place to put him. Then he started sitting on the bottom. The next morning Brick was literally covered in Ick like I rolled him in salt. But the crazy thing kept right on going like nothing...no clamped fins, still ate and raced around the tank. It was then I knew I had something special on my hands.
Ice wasn't so lucky and died the same day. Being an albino it was difficult for me to see his (probable) ick. It was clear the parrots were carriers and unaffected. The baby oscars got too excited/stressed which likely triggered it. I felt really bad for not listening to the lady's advice. Off and on I wondered what Ice would've looked like as an adult. But he was gone so quick there was no time to bond. I treated the tank with Ick-X for three weeks. I had to separate the parrots after that but I'll cover that later in the "Boss" entry.
LEARNING ABOUT OCELLATUS
1.Surprises
Reading about Oscars is one thing: living with one close up is different. I wasn't sure if some of the info about their intelligence and moods was overblown or not. My eyes were opened quickly. The eating and pooping was also a shock. As a juvie, Brick would spook and a cloud of poop would pop out! And he ate like no tomorrow but burned it off with high activity like a little furnace. When I started pulling out the parrots Brick showed early he was capable of 'revenge' or 'get back' if you will. BP Kong beat on him terribly and nonstop. Brick would try to fight back but was too small and light. Despite this Brick wouldn't back down. I hadn't bargained for this because I never had cichlids before. I always had quiet and peaceful tanks, not all these strong personalities and wild aggression. So as I was lifting Kong out in the net Brick shot out of the water and bit her through the mesh on her side! I was so startled I almost dropped Kong on the floor. I checked the parrot after I moved her and she had a couple of loose scales. Brick calmed down after that. Many examples of his intelligence, far too many to itemize.
2. Problem solving
Brick will barricade fish in that he finds annoying, even if he has to rearrange the whole tank to do it. Plants. rocks, deco, whatever. All Access points to his area are contained and closed off.
Brick will intimidate (mouth open) and crowd fish in corners or hover over them.They often panic and scamper away. Sometimes he'll block an exit with his body or stares at an entrance point,daring fish to come out.
Somettimes turns and angles the powerheads in different directions.
Carefully sifts out foods he doesn't want while eating.
3. Just being an Oscar
Will take bubble baths by sitting in an air stone stream.
Rips up specific plants, leaves others alone.
Will stubbornly place items in the tank where he wants them no matter how many times I re-arrange. (This is a game).
Will be picky about food then suddenly eat any food.
Will throw tantrums.
Will sulk.
Used to pull filter pads out as a game.
Used to pull heaters off suction cups leaving them dangling.
I get puffed at if the food is late, along with body shakes.
I get puffed at if he doesn't like changes I make in the tank.
Will lay on the floor like "I'm done" during water changes.
Likes occasional pats and tickles.
Plays basketball every day and makes a game of shooting his ball across the room. I often find it on the floor, under another tank stand or in the windowsill.
Will do loop de loops after water changes.
Once in a while will stand on his head.
Recognizes me no matter my appearance or clothing.
Likes certain family members and not others.
Waits for me to leave before he eats most of the time, especially since he's matured.
Only rearranges the tank after I leave when I make changes.
Got his head stuck in a log going after a tankmate.
Impossible to sneak up on with those booble eyes...field of vision is nearly 180 front to back. If I approach the fishroom with his tail facing me he immediately turns around, even at a good distance.
Incredibly curious about everything. If I work on the lids cleaning algae he comes up top and taps my arm. I can't do anything without sir nosey getting in the way.
Gets bored sleeping in the same area all the time and will randomly dig a new pit. This displaces other fish.
Prefers the side of the tank near the door facing the hall so he can see the rec room.
Typical bull in a China shop. Off and on he'll get scrapes and have missing scales.
Gives eye contact and goes up top to his ball when he wants to play
4. Triggers
Open challenges from other fish.
Being crowded.
Any changes in his tank.
5. Temperament
As long as he isn't triggered, Brick is pretty tolerant, much more so now than when he was younger. Neither overly aggressive nor a pushover. Generally ignores new fish when added. Ignores petty squabbles among the other fish but will end it when he's had enough. The parrot generally polices the tank.
6. The Dark Side
Brick has one clean kill and one stress/injury kill. The clean kill was my syno catfish Rex. Rex had a popped out eye, broken spine and shredded skin. His tail was missing as well. My aggressive green severum Chip also paid the price for pissing off the Oscar. Brick bit his head. The severum was a wreck after that and died from stress and other infections from the injury. Chip stood on his head 24/7 and refused to swim or eat even in a hospital tank. All this happened when Brick was one year of age. He also stressed my chocolate cichlid Bobo to constant illness. Bobo was removed but eventually succumbed to constant health issues.
7. Major Scares
With any living thing in your care there will periodically be crazy issues.
2020. Ran head on into the glass and knocked himself out as a juvie.
2021. Swallowed a metal hook on Christmas day. Hucked it up, no damage.
2021. Dislocated his jaw sideways after banging into the glass. When I tried to catch him he swam away so fast he banged his jaw again, knocking it back into place. True story.
