550L+ What To Do?

[GShorty1981]

Seriously why do you think i have not kept Oscars before?

I kept 2 to adult size 'ronnie and reggie, one lutino the other normal tiger) going back about 10 years ago in a 4ftx2ftx2ft tank, it was plenty big enough, and plenty of room to turn around, i kept them with a 18" Gibbi Plec.

I did have a juvi with my Severum pairs in my 6ftx2ftx2ft last year but he got killed.

But all in all i'm not a fan of them.

And as for the reverse psychology Mattlee, it was you having a hissy fit over my opinion, and you picked on me in particular despite 3 or 4 people agreeing with me and stating the same thing.

4ft tanks are not ideal, but they are doable and certainly not cruel.

Seriously if I'm not allowed to write that, then ban me.

 

[mattlee]

"reverse psychology Mattlee, it was you having a hissy fit" - far from it i just believe that fish keepers and any other animals that are kept under our control should be properly cared for and my opinion is that a 4ft tank isnt enough room for a 1ft fish to live in and move about in let alone when there are 2 of them. we all have our opinions which makes us different people

the reason i was unsure if you had kept not just oscars but larger fish in general is because having owned a large oscar for a while now i can clearly see that to put him in a 4ft tank just wouldnt be fair and cruel on the fish. keeping fish in tanks in its own way is cruel compared to their natural habitat so the least we can do is offer them a decent home which in my eyes is a tank that isnt too small so the fish cant even swim at any speed before crashing into the glass or wood or any other ornaments etc.

no body said you cant write things that again is what the forum is for isnt it and ban you well thats out of my control im affraid.......

you stick to big fish in small tanks and ill stick to big fish in big tanks. we have both aired our thoughts on this topic which im sure the op is now pretty confused about but as he has the fish already they will live in this tank. for how long well thats up to him to decide but i dont really see the point in buying a fish growing it up and selling it because it will be too big for a tank.... this happens too much with oscars and this is the reason there are loads that are given back to lfs or sold on for pennies. why not just get fish that can live their lives out in a decent sized tank and give it the best life you can!

 

[GShorty1981]

Still a 4ftx2ftx2ft is hardly grounds for you to be pulling the 'mistreating animals card'

Heres some sound advice

Chill the F out and give opinions, not have a paddy over something you don't agree with, my opinion is different to yours, you are entitled to yours as i am mine, i'm not arguing your opinion because a certain degree of what you are saying is true, just keep it less dramatic.

 

[mattyvx]

Ok with that settled... back to more questions about fish!

I've started cycling the tank and waiting for the sand to settle. I'm buying a new heater(s) for tank and was wondering how many i'll need for a tank this size.

I'm thinking of getting 2x Rena Smart 300w or perhaps one 300w and another external filter with built in heater to kill two birds with one stone of additional heating wattage and filtration as reccomended. What do you guys think?

Anyone use external filter/heater combos or reccomend a good one?

Don't want to be breaking the bank here but I want to make sure i've got the right setup!

 

[kaivalagi]

I like external heaters, I have 1 x Hydor ETH 200W and 1 x Hydor ETH 300W (I bought the 200W for a smaller tank)...I have these hooked up to 2 x Tetratec EX1200 external filters and as a package it all works well for me.

Now, I'm not saying this is the optimum setup for you, you already have an Ehiem filter anyway Not sure whether the filter you have is great for the job on it's own or not to be honest? Lots of people rate FX5 for their filtration power and they do look good, also there is the Ehiem camp too who rate Ehiem above all others for quality and noise mostly it seems.

One thing to bear in mind is that the hose diameters on all these filters can vary and so can the connectors on the external heaters, so you need to make sure what you get will marry together well

If I were you I would go off and read independent reviews on the filters and heaters where ever you can find them and make your own mind up, too often this sort of question turns into personal opinion and unnecessary bias.

For 150G IMHO you really ought to have 2 fairly hefty heaters, it makes sense anyway as in the colder months the temperature difference between tank and house at night can get quite high and if one heater fails you'll still have a tank kept warm. Also just because you have a lot of heater watts it doesn't mean it will use any more jiuce than without, the heaters will likely be on for smaller periods of time

 

[simonas]

I think you need a chat with a moderator.

Theres no reason why i shouldn't be here other than you telling me.

