View Full Version : Gwenivere, the Lutino Veiltail Oscar Baby
Gwenivere is a a baby 3" lutino red tiger veiltail (long fin) oscar. She was purchased in Ohio (the only vendor I could find that had this type of oscar available right now) and shipped to Texas via special overnight delivery (NOT cheap in case you've never done that or are thinking about doing it!). You can see the small injury on her side where she lost a few scales on the trip. However, she's doing fine and eating well. Here she is in the quarantine tank, where she'll spend the next week to ten days, to make sure she's doing well, eating well, and does not require medication. Next week she will be moving to her new 60-gallon grow-out tank, which is sitting all ready for her (no other fish will share her tank). When she is full grown, she will have her very own 75-gallon tank. Thanks for letting me share her with you. . .
flamenco-t
08-13-2008, 10:07 AM
Nice oscar...I agree with the long fin being harder to find than the standard one..
Next time, try the wild caught...their colors are wicked..I had an opportunity to pick them up and I would have if my tank is nto overstocked as is
stan
radioaktiv
08-13-2008, 10:19 AM
saw some veil-tails for sale on MFK not long ago
always been one of my favorite fish
welcome to DFWFB
greytdobe
08-13-2008, 02:52 PM
Gwenivere is a a baby 3" lutino red tiger veiltail (long fin) oscar. . .
she is precious...and I can tell will be spoiled stinkin rotten in 2months time. I've always wanted an oscar but so many folks have talked me out of them b/c of their filthy ways:eek:
nicole4983
08-13-2008, 03:02 PM
Aww she's cute! Pardon my ignorance, but do oscars prefer to be by themselves?
radioaktiv
08-13-2008, 03:05 PM
oscars are some of the most personable fish you can own IMO
they were my first real fish in my first big tank.
had 5 at one time, and lost them all to bacterial infection :(
i'll always miss those guys
even as common as they are in the hobby...if you have the tankspace and time for them, i would highly suggest them
greytdobe
08-13-2008, 03:29 PM
oscars are some of the most personable fish you can own IMO
even as common as they are in the hobby...if you have the tankspace and time for them, i would highly suggest them
not to wanting to hijack...but...if kept single how big of a tank would you recommend? Do they mind be solitary?
radioaktiv
08-13-2008, 04:06 PM
its commonly suggested that they be kept in a small group of 3-5, if i remember correctly
i would assume if you kept one solitary it would become really anti-social over time. (which wouldnt really matter if you only planned on keeping one)
but im no oscar expert by any means, im sure you can get some pointers from more experienced keepers
AndrewH
08-13-2008, 04:13 PM
Very beautiful Vail Oscar you have there. Definitely keep us up to date on her growth :D.
not to wanting to hijack...but...if kept single how big of a tank would you recommend? Do they mind be solitary?
It's commonly suggested that oscars require 55 gallons minimum per fish. Also the Oscar my mom had for a long time ended up getting pretty aggressive with the other fish in the tank (wanting to play she called it). He would toss the apple snail around. Move the decorations and in general act out. She would float a ping-pong ball in the tank and he would play with it.
kewlkatdady
08-13-2008, 04:24 PM
I saw vail tails at pet village in Duncanville last week. They weren't albinos but there were tigers.
They had 5-6 of them at about 3" or so.
tsunderl
08-13-2008, 04:35 PM
Those are cool. Didn't know Oscars came in a veiltail variety.