2023. Had a 5lb glass canopy section fall on him during a water change and the glass broke. He had just a couple of head nicks that healed quickly.
8. So what is he?
Most anything and everything.
playful
intelligent
interactive
unpredictable
complex
stubborn
aggravating
goofy
lazy
curious
ridiculous
tolerant
annoying
strong
killer
moody
willfull
attentive
observant
bonding
entertaining
In other words, 100% Oscar.
TIMELINE
The Baby. Salad Days
2"-5"
1/2 - 1 inch at the head
w/c schedule 20% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 6-7 meals a day
playful, wild energy, eating machine.
slept behind his favorite big bush
color morph: Dark red with black 'sooty' head, black fins
The Teenager. Foo Fighter
6"-9"
1- ~2 inches at the head
w/c schedule 50% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 4 meals a day
hormonal aggression, poop factory, finger biter, excitable. Had so much poop he created brown algae blooms. Jumped for food. Spooked at nothing, ran into glass
started calming method of pats and tickles
color morph: Orange-red with black spots, bright orange eyes. Metallic/copper color like a new penny.
The Boss. Violent Ruler
10"-12"
2 - ~3 inches at the head
w/c schedule 75% per week. Filter cleanings 2x per week.
feeding schedule 2 meals per day
Unpredictable aggression but more controlled than teen phase.
Enjoyed pats and tickles. Started to play with basketball at 11 inches.
growth stalled at 11 inches for a time.
12 inches at one year.
Glass surfer
Stopped eating pellets suddenly and switched to insects.
Intolerant of new tankmates
tank wrecker
color morph: all black pigment disappears. Phases to tomato orange then super red with white tipped fins.
Killed or stressed to illness some tankmates during this time.
Developed a likeness for caves but was too big to fit
d. The King. Maturity 13"-15" (current)
w/c schedule 90-95% per week. Filter cleanings 3x-4x per week.
feeding schedule 1 meal per day, skip one day
3.5" at the head. .
current dimensions 3 1/2"W x 6 3/4"H x 15"L
Doesn't spend excess energy
Gets clumsy scratches at times
Spends hours lazing in his pit
Overall much calmer and "boss". He knows he's the biggest fish in the tank.
Makes sand cyclones with his tail blowing the tank bottom bare.
Can move 4lb boulders or knock over any heavy decor. Plows plants to make a path. Rips stems of plants out of the bases.
color morph: diffuse black pigment over head and body. Had coarse 'peppered' black pattern over brick red. Currently Brick is a combination of his baby colors and super red phase. Head is dark, body deep red with irregular white/black/orange scales. Fins smoky black. Eyes have metallic orange lids.
Book 2
Boss. (aka the Sumo aka 007)
1. Enemies and adversaries
It didn't start off well with these two. After separating the parrots due to aggression Brick and Boss became the lone occupants of the 225. Bad rookie mistake on my part, not realizing the 'terrible two' rule of cichlids. Early on Boss harassed Brick nonstop and gave him no peace. But I knew the dynamic would change as Brick got bigger, and it did. Boss went from offensive to defensive fighting once Brick got to 6 inches. Also the Oscar was going into his hormonal phase where he sought the parrot out and instigated fights. Boss prefered to stay on his side at that point but was still game. I had a terra cotta pot he loved to stay in. Plants and vines were added to create separation and division. It still didn't work...the 225 wasn't big enough for the both of them. I had some marimo balls scattered around. Boss would put them around his pot like a door.
Brick would cross the plant partition line dividing the tank and look for trouble. He found it. Despite his rapidly increasing size he still struggled against Boss. The parrot was remarkably strong and muscled the young Oscar around. During one fight Boss even forced Brick backwards into his pot! It wasn't until Brick got to 11 inches the parrot could no longer lip lock or tackle him head on. So Boss switched to ramming and head butts. It was remarkable the parrot held his ground for that long. On the rare occasions the two fight now, this tactic is still extremely effective against Brick. He's the only fish I have that never feared or ran from the Oscar. The other was my late parrot Patch whose ludicrous aggression would make red devils and buttifokeri proud.
Ironically Boss himself was an abused parrot...Patch and Kong beat on him constantly. He was the smallest and least aggressive. I'd find him pale with a white belly and most of the time he was literally running for his life. He would lay sideways when the other parrots approached to seem like a non threat and it didn't work. Patch went after Brick as well, tearing off scales (she had teeth). I'd had enough and removed the females asap to their own tanks. I went out one evening and got some 10 gallon tanks as an emergency and changed the water out every day. Boss was named as a reverse joke because he was bullied and harassed...like fat people being called "Tiny." But over time as Boss grew he became more like his name. In about a years time he turned into a lip ripper. Now he's morphed into a cop and enforcer.
So back to when Brick was a baby. I wanted to see if I could put Kong back in the 225 after a few months. I was trying to avoid the "Multiple Tank Syndrome". Brick was much larger by that time (8 inches) so I figured he could hold his own. My education on cichlids continued.
