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oscar question

1K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  OscarLoverJim 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
haha, thanks guys! ummm, i'm expecting to be getting a 55 gallon tank soon. i wanted to have oscars, (1 albino and 1 tiger) is it ok to have 2? and any tips about keeping them?

Moderator's edit: this post was copied from another thread to start a new thread in the more appropriate "Cichlid" section.
 
#3 ·
Yeah you definitely can't have 2 in a 55 gallon.

I am presently keeping a single oscar and nothing else in a 55 but I have major filtration going and really keep up on my water changes (I also have no gravel nor sand so it's easier to eliminate wastes plus adds some more total water to the system). My oscar is at this writing 6 months old, I raised him/her in the 55 from a couple inches long. In general a 55 is the bare minimum for a lone oscar (no pleco no nuthin' else) unless the oscar grows to be a real tank buster. Should mine turn out to be so long s/he can't turn around in the tank without a nose up or down I'll have to get at least a 75.
 
#4 ·
IMO 1 oscar is too big for a 55 gallon. For a fish that can potentially reach 14" they wouldn't even be able to turn around. I think it would be a good growout tank but no for the long run. SOme people say even a 10" jack dempsey would be too much for a 55. A 75 is much better for a single oscar and maybe some very small tankmates. For two I would aim for a 6ft tank or atleast 120 gallons. These guys have a heavy bioload and need water to swim.
 
#5 ·
I've been keeping oscars for a long time, one at a time, successfully. In general I agree a 75 gallon would certainly be better and larger better still. But if environmental care is maintained and the oscar doesn't become a true tank buster an oscar can be kept in a 55 without too much guilt. I know people who keep oscars in much larger tanks who have sicker fish than I've ever had because they don't keep up on their water quality, don't feed appropriately, etc.

I actually wouldn't put anything in a 75 with a single oscar. Especially not a pleco as I've seen many do, a pleco and an oscar are two fish with horrendous bioloads.
 
#8 ·
thanks for all the advice guys! i purchased a 55 gallon with dual aqua tech 30-60 power filters, an air pump/air stone, a 300 watt heater, gravel, TONS of decorations, and all the other essentials for $100.00!!!! when he out grows the tank i'll sell it and get a 75 or 95 gallon tank. but thanks alot!
-NoaDon12 :D
 
#9 ·
Yeah there's always selling the 55 to step up. Should I end up getting a 75 or 95 I'll sell my 55 and stand, my stand is one of those old classic metal 'L' brace frames you can't find anymore.

Actually a standard 75 is no longer than a standard 55, just wider, so it only affords more turning room for a larger oscar. My not using substrate (the bottom glass of my tank I painted a sand copper color) gives the tank system a good deal more water (by whatever volume the substrate would have displaced) and makes it a lot easier to keep the solid wastes an oscar invariably produces under control.

NoaDon I really would strongly suggest though you get quite a bit more filtration, looks like you got the same 55 gallon kit I got a few months back including that Aquatech 30-60. I started a thread discussing the bio-pads used in that filter
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/bio-pads-vs-bio-wheels-vs-47489/
I promise you they won't be enough biological filtration (or for that matter mechanical filtration) for an oscar. It will be impossible for you to keep up on your water parameters and your oscar will develop HITH (hole in the head) disease.

I don't want to discourage you or bum you out, oscars are wonderful fish to keep and well worth the extra work required to keep them healthy. Good luck.
 
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