Thank you, everyone. To answer the question about keeping her alone. . . veiltails tend to get picked on by other fish due to their long finnage, including other oscars, which can get infected, and they're also a lot slower to get to the food due to the construction of their fins that make them sort of clumsy to get around. Therefore, it's reccommended to keep them as singletons to keep them in the peak of health. Although somewhere they MUST keep them in pairs or there wouldn't be any baby veiltails, huh? :-) That's okay, though. She'll get lots of interesting things to see in her tank environment and her tank will be in a place where she'll see lots going on. Plus, she'll be fed like a princessess. Nine years ago, I had a beautiful veiltail lutinio oscar (Gwenivere I). She lived a year in my 55-gallon tank and just got too large (even though she was the only fish in there). At the time, my house was very small and could not possibly support a larger fish tank, so, reluctantly, I sold her to a man with a 400-gallon tank, whose only other inhabitant was a large arrowana. I promised myself that I would one day have another oscar, and when I did, I vowed I would never again have to part with it because of a tank size issue. Sooo, I'm well prepared to offer the new Gwenivere a tank for every stage of her life. Right now, she's in the Q-tank in case I have to medicate that transit injury (hoping I don't), but it's a lot easier to medicate in the smaller Q-tank than in the larger tank, so keeping a close watch on her. If all goes well, she'll move to her middle-size tank sometime in the next week to week and a half.
I have seen several veiltail tiger oscars at the stores around the area (Pet-O-Rama out in Mansfield had one for $29! The Fish Place had one for $14) but I had my heart set on a lutino one like I had before. So, the only option was to keep driving store to store to store and trying to find one (if you call stores, they'll TELL you, "Sure, we have long-tail albino oscars! Come on down! and you get there and they're just regular ones), with a SUV that gets a mere 14-mpg. So, it just seemed to make more sense to order what I wanted. It was expensive but she's here and I'm happy (of course you KNOW I'll find one in a store now for $10 LOL). I will most definitely post updates as she grows.
Thanks again!
kSpieler
08-13-2008, 07:18 PM
COOL fish! I looooove Oscars! Water-Puppies :D
I have never seen a long-tailed one, though - kinda makes me think of a fantail goldfish ... with a serious hard-ass attitude! :hehe:
:brandy: I may be a girl ... but I can still kick your ass! :dn: :chairshot: :fw: :threaten: :tongue0011:
Kspieler, Water-Puppies! I like that! Oh, by the way, I have a mini rex bunny too. His name is Ming-Ming, he's a year-old neutered male.
bra8ndy8
08-13-2008, 11:40 PM
She is gorgeous!!! So glad that you are able to give her a great home.
Also......Oscars need to be single, or 6 or more to stop aggression....and have 55 gallons of water a piece min.
Lakea
08-14-2008, 04:37 PM
That is a pretty little oscar there. I am actually planning on getting a couple of Os from my dad, but he is in CO so I'll have they'll have to be shipped. So I am kind of curious about how much it would cost. If it is a lot for one 3in I can't imagine how much two 5in Os will cost ugh!
Lakea: did you ship your dad's ocar's yet? I was wondering how the shipping went and which one(s) you chose.
Gwenivere has had a good first week. The 2x daily water changes on the Q-tank and the addition of the stress coat have almost totally healed her abrasion. She's eating well but that's been a small battle. The vendor I purchased her from had been feeding her small baby fish and flake, per his care notes. Since I have no intention of feeding her live fish, she had to switch over to frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and a carnivore mix. I also tried to tempt her with some minced beef heart, which, interestingly, she wasn't crazy about (guess that's an acquired taste). She is also now eating mini cichlid pellets, which I hope to get her to like so I can wean her over to the sticks (easy to soak in vitamins).
Gwenivere did the typical "oscar pout" for several days, but I had given her a clay flowerpot to hide in and a small silk plant, so she quickly warmed up to life in the QTank. I'm debating when to move her to her 60-gallon grow-out tank. I have to leave on a trip in a little over a week, and although I have an experienced pet sitter, I am wondering if water changes might get tedious in the Qtank, which probably would not necessary for the four days I'll be away in the grow-out tank (she's the only inhabitant, tank has an established filter on it). Since she's only 3" that seems so small to be alone in the grow-out tank. I'm worried about her being able to find her food, not being yet an aggressive feeder. Anyone have any advice on when to move her to the larger tank? Oh, and just so you'll know, I have another 110 to move her into as soon as she outgrows the 60. I just could not put a 3" oscar alone in 110 gallons of water. :)
I'll try to post pictures of her later. I'm trying to take weekly pictures of her to watch how she changes as she grows.