Kong swam violently around the 225 in attack mode like she never left. Went straight after poor Boss, who once again ran for his life. Then she took over Boss's pot. Brick remembered her as well from previous beatings and went after Kong...the round robin of fighting was getting crazy. Brick was a match for Kong at this point but I'd seen enough. She was out of the main tank permanently. Putting Patch in was out of the question...she had taken over the 225 before and beat the crap out of everybody, then beat the crap out of Kong who beat the crap out of Brick and Boss. Went downstairs one morning and Patch had Kong cowering in a corner. Patch gave Kong a sliced snout and crooked mouth...just sheared her with teeth. It took 4 months for Kong's mouth to heal to a normal state. I honestly thought her face would be permanently messed up but the healing factor of these fish is remarkable. Patch was the apex aggressor. What started off as excitement over these fish for me turned to hassle and stress.
At about the year mark the relationship with Brick and Boss shifted to 'frenemies.' I don't really know what the catalyst was. Brick was moving out of teen mode into young adult mode. Likely a combination of that and the fact Boss was a little older (he was a sub adult when Brick was a baby) they were both maturing. At times they would squabble and separate. Boss would lose a scale on his sides, Brick on his head. By this time there were other tank mates. They started a cooperative effort to keep tank order. More and more time spent together on common goals: patrolling the tank and redecorating. In the next few months Brick was protective of the parrot, even flopping down next to him to sleep. (Not that Boss needed any protecting). Boss would clean the sand in Brick's favorite spots. The parrot would get his space at times then stay around the Oscar. Boss is probably the most independent fish I have, too 'cool for school'. With the exception of Brick, Boss has never gotten along with any SA. All of the CA I've had he's good with overall. Interesting, and I have no explanation.
When Brick started to get close Boss accepted the attention. Then the parrot reciprocated by watching over Brick when he rested. Their personalities offset well. Brick is an extrovert, Boss an introvert. When Brick got agitated or excited Boss would hover near. One of the funniest things that would happen is Brick would start spinning causing a waterspout. Boss would ride the wave in circles until the oscar tired himself out! Funny asf...doesn't happen much now. I dubbed Boss the sumo parrot because of his fighting style and shape. He was also nicknamed "007" because he loves to peep and spy from plant cover.
It's true parrots get more aggressivve and territorial as they age and Boss is no exception. While he'll never be my most aggressive parrot he's nothing like the little pushover that got bullied. He's somewhat of an enigma because he's the only fish who is utterly fearless when Brick goes into tantrum/rage mode. He doesn't run from Brick at all, even stands his ground at a full head on charge. Every other fish I've had with the Oscar panics and runs. Even when Brick shows him the "maw" the parrot won't budge. Brick might nudge him aside and Boss moves right back. The only fish that somewhat intimidates Boss is the hive queen hrp Pip. So go figure. They go back and forth rarely but Boss gives her space. But he bangs around her huge sons...makes no sense. Cichlids are weird.
Boss is what I call a tactical fighter. He fights when he wants to and isn't randomly aggressive. But he's also a quick learner and doesn't make the same mistake twice. Any fish that starts a fight should be prepared to fight every day. An example of this was when he and the syno Rex would fight constantly.The catfish was faster and would strike Boss with his barbells. Boss couldn't match the speed and got stabbed in the side. The parrot got pissy. He had a small scar for about 2 months. Then I saw something remarkable. Boss changed tactics (like he did with Brick). Instead of trying to 'speed fight' the syno he used muscle. I went downstairs one day and saw the parrot literally jack hammering the syno head first into the sand, driving him like a divot. He gave Rex no chance of spinning or stabbing. By the time I grabbed a net to break it up the syno was drifting on his side over the sand. Boss wouldn't quit so I netted him for a timeout. Fortunately Rex was just knocked silly. Amazingly after that the two got along and would share a log!
Unfortunately Rex was later killed by Brick. He was my best looking syno too a with large spot pattern and really friendly. Had the most personality of all my synos too. He annoyed the Oscar by whiskering his sides during water changes. I actually captured a pic showing Brick trying to bite Rex...the syno barely escaped. Some time later there was an emergency (tank stand failure) of the 225. I temporarily put all the fish in a bathtub until I could get totes. The next day I found a bloody and broken Rex with missing skin. He was destroyed so badly I didn't take pictures. It was the first time I was truly angry at Brick despite knowng he just did what Oscars will do.
Now they're like an old married couple.
Boss is unique in that he can be a part of tank chaos but not be affected by it. He's the most unflappable fish I've ever had outside of koi. Nothing much bothers him. Noise, motion, lights...nothing. He observes all activity, both inside and outside the tank. And he just stares...this is what drew me to buy him. He was in a tank with other parrots and a stressed out jack Dempsey who kept whirling in circles like he had brain worm. The parrots were all wild and bouncing around. When I approached the tank Boss just drifted up front and center and stared...it was like all the crazy didn't involve him. He swam right past the spinning Dempsey and basically ignored, lol. He looks out for me at mealtime. Brick and Boss will block one side of Boss' log to prevent hrps from sneaking in on the back side. It's a variation of what Brick does to keep the hrps out of his space...he just rams everything (plants, rocks, etc) in so tight the hrps can't squeeze through. They have to maneuver the long way around to get out and eat.