Maybe i shouldn't be here, you make this place seem very unfriendly and you have a really bad attitude.

Can we stop with the bickering please on this thread. Fortunately the OP has asked relevant questions and been given advice of differing schools of thought. Thats the beauty of opinions but please no more name calling otherwise I shall have to pull the thread which would be ashame as the OP is doing the correct thing, asking questions and learning

Being an ex keeper of a pair of oscars I also have to agree that the 4ft is too small in the long term but for now should be ok for a while. Its clear the OP understands that it won't be enough for the future

Simon

 

[mattlee]

Still a 4ftx2ftx2ft is hardly grounds for you to be pulling the 'mistreating animals card'

depends on what your putting inside it doesnt it.......?

anyway. heaters.

ive never used external heaters but hear good things about them and it also makes the tank look less cluttered so i would really think about them but as stated in a previous reply check the hose width on the filter and its compatability with the heater. i dont think you will get one to fit an FX5 as the hoses are quite large, if you do then im sure people will be willing to know where you got it and how it performs.

internal heaters - i cant reccomend rena smart heaters enough. they are very well built and very accurate and wont burn any fish that decide to rest on them due to the materials they are made of. you can also perform a water change without worrying about unpluging the heater as it will automatically shut down when the water level drops past a certain point marked on the heaters. they are also apparently unbreakable.

 

[karin]

Please OP, start a new thread.

I like all you guys and have learned so much from all of you by listening and reading and listening and asking questions.

Please start a new thread.

 

[GShorty1981]

Nah don't start a new thread, despite me and Mattlees bickering, i think we both had some valid points that should be interesting to the OP, we didn't agree on everything, but theres some good info there.

I respect Mattlees opinion, and i do agree with it.

But i also do think that a 4x2x2 is just enough room, but on thinking about it, i suppose it would probably be suitable for 1 not 2, so i agree to certain degree.

No matter whats been said, the debate has been quite interesting.

 

[always4lora]

internal heaters - i cant reccomend rena smart heaters enough. they are very well built and very accurate and wont burn any fish that decide to rest on them due to the materials they are made of. you can also perform a water change without worrying about unpluging the heater as it will automatically shut down when the water level drops past a certain point marked on the heaters. they are also apparently unbreakable.

Agree with this i have 3 of them and have had them in a tank with rays and not had any heater burn, they are industrubtable. Eheim do some good heaters but they get bloody hot and will burn any fish that gets near so if you want power go with these and put a heater gaurd on.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Wow, what an interesting thread

OK, so as someone who keeps an Oscar in an unconventional size tank, maybe you'd like my opinion.

I currently have a 9 1/2" Oscar, who is happy as larry in a 36x36x30 tank - so 3ft long, 3ft wide, 2.5ft high. Unusual dimensions yes, but the tank was bought for the last house we lived in with the intention of staying there a long time. However it didn't work out and we have now moved again.

My Oscar is perfectly happy in his current tank, he put on a big growth spurt when he went in here (started off in a 50g as a weeny baby while we waited for the big tank to be built) and has grown superbly. He shares it with quite a few other cichlids, and occupies mostly the top levels of the tank (as that's where the food comes in - he's not stupid!), occasionally going down the bottom etc.

Now I am going to order a 6ftx2ftx2ft tank for them. Not because my O is unhappy, but more so that I'd like it in a different position, and we have a lovely wall space in our new dining room for it I can also keep all my stock for as long as they get on

So - an Oscar in a 4x2x2 - OK for one for a while with careful consideration to any other fish. Would not be enough for life though. Bare in mind that my O is about a year old and 9 1/2". I have had him since he was not much more than a dot He was about an inch including tail when I got him

I'd over filter - so would get an FX5. I run two FX5's on my tank. Oscars are heavy waste producers and incredibly messy eaters.

Heaters - two 300w would be good. Steer clear of the Fluval ones with the temperature on tho as they are crap.

Oh and real plants with an Oscar - I take it that was a joke?! Silk or plastic. And expect them to get rearranged if you don't put them where the Oscar wants them. A happy Oscar is very playful and interactive. I have gravel in my tank and that's nice and easy to clean with a load of messy cichlids in.

Anyone who says that Oscars are boring obviously don't keep them in ideal conditions. A happy Oscar is one of the most interesting fish you can own.