laurelty4
08-24-2008, 07:30 PM
I have 2 albino oscars (1 is a regualr the other a snakeskin). my regular is a rescue. he is totally blind (has eyes, they just don't work anymore) the snakeskin one protects the blind one from the other fish if they get too rowdy. I have had my regular albino for a few years, and he started becoming blind about a year 1/2 ago. the snakeskin is a year old and must sense the other one is handicap, they are always together and the snakeskin will "touch" the other one to reasure him and let him know where he is at. so sometimes you can have just 2 and they get along. I am lucky enough that mine are a bonded pair, they have spawned a few times but due to other fish in the tank (multiple species of cats) I have never raised any fry.
laurelty4 added 1 Minutes and 22 Seconds later...
oh, these guys also have a 210g to call home. the more water volume you can provide the less aggression you will have, same with water temp. high temps cause more aggression so does live food.
texascutie84
08-25-2008, 09:19 PM
55g is minimum for one oscar, but remember minimum tank maximum work you will require 2 large 50% water changes to keep up with the bioload a 75g is much better IMO, less work more time to enjoy your River Dog, they truly are awesome
Crystal, My baby oscar, Gwenivere, is in a 60-gallon now (she just moved there after two weeks in the Q-tank from her arrival from Ohio). She's 3" currently. She's moving into a 90 in about a month (already purchased, cabinet being refinshed). She will be living alone due to her long finnage and the propensity of other fish nipping those so I'm hoping that will be her permanent home; although a tank upgrade will happen if she begins to look uncomfortable. What size tank did your four oscars, two demsey's, pleco and Pacu live in before they moved to their indoor pond? How large a tank will that Pacu require when full grown? Just curious. I have a friend with one that is currently a single resident of a 200-gallon tank and looking like he could use an upgrade.
Thanks!
kewlkatdady
08-26-2008, 07:28 AM
the pacu will outgrow the the 380... but its still better than the 55 that most keep them in.
texascutie84
08-26-2008, 12:55 PM
Crystal, My baby oscar, Gwenivere, is in a 60-gallon now (she just moved there after two weeks in the Q-tank from her arrival from Ohio). She's 3" currently. She's moving into a 90 in about a month (already purchased, cabinet being refinshed). She will be living alone due to her long finnage and the propensity of other fish nipping those so I'm hoping that will be her permanent home; although a tank upgrade will happen if she begins to look uncomfortable. What size tank did your four oscars, two demsey's, pleco and Pacu live in before they moved to their indoor pond? How large a tank will that Pacu require when full grown? Just curious. I have a friend with one that is currently a single resident of a 200-gallon tank and looking like he could use an upgrade.
Thanks!
The fish were housed in multiple 55g tanks some of which we will be selling others we will be keeping. From the research I have done on Red Belly Pacus I am expecting him to max out somewhere around 36 inches but we will have to wait and see. Obviously we will be needing a much larger tank for him, but luckily we have plans in the works for that. We will be building a room dedicated to our fish friends in our new house which will house a 1000g custom built aquarium. And yes folks it comes with a hefty price tag, but are avid aquaculture enthusiast incase you could not tell. We plan to include a couple other monster fish in this aquarium as well then of course we will keep the 380g and have a few others of undeterminded sizes as well. I know we will be keeping our oscars, and probably be adding more River dogs are so addicting. I will also be running a secondary SA tank. Plus the SW aquariums that my husband is in charge of maintaining.
Lakea
08-29-2008, 05:42 PM
lol...10 days later... no I never got the oscars shipped. We haven't made a final decision on whether or not we will ship them.
masroberts9
08-30-2008, 09:04 PM
holy cow, i am jealous 1000 gallons. one of these days I hope to do the same. I recently got a 200 as an upgrade for my oscar and green chiclid. Unfortunetly my floor isn't designed for the weight. Sad huh. so i guess if yall know anyone looking for a tank.....or to adopt a fish the green chiclid...his name is Blue. Oh and very fine Gwenivere.
texascutie84
08-31-2008, 01:30 PM
holy cow, i am jealous 1000 gallons. one of these days I hope to do the same. I recently got a 200 as an upgrade for my oscar and green chiclid. Unfortunetly my floor isn't designed for the weight. Sad huh. so i guess if yall know anyone looking for a tank.....or to adopt a fish the green chiclid...his name is Blue. Oh and very fine Gwenivere.