You know what the hulking hrp males remind me of? Dudes that are just big but can't fight and aren't strong for their size. They just look impressive. The big males in the 125 are opposite.
Brick and Boss now partner in all activities. The parrot is the active tank enforcer that keeps everyone in line. Brick gets involved when fish intrude on his space and he's had enough. Even the hulking hrp males can't do anything with Boss: the parrot has too much mass and strength for them to handle. Of the hrp brothers Tank is the @hole, looking for random fights. He pops out of his area to fight with his smaller brother Buddy. Boss keeps order and protects Buddy sometimes. When Tank charges Boss goes straight at him making the hrp turn and take off. He'll chase Tank back into the plants.Three of them (Hulk, Tank and Bruce) even tried jumping the parrot (I suspect this is because they're tired of being muscled around). That doesn't work either...Boss picks one to attack then they all scatter in panic. All blow and no show. Better get an army because hrps make terrible thugs. Boss shares his log with red rainbow Salt, no issues. If syno Spot goes in there he gets run out. Salt also gives an assist in controlling the hrps.
Brick and Boss are now in harmony 95% of the time. They watch each others back and preserve their space. Once in awhile Brick gets grumpy and hits the parrot or tail slaps. Boss circles around and gives a payback headbutt, right between the eyes. And then they're good. Sometimes Boss playfully taps Brick on the side during tank patrol. One time I removed Boss momentarily to give him a salt dip for an irritated gill. Brick swam around searching. When I put Boss back in he immediately came across the tank and checked his parrot out. Once his curiosity was satisfied he went about his business and Boss returned to his log. Cute.
Next:
Book 3 Picture Gallery
Part One: The Location
Part Two: Early Wars
Part Three: Growth
Part Four: Transitions
Part Five: Victims
Book 1
Brick. (aka The King aka Dinner for 2)
PRELUDE
1. How it all began.
In 2018 I started lurking at MFK. I had surfed the web for fish sites because I had been out of the hobby awhile and wanted a large tank with different species then what I kept in the past. Plus I wanted to refresh my knowledge for updates. So I bounced around to Oscarfishlovers.com and Parrotcichlids.com and various message board sites and got fascinated. I knew absolutely NOTHING about cichlids. But the challenge of having big fish was exciting. So I'm like,' cichlids huh?' Did even more research and read a few excerpts on how scientists were fascinated and did many studies of the 2,000 or so species. Their intelligence, social structure and breeding rituals. I got even more interested. So I found MFK and literally read 90 percent of the threads for weeks like a junkie. Weeded out the stupid and hormonal stuff and focused on the good threads. A wealth of information I soaked up. I was more determined than ever to try cichlids. Little did I know!
2. Preparation
I wasn't kidding myself. I knew it would be expensive getting back into the hobby after a layoff. Main thing would be the cost of the tank I wanted. I could work around the filtration and deco as far as price and build some of my own. I went to Joey's site (King of DIY) for some inspiration for inexpensive but effective filtration for big fish. Then came the drag of saving up money, about 7 months. Ended up going with Custom Aquariums. Once I got the tank (225) I couldn't wait to fill it with water! I also needed some idea of how long the drain/fill would take. The next drag was waiting 8 weeks for the tank to cycle. I felt like a mad scientist in a lab, checking and testing every three days.Writing notes like a chem major.I would stare at the tank and imagine my new fish inside!
3. Choices
Ok, next step. What fish? Oscars!! Hadda have one. Or two. Three? Blood parrots too! Maybe a catfish or something else? Muh brain was spinning. Kuhli Loaches? Goldfish? What? Then I decided..Oscar a must. Tank not enough for a giraffe cat, so...nixed that. A chocolate? Severum? Okay. Weather loach? Ugh, cold water. Wouldn't work. Considered a red devil pleco but not at $350 bucks a pop. Wanted a blue and green phantom pleco but they were scarce at the time.
4. The Tank
Considering the largest tank I ever had was a 55 long the 225 seemed gigantic. I went with tempered glass on the sides which reduced wall thickness to 1/2". Regular glass would have been 3/4". By doing this I gained back several gallons on the same footprint. Eight weeks to cycle. I could have gone to 7ft but it would have been close regarding access space on the sides because the fish room has a funky triangular shape. Glass is starfire clear on the front and sides, regular on the base and back. Printed forest background on back. Custom Aquariums will even make a special background if you supply a photo. Four men struggled to lift it even with suction cups. Batfish Aquatics, a local distributor did the install. I took over from there. 90% drain time, 1 hour with pond pump. Fill time, 1:30 to 1:50 depending on adjusted water pressure for temps. Since the pipes are warmer in the summer, fills are a bit faster. 2 Jaeger 300 watt heaters, two powerheads. Each powerhead connected to two jumbo sponge filters each rated for 125 gallons. 85lbs.Hawaiian blue floral sand from Sandtastik, a Canadian company. Booya. Top frame is marine grade steel. I can barely get the aquaclear 110s on each frame section. Tank approx. 462lbs.dry weight. 72"L x 30"H x 24"W. if you want a glass aquarium built like a tank, Custom Aquariums gets my highest recommendation.
