Oscar vs. Flowerhorn -- opinions please!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I use a python for refilling. It's a bit slower than I'd like (since I have a 180 now), but was fine on the 125. My Oscar redecorates the tank daily. The only plants he tolerates are the roots from pothos. The leaves are growing out of the tank, but the roots are submerged.
 
I use a python for refilling. It's a bit slower than I'd like (since I have a 180 now), but was fine on the 125. My Oscar redecorates the tank daily. The only plants he tolerates are the roots from pothos. The leaves are growing out of the tank, but the roots are submerged.
does he destroy the actual leaves or just dig them out of the substrate?
 
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Sorry about the confusion. The roots grow in the tank, but the leaves grow out of it. The roots have not yet made it down to the substrate. The O will occasionally nibble on them, but I have caught the Acara and Silver Dollars as the main culprit.

The O tends to move smaller rocks and the course sand I have. He digs out a little pit to rest on the bottom glass.
 
If there is one thing you can count on it is an oscar getting big and getting big fast. I think an Oscar is a better pick for a large community tank, for a solo fish I would rather pick a species that really can't have tank mates. I could be wrong, but I think an Oscar ends up weighing a lot more than a flower horn so even if the fish are the same length the oscar needs more space to be healthy.

So if I had to pick I would go flowerhorn. I have seen so few 12 inch males, 9 or 10 inches seems to be closer to the norm. Regardless it seems they hit 7 inches fast then slow down from there. I would start it in a 75 and if you think you have a 12 incher on your hands upgrade him, it depends a lot on the genetics of the fish.

Besides it is a lot easier to talk your family into a bigger tank when the fish everyone loves is who needs it.
 
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