The green chiclid, would that be a green terror, if so how big is he? If he is big enough that my babies would leave him alone then I would adopt him, but he would have to be at least 6-7 inches minimum.
masroberts9
08-31-2008, 04:12 PM
yeah he is 6-7 inches i'll try to get a pic up.
masroberts9
08-31-2008, 04:18 PM
here he is in a 10 gallon.
bra8ndy8
08-31-2008, 10:36 PM
Can you send me a pm on the 200 gallon....pics? Price? equipment? Stand? Thanks!!
Okay, Ya'll,
Here's Gwenivere two and a half weeks later. Her transport injury (a few missing scales) is almost totally healed. I swear she's doubled in size! I have had an oscar in the past, and I know they grow FAST but she really is growing even faster than I remember. Her temperament is slightly shy and skitish, which I'm hoping she outgrows but that may just be her temperament. I have several hiding spots in her grow-out tank (60 gallon now), which she likes. She will take food from my fingers and is fine with people she knows, but if a stranger looks at her, she goes and pouts. Her permanent 90-gallon home is coming in a few weeks (stand is being reworked and lighting upgraded) but I think I will leave her in the 60 until she's a bit bigger. Makes it easier for her to find her food without it going over the entire tank. Just thought everyone would enjoy an update.
kewlkatdady
09-02-2008, 09:24 PM
she sure is pretty...
ambitionz
09-02-2008, 10:40 PM
The fish were housed in multiple 55g tanks some of which we will be selling others we will be keeping. From the research I have done on Red Belly Pacus I am expecting him to max out somewhere around 36 inches but we will have to wait and see. Obviously we will be needing a much larger tank for him, but luckily we have plans in the works for that. We will be building a room dedicated to our fish friends in our new house which will house a 1000g custom built aquarium. And yes folks it comes with a hefty price tag, but are avid aquaculture enthusiast incase you could not tell. We plan to include a couple other monster fish in this aquarium as well then of course we will keep the 380g and have a few others of undeterminded sizes as well. I know we will be keeping our oscars, and probably be adding more River dogs are so addicting. I will also be running a secondary SA tank. Plus the SW aquariums that my husband is in charge of maintaining.
what is the tank going to be made of?
bra8ndy8
09-02-2008, 10:52 PM
WOW she sure has grown a lot!! Her fins are also twice the size.....very beautiful!
masroberts9
09-02-2008, 11:11 PM
yeah she is pretty. my wife would go nuts for her.
bra8ndy8
09-02-2008, 11:13 PM
Wife?? Ohhhh sorry I always thought your sn said MsRoberts...Whoops!!
masroberts9
09-02-2008, 11:15 PM
lol. :hehe:. maybe i should change my avatar from a female to a male.
Thanks, Ya'll. I just love the veiltail oscars. And watching oscars grow is a big part of the fun of keeping them.
Hey, I thought it was Ms Roberts too. :)
Have a great day!
P.S. Gonna try to post pictures of Gwenivere every couple of weeks to show how she grows. She's shy though so kinda hard to take pictures of. I have a good camera but, as you can see, I've yet to learn to use it.
texascutie84
09-03-2008, 08:39 AM
She sure is a little beauty.
The tank is being made from acrylic.
kSpieler
09-04-2008, 02:54 PM
She is sooooo beautiful! Makes me want another Oscar... but I don't have the tank space to keep one properly :(
sulla
09-08-2008, 08:40 PM
Where would be the nearest place to Cleburne to find a veil tale? I just found about about them yesterday and decided thats whats going in my 125g.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Long_finned_oscar.jpg
kewlkatdady
09-08-2008, 08:52 PM
I saw 6-7 vail tail regular (non albino) oscars at Pet village in Duncaville this week. They've been there for a month or so...
They are around 3-4" and pretty.