5. Bad choices
Got a beautiful sun catfish (11") and a goldspot pleco (4") hoping they'd be good tankmates. Didn't work. The sun catfish died in three days. Gold spot rolled over the day after. Got another goldspot. Rolled over. A third. This one died while stuck on the glass...touched him and he fell back like a stiff. The owner of Beltway Aquariums and I got into a shouting match about the returns as he was lecturing me about water testing. Let me be clear, this guy is a first class @hole but he sells great fish...they specialize in Central/South American and exotics and have been in business since the 70s. Those type of stores are unicorns in my area unless you go online. The wife is nice and deals with the public. Employees openly talk about the owner on the floor and the @ss sits in the back eating lunch. Sometimes they even have full sized Pacu in the front display. Somebody donated a dozen huge clown loaches, all at a foot. They were gone 2 weeks later. As long as you know who (and what) you're dealing with you get great fish. I wasn't looking to be his friend so I didn't give a rats @ss about his attitude...I was there for the fish. I called him a stupid fat f+++er and he calmed down. The employees were laughing. After that we had a sane conversation.
Turns out the cat and pleco were wild and from really soft water...oddly enough the tank of approximately 100+ gold spots they had all 'disappeared' in less than a month. So either they had one helluva run on Goldspots or something funky went on.
THE CHOICE
Once I knew I was getting oscars, I wanted contrast in color. I debated some combination of tiger/red/albino. So I waited until I got to the FS to look everything over. They had oscars! A whole tank of babies, very uniform at 2" in length. However some were long and bullet shaped, some thicker and 'high back'. About 40 or so all scrambling to the front when I stood in front of the tank. How to choose?
After a few minutes my eyes fell on this gorgeous black tiger with bold orange stripes. It was hard to focus too much because the babies kept squirming everywhere. I got called away to check out the parrot tank. When I came back I lost sight of the tiger. And then a tiny, pushy red O squeezed between his siblings and waggled like crazy. He was adorable with a sooty black head (like he got stuck in a fireplace) red body and black fins. I had to have that one then. I also picked an albino who was near the back. Brick and the Tiger were among 30% or so of the 'big' babies. To this day I believe Brick picked me, not the other way around.
1. Settling In
Transport home no issues...had them in a cold pack container back to DC, about 50 minutes in traffic on a Saturday. I named the red one Brick and the albino Ice.When I placed them in the tank they both dropped to the bottom like little fish weights, lol. After a few hours they were swimming around and exploring.
I purchased three 'teenage' parrots. Boss, Kong and Patch. There was a giant version of Patch at the store, a huge pink female the size of a grapefruit. But she was a bit floaty and I didn't want issues. May have been Patch's mom. The store owner's wife asked if I was sure I wanted to mix baby Os with those parrots but I was confident and told her 'no problem' because I had a big tank. She repeated the parrots would be too much for the baby o's. I said it could work...she kind of looked at me like "you'll find out." And did I ever.
After about a week the parrots were settling on a pecking order. They were wild and full of energy. Brick and Ice roughhoused with the parrots at first but they were too big and started banging the o's around. Ice started to hide and withdraw. Brick kept right on playing and fighting.
Something was off with Ice. He started hiding in the plants. I was worried but had no place to put him. Then he started sitting on the bottom. The next morning Brick was literally covered in Ick like I rolled him in salt. But the crazy thing kept right on going like nothing...no clamped fins, still ate and raced around the tank. It was then I knew I had something special on my hands.
Ice wasn't so lucky and died the same day. Being an albino it was difficult for me to see his (probable) ick. It was clear the parrots were carriers and unaffected. The baby oscars got too excited/stressed which likely triggered it. I felt really bad for not listening to the lady's advice. Off and on I wondered what Ice would've looked like as an adult. But he was gone so quick there was no time to bond. I treated the tank with Ick-X for three weeks. I had to separate the parrots after that but I'll cover that later in the "Boss" entry.
LEARNING ABOUT OCELLATUS
1.Surprises
Reading about Oscars is one thing: living with one close up is different. I wasn't sure if some of the info about their intelligence and moods was overblown or not. My eyes were opened quickly. The eating and pooping was also a shock. As a juvie, Brick would spook and a cloud of poop would pop out! And he ate like no tomorrow but burned it off with high activity like a little furnace. When I started pulling out the parrots Brick showed early he was capable of 'revenge' or 'get back' if you will. BP Kong beat on him terribly and nonstop. Brick would try to fight back but was too small and light. Despite this Brick wouldn't back down. I hadn't bargained for this because I never had cichlids before. I always had quiet and peaceful tanks, not all these strong personalities and wild aggression. So as I was lifting Kong out in the net Brick shot out of the water and bit her through the mesh on her side! I was so startled I almost dropped Kong on the floor. I checked the parrot after I moved her and she had a couple of loose scales. Brick calmed down after that. Many examples of his intelligence, far too many to itemize.
2. Problem solving
Brick will barricade fish in that he finds annoying, even if he has to rearrange the whole tank to do it. Plants. rocks, deco, whatever. All Access points to his area are contained and closed off.
