Draw him a picture of an Oscar skeleton lying on the floor with a plastic-like film that used to be the outter skin. Tell him that he's damn lucky the cats didn't decide to have a fish feast and that you just may fry him up for dinner if he is "so cute" as to do it again.
Make him green (mad) then fushcia (scared).

I still think you should give him freezer therapy. What on earth could he have done to keep the kitties from having a Oscar feast.

the cats could of easily eaten him at any time. I'm telling you, they FEAR the oscar. NO ONE wants to eat the evil! :)

They probably ran like hell, didn't know what to think of it. Our bunch is not the bravest cat clan in the world.

Hey!

I'm getting a 125 gallon aquarian put in (Its a huge bastard) and intend to put in two oscars and a gar then watch with morbid fascination as they grow...and grow. I'm fairly sure there'll be some tragic unfortunate accident in the next couple months in regards to the new inhabitants of the aquarian...But I simply must do this.

As Oscar owning veterans...Any advice on specifically what not to do? And how nicely do your two oscars coexist? ;)

Well, they actually didn't co-exist for very long. One offed the other (and we liked the other one), and this one's been by himself ever since.

Not familiar with domestic gar, only the kind you inadvertently catch in a river. Don't know if I'd want to have a fish who could take my fingers off.

As far as advice, make sure the tank is in a prominent place, somewhere the family will be. Our fish got noticeably more peppy when we moved him into a big tank in the corner of our kitchen.

Ajax are you really getting a 125 gallon tank? I hope your mommy doesn't put it in Jelly Belly's room. That seems a really big tank just to grow monster, I mean that in the kindest way possible, fish!

Wrong ajax, pat. That's not our cat! :)

Ooops! I thought anyone named Ajax who was posting on your site had to be your white kitty. LOL I still want to know why is is going to go for monster fish. Of course he might get a nicer oscar than you have.

Hah, no, I'm not a little kitty ;). I've just always used Ajax as a handle ever reading the Illiad. Course. Most people think of me as either as a cleaning detergent or a large black man. Oh well. I'm really just a humble scholarly type.

As for wanting to grow a monster...Well. Fish just don't have the personality of a dog or a cat. The only way a fish can really grab my attention and affection is if it's capable of ending a life. I know that sounds horrible. But I'd buy a pirahna off the Black Market if I could find one. It just fascinates me.

Hopefully in a couple years, the tank will be just perfect for 3-4 14-16 inch long beasts. And yes, it is going in the family room (tommorrow actually...Then a bloody week for the water to cycle). Besides. I think its a bit more fun to watch a big fish then a alot of little fluffy colorful ones...

Ajax, read the posts listed under Oscar on the left hand side of the main page. Ellen swears her oscar has a personality and is evil incarnate. LOL Sorry about mixing you up with a kitty.

Ellen, I've just read the entire Oscar file, and it's beyond me why a) You want an Oscar and b) You are afraid of a fish that is two inches long.

You can handle cats. Cats have claws and fangs. Oscars got nothin' on cats.

[shrug] As far as I'm concerned, fish are all cat food. Too labor-intensive for too low a yield to be a pet in my lexicon.

You MUST come meet Oscar in person! :)

Meryl he is no longer a little bitty fish.

your cats wouldn't eat the fish while it was helpless on the floor? whatre they pussys?

I still can't get over the fact that the fish was drying out and STUCK to your floor and still alive!! The kitties musta been having a cat-nip orgy in another room to not notice the poor fishie on zee floor!!

I found this site by accident, i think you (ellen and go on then scott as well,sigh)are so funny, esspecially concerning your oscar!! i had the same thing happen except i was cleaning the tank at the time, he decided enough was enough and launched himself at me, ducking i almost(no shit) fell into the tank and then almost back onto the damn thing, he was flipping about in 3" of shagpile, while i was pretty much crapping myself-in the end i threw a wet towel over him and bunged him back in. He was not happy, everytime i clean his tank now he sits in his tube, moving out everynow and again to check on me-when im done,sitting back in my sofa marvelling at my creation-the bloody thing starts DELIBERATLY messing up his tank and clouding his water just to PISS ME OFF.much. anyway i suppose i could always bung him on the bar-b-q should things get really outahand.

I stumbled upon this site as well, but had a similar situation Ellen a month ago. My girlfriend and I were sleeping tight when we heard some flopping around in the den.. but paid it no mind.

I awoke this mornig to my girlfriends screams as my rather large oscar had leaped from the tank (about 6 feet away) and died in the middle of the floor. I tried to give him a proper burial in the toilet.. but he got stuck :(

The bottom line is.. if you are going ot get an Oscar... Put something very heavy on the top. cause those suckers have power.

We will miss you oscar

- Craig

last night i was getting ready to feed my oscar and had the food in front of the tank . Usually oscar will jump for the food and let me pet him after he eats. For some reason he wasnt gonna wait til i dropped the food in cause he jumped out of the tank. Scared the shit right outta me. He flopped around for a few seconds and while i was acting crazy (lol) he flopped onto a piece of my daughters play mat and i just dumped him back in his tank along with a few toys. Now he is just kinda sitting at the bottom of his tank. Hope the lil guy will be ok...he hit pretty hard on ceramic tile.

Ajax,
You want to have 'fun' watching things kill each other....breed mice and feed the pinkies to your oscars. Healthier than goldfish and (if you make your own food) in the long run..cheeper too.

My oscar just jumped out of his tank. I chased him for a couple seconds and put him back in the tank. He hung around the bottom for about 5 minutes and then he started eating again. I have another oscar in the tank with him and his companion seemed tramatised as well.

Does anyone know the health of an oscar. I need a DR . He is floating at top of tank, But he is not going to oscar heaven peacefully. He is still battling tring to swim. What could it be? Kinda looks like there is air in him and its making him float. Should i poke him with a needle? He is a resilant fish. When I first got him he was about 2 inches long. All my oscars got ick and died but him. I actually had him in a little plastic bag rdy to return to store. Then I seen his little gill move. I plopped him back in the water . Got heat in water high enough to kill ich (ich away only works at certain stages). Had a healthy tank ever since. He is about 7 inches long now.

Can anyone help me????

i feed my oscars praws and they go mentall for them. i feed them 3-4times a day and i got them in 0ctober 3rd at 2 inches now they r 6-7 inches long so i havent botherd to feed em any thing else lots of people have said never put anything else with them but i have 3 silver dollers a plec and a butterfly catfish with them and they are fine. when they are hungrey they tend to tap the thermometer they have broke 3 all redy what should i do?