I know its not "close" to Cleburne... but really what is?:hehe:
sulla
09-08-2008, 09:09 PM
Ok thanks I will call and see if they still have them. Thats probably about as close as I am going to get. As you said nothing is really close haha.
Also any idea of the price?
kewlkatdady
09-08-2008, 09:12 PM
I really don't know... but their prices are generally fair.
sulla
09-08-2008, 09:14 PM
OK thanks:)
I saw 6-7 vail tail regular (non albino) oscars at Pet village in Duncaville this week. They've been there for a month or so...
They are around 3-4" and pretty.
I know its not "close" to Cleburne... but really what is?:hehe:
The Fish Place in Fort Worth (by Ridgmar Mall) has two lutino veiltail oscars and one regular tiger oscar veiltail. Winnie's Fish in Hurst has two regular veiltail oscars. Pet-o-Rama in Mansfield on Hwy 157 has a couple of regular veiltail oscars.
Good luck. Realize, of course, that if other fish are in the tank with a veiltail they will pick on the long finnage (which is probably why there are none like that in the wild). They're also really slow swimmers and get slower as they get older and that tail gets even longer, so they don't compete well for food.
Best wishes.
sulla
09-09-2008, 01:57 PM
Sorry didnt see your post sooner just got back from Duncanville where I picked up my veiltail. The coloring of the one I have is mainly black with a a little red. I really like the very bright red tiger strypes but have not seen them in long fin.
Also the new fish gets the 125g to himself. Atleast for now unless I can find a good tank mate for him/her.
bra8ndy8
09-09-2008, 02:00 PM
Well u know we can't wait to see pics!!!! Start a thread....and name that baby!
sulla
09-09-2008, 02:11 PM
As soon as i get some picks I will start a new thread:)
I can't wait to see the picture of the new baby. I had to order mine because none of the local stores had the one I wanted. . . that is until I paid $50 to ship one. . . then they're all over town. Murphy's Law. :)
Good luck with the baby. That's a lucky oscar to have such a nice, big, totally beautiful tank.
Best wishes!
sulla
09-09-2008, 07:01 PM
Thanks:) I will try and get pictures soon when the oscar stops pouting.
Oh yeah! They soooo do that! The babies are so bad about that. Gwenivere pouted I swear for a entire week (although she came out of it for food :)).
Thanks:) I will try and get pictures soon when the oscar stops pouting.
sulla
09-09-2008, 07:31 PM
By the way going to pick up some food wensday. Any tips?
Well, most people frown on using live feeder fish due to the disease risk in fish store feeders (and it does tend to spoil them and make you a slave for live food runs each week) but when I want to give my oscar a special treat, I get her ghost shrimp, stuff them full of green stuff (hide those veggies in the "meatloaf" roflmao). Those are cool because they live in the tank until she hunts them down and eats them (good exercise for her too). I had my pet sitter feed her those when I went out of town so I didn't have to worry about her being overfed and the tank water going icky. I also feed Hakarki Bio-Gold, Cichlid Gold, frozen bloodworms, frozen mysis shrimp and krill, frozen beefheart mixture, and live blackworms. I know they're supposed to eat defrosted peas but my girl won't. That's why I stuff her shrimp full of algae wafers and spiralina before I give them to her. Oh, and my oscar doesn't like frozen brine shrimp (or live). I guess they're all a bit different. Good luck!
sulla
09-09-2008, 08:26 PM
Great thanks for the tips. And I think you are right the ghost shrimp might be better idea than feeder fish. The only thing in my tank they could get behind the backdrop where the fish could never get to them. Or in the thicker parts of the plants. Then again that might be a good thing if they come out every so oftern where the fish can get to them haha.
masroberts9
09-12-2008, 02:30 PM
they cant stay back there forever. i had some shrimp that after about 2 months got to be 3-4 inches long and fat.
zoohouse
09-12-2008, 02:47 PM
:)I usually feed hikari gold, w/feeders and shrimp as a special snack on occassion. Ghost shrip get costly when you are talking about 12to14" oscars
masroberts9
09-12-2008, 07:35 PM
agreed! i feed hikari gold as a staple and goldfish as feeders everyother day.
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