Brick will intimidate (mouth open) and crowd fish in corners or hover over them.They often panic and scamper away. Sometimes he'll block an exit with his body or stares at an entrance point,daring fish to come out.
Somettimes turns and angles the powerheads in different directions.
Carefully sifts out foods he doesn't want while eating.
3. Just being an Oscar
Will take bubble baths by sitting in an air stone stream.
Rips up specific plants, leaves others alone.
Will stubbornly place items in the tank where he wants them no matter how many times I re-arrange. (This is a game).
Will be picky about food then suddenly eat any food.
Will throw tantrums.
Will sulk.
Used to pull filter pads out as a game.
Used to pull heaters off suction cups leaving them dangling.
I get puffed at if the food is late, along with body shakes.
I get puffed at if he doesn't like changes I make in the tank.
Will lay on the floor like "I'm done" during water changes.
Likes occasional pats and tickles.
Plays basketball every day and makes a game of shooting his ball across the room. I often find it on the floor, under another tank stand or in the windowsill.
Will do loop de loops after water changes.
Once in a while will stand on his head.
Recognizes me no matter my appearance or clothing.
Likes certain family members and not others.
Waits for me to leave before he eats most of the time, especially since he's matured.
Only rearranges the tank after I leave when I make changes.
Got his head stuck in a log going after a tankmate.
Impossible to sneak up on with those booble eyes...field of vision is nearly 180 front to back. If I approach the fishroom with his tail facing me he immediately turns around, even at a good distance.
Incredibly curious about everything. If I work on the lids cleaning algae he comes up top and taps my arm. I can't do anything without sir nosey getting in the way.
Gets bored sleeping in the same area all the time and will randomly dig a new pit. This displaces other fish.
Prefers the side of the tank near the door facing the hall so he can see the rec room.
Typical bull in a China shop. Off and on he'll get scrapes and have missing scales.
Gives eye contact and goes up top to his ball when he wants to play
4. Triggers
Open challenges from other fish.
Being crowded.
Any changes in his tank.
5. Temperament
As long as he isn't triggered, Brick is pretty tolerant, much more so now than when he was younger. Neither overly aggressive nor a pushover. Generally ignores new fish when added. Ignores petty squabbles among the other fish but will end it when he's had enough. The parrot generally polices the tank.
6. The Dark Side
Brick has one clean kill and one stress/injury kill. The clean kill was my syno catfish Rex. Rex had a popped out eye, broken spine and shredded skin. His tail was missing as well. My aggressive green severum Chip also paid the price for pissing off the Oscar. Brick bit his head. The severum was a wreck after that and died from stress and other infections from the injury. Chip stood on his head 24/7 and refused to swim or eat even in a hospital tank. All this happened when Brick was one year of age. He also stressed my chocolate cichlid Bobo to constant illness. Bobo was removed but eventually succumbed to constant health issues.
7. Major Scares
With any living thing in your care there will periodically be crazy issues.
2020. Ran head on into the glass and knocked himself out as a juvie.
2021. Swallowed a metal hook on Christmas day. Hucked it up, no damage.
2021. Dislocated his jaw sideways after banging into the glass. When I tried to catch him he swam away so fast he banged his jaw again, knocking it back into place. True story.
2023. Had a 5lb glass canopy section fall on him during a water change and the glass broke. He had just a couple of head nicks that healed quickly.
8. So what is he?
Most anything and everything.
playful
intelligent
interactive
unpredictable
complex
stubborn
aggravating
goofy
lazy
curious
ridiculous
tolerant
annoying
strong
killer
moody
willfull
attentive
observant
bonding
entertaining
In other words, 100% Oscar.
TIMELINE
The Baby. Salad Days
2"-5"
1/2 - 1 inch at the head
w/c schedule 20% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 6-7 meals a day
playful, wild energy, eating machine.
slept behind his favorite big bush
color morph: Dark red with black 'sooty' head, black fins
The Teenager. Foo Fighter
6"-9"
1- ~2 inches at the head
w/c schedule 50% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 4 meals a day
hormonal aggression, poop factory, finger biter, excitable. Had so much poop he created brown algae blooms. Jumped for food. Spooked at nothing, ran into glass
started calming method of pats and tickles
color morph: Orange-red with black spots, bright orange eyes. Metallic/copper color like a new penny.
The Boss. Violent Ruler
10"-12"
2 - ~3 inches at the head
w/c schedule 75% per week. Filter cleanings 2x per week.
feeding schedule 2 meals per day
Unpredictable aggression but more controlled than teen phase.
Enjoyed pats and tickles. Started to play with basketball at 11 inches.
growth stalled at 11 inches for a time.
12 inches at one year.
Glass surfer
Stopped eating pellets suddenly and switched to insects.
Intolerant of new tankmates
tank wrecker
color morph: all black pigment disappears. Phases to tomato orange then super red with white tipped fins.
Killed or stressed to illness some tankmates during this time.
Developed a likeness for caves but was too big to fit
d. The King. Maturity 13"-15" (current)
w/c schedule 90-95% per week. Filter cleanings 3x-4x per week.
feeding schedule 1 meal per day, skip one day
3.5" at the head. .
current dimensions 3 1/2"W x 6 3/4"H x 15"L
Doesn't spend excess energy
Gets clumsy scratches at times
Spends hours lazing in his pit
Overall much calmer and "boss". He knows he's the biggest fish in the tank.
Makes sand cyclones with his tail blowing the tank bottom bare.
Can move 4lb boulders or knock over any heavy decor. Plows plants to make a path. Rips stems of plants out of the bases.
color morph: diffuse black pigment over head and body. Had coarse 'peppered' black pattern over brick red. Currently Brick is a combination of his baby colors and super red phase. Head is dark, body deep red with irregular white/black/orange scales. Fins smoky black. Eyes have metallic orange lids.
Book 2
Boss. (aka the Sumo aka 007)
1. Enemies and adversaries
It didn't start off well with these two. After separating the parrots due to aggression Brick and Boss became the lone occupants of the 225. Bad rookie mistake on my part, not realizing the 'terrible two' rule of cichlids. Early on Boss harassed Brick nonstop and gave him no peace. But I knew the dynamic would change as Brick got bigger, and it did. Boss went from offensive to defensive fighting once Brick got to 6 inches. Also the Oscar was going into his hormonal phase where he sought the parrot out and instigated fights. Boss prefered to stay on his side at that point but was still game. I had a terra cotta pot he loved to stay in. Plants and vines were added to create separation and division. It still didn't work...the 225 wasn't big enough for the both of them. I had some marimo balls scattered around. Boss would put them around his pot like a door.
Brick would cross the plant partition line dividing the tank and look for trouble. He found it. Despite his rapidly increasing size he still struggled against Boss. The parrot was remarkably strong and muscled the young Oscar around. During one fight Boss even forced Brick backwards into his pot! It wasn't until Brick got to 11 inches the parrot could no longer lip lock or tackle him head on. So Boss switched to ramming and head butts. It was remarkable the parrot held his ground for that long. On the rare occasions the two fight now, this tactic is still extremely effective against Brick. He's the only fish I have that never feared or ran from the Oscar. The other was my late parrot Patch whose ludicrous aggression would make red devils and buttifokeri proud.
Ironically Boss himself was an abused parrot...Patch and Kong beat on him constantly. He was the smallest and least aggressive. I'd find him pale with a white belly and most of the time he was literally running for his life. He would lay sideways when the other parrots approached to seem like a non threat and it didn't work. Patch went after Brick as well, tearing off scales (she had teeth). I'd had enough and removed the females asap to their own tanks. I went out one evening and got some 10 gallon tanks as an emergency and changed the water out every day. Boss was named as a reverse joke because he was bullied and harassed...like fat people being called "Tiny." But over time as Boss grew he became more like his name. In about a years time he turned into a lip ripper. Now he's morphed into a cop and enforcer.
So back to when Brick was a baby. I wanted to see if I could put Kong back in the 225 after a few months. I was trying to avoid the "Multiple Tank Syndrome". Brick was much larger by that time (8 inches) so I figured he could hold his own. My education on cichlids continued.
Kong swam violently around the 225 in attack mode like she never left. Went straight after poor Boss, who once again ran for his life. Then she took over Boss's pot. Brick remembered her as well from previous beatings and went after Kong...the round robin of fighting was getting crazy. Brick was a match for Kong at this point but I'd seen enough. She was out of the main tank permanently. Putting Patch in was out of the question...she had taken over the 225 before and beat the crap out of everybody, then beat the crap out of Kong who beat the crap out of Brick and Boss. Went downstairs one morning and Patch had Kong cowering in a corner. Patch gave Kong a sliced snout and crooked mouth...just sheared her with teeth. It took 4 months for Kong's mouth to heal to a normal state. I honestly thought her face would be permanently messed up but the healing factor of these fish is remarkable. Patch was the apex aggressor. What started off as excitement over these fish for me turned to hassle and stress.
At about the year mark the relationship with Brick and Boss shifted to 'frenemies.' I don't really know what the catalyst was. Brick was moving out of teen mode into young adult mode. Likely a combination of that and the fact Boss was a little older (he was a sub adult when Brick was a baby) they were both maturing. At times they would squabble and separate. Boss would lose a scale on his sides, Brick on his head. By this time there were other tank mates. They started a cooperative effort to keep tank order. More and more time spent together on common goals: patrolling the tank and redecorating. In the next few months Brick was protective of the parrot, even flopping down next to him to sleep. (Not that Boss needed any protecting). Boss would clean the sand in Brick's favorite spots. The parrot would get his space at times then stay around the Oscar. Boss is probably the most independent fish I have, too 'cool for school'. With the exception of Brick, Boss has never gotten along with any SA. All of the CA I've had he's good with overall. Interesting, and I have no explanation.
When Brick started to get close Boss accepted the attention. Then the parrot reciprocated by watching over Brick when he rested. Their personalities offset well. Brick is an extrovert, Boss an introvert. When Brick got agitated or excited Boss would hover near. One of the funniest things that would happen is Brick would start spinning causing a waterspout. Boss would ride the wave in circles until the oscar tired himself out! Funny asf...doesn't happen much now. I dubbed Boss the sumo parrot because of his fighting style and shape. He was also nicknamed "007" because he loves to peep and spy from plant cover.
It's true parrots get more aggressivve and territorial as they age and Boss is no exception. While he'll never be my most aggressive parrot he's nothing like the little pushover that got bullied. He's somewhat of an enigma because he's the only fish who is utterly fearless when Brick goes into tantrum/rage mode. He doesn't run from Brick at all, even stands his ground at a full head on charge. Every other fish I've had with the Oscar panics and runs. Even when Brick shows him the "maw" the parrot won't budge. Brick might nudge him aside and Boss moves right back. The only fish that somewhat intimidates Boss is the hive queen hrp Pip. So go figure. They go back and forth rarely but Boss gives her space. But he bangs around her huge sons...makes no sense. Cichlids are weird.
Boss is what I call a tactical fighter. He fights when he wants to and isn't randomly aggressive. But he's also a quick learner and doesn't make the same mistake twice. Any fish that starts a fight should be prepared to fight every day. An example of this was when he and the syno Rex would fight constantly.The catfish was faster and would strike Boss with his barbells. Boss couldn't match the speed and got stabbed in the side. The parrot got pissy. He had a small scar for about 2 months. Then I saw something remarkable. Boss changed tactics (like he did with Brick). Instead of trying to 'speed fight' the syno he used muscle. I went downstairs one day and saw the parrot literally jack hammering the syno head first into the sand, driving him like a divot. He gave Rex no chance of spinning or stabbing. By the time I grabbed a net to break it up the syno was drifting on his side over the sand. Boss wouldn't quit so I netted him for a timeout. Fortunately Rex was just knocked silly. Amazingly after that the two got along and would share a log!
Unfortunately Rex was later killed by Brick. He was my best looking syno too a with large spot pattern and really friendly. Had the most personality of all my synos too. He annoyed the Oscar by whiskering his sides during water changes. I actually captured a pic showing Brick trying to bite Rex...the syno barely escaped. Some time later there was an emergency (tank stand failure) of the 225. I temporarily put all the fish in a bathtub until I could get totes. The next day I found a bloody and broken Rex with missing skin. He was destroyed so badly I didn't take pictures. It was the first time I was truly angry at Brick despite knowng he just did what Oscars will do.
Now they're like an old married couple.
Boss is unique in that he can be a part of tank chaos but not be affected by it. He's the most unflappable fish I've ever had outside of koi. Nothing much bothers him. Noise, motion, lights...nothing. He observes all activity, both inside and outside the tank. And he just stares...this is what drew me to buy him. He was in a tank with other parrots and a stressed out jack Dempsey who kept whirling in circles like he had brain worm. The parrots were all wild and bouncing around. When I approached the tank Boss just drifted up front and center and stared...it was like all the crazy didn't involve him. He swam right past the spinning Dempsey and basically ignored, lol. He looks out for me at mealtime. Brick and Boss will block one side of Boss' log to prevent hrps from sneaking in on the back side. It's a variation of what Brick does to keep the hrps out of his space...he just rams everything (plants, rocks, etc) in so tight the hrps can't squeeze through. They have to maneuver the long way around to get out and eat.
You know what the hulking hrp males remind me of? Dudes that are just big but can't fight and aren't strong for their size. They just look impressive. The big males in the 125 are opposite.
Brick and Boss now partner in all activities. The parrot is the active tank enforcer that keeps everyone in line. Brick gets involved when fish intrude on his space and he's had enough. Even the hulking hrp males can't do anything with Boss: the parrot has too much mass and strength for them to handle. Of the hrp brothers Tank is the @hole, looking for random fights. He pops out of his area to fight with his smaller brother Buddy. Boss keeps order and protects Buddy sometimes. When Tank charges Boss goes straight at him making the hrp turn and take off. He'll chase Tank back into the plants.Three of them (Hulk, Tank and Bruce) even tried jumping the parrot (I suspect this is because they're tired of being muscled around). That doesn't work either...Boss picks one to attack then they all scatter in panic. All blow and no show. Better get an army because hrps make terrible thugs. Boss shares his log with red rainbow Salt, no issues. If syno Spot goes in there he gets run out. Salt also gives an assist in controlling the hrps.
Brick and Boss are now in harmony 95% of the time. They watch each others back and preserve their space. Once in awhile Brick gets grumpy and hits the parrot or tail slaps. Boss circles around and gives a payback headbutt, right between the eyes. And then they're good. Sometimes Boss playfully taps Brick on the side during tank patrol. One time I removed Boss momentarily to give him a salt dip for an irritated gill. Brick swam around searching. When I put Boss back in he immediately came across the tank and checked his parrot out. Once his curiosity was satisfied he went about his business and Boss returned to his log. Cute.
Next:
Book 3 Picture Gallery
Part One: The Location
Part Two: Early Wars
Part Three: Growth
Part Four: Transitions
Part Five: Victims
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