Maximum Substrate Depth

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

well i have come up with a dilemma.......
I am getting a new tank so i can put in two Oscars, the tank is 75 gal
(4' x 20" x 20") One Albino Tiger and one normal Tiger.
I was reading stuff about Oscars and this site i went to reckons a maximum 1/4" of gravel
WHAT my tanks usually have between 1"-3" of gravel (Depending on my fishes mood )

I want some nice DEEP black gravel because i think it brings out the fishes colours. Is this maximum depth right for any particular reason? Tanks look much bette with deep gravel as the fish can make its own landscape, especially in the Oscars case.

This is rackin' my brain and im soooo confused any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[fufanu360]

i tink that was for sand, u can have as deep of gravel as u want, to an extent

 

[mwm]

I have no idea why there would be a maximum depth? In the wild im pretty sure there isnt glass under the dirt and shat in the lakes

 

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

Yeah thanks for that.
I was just checking to make sure. Can i place a link to the site? to show you what i mean? I just want the best for my little guys.

Cheers

 

[impur]

They are going to move it all over the tank and dig big holes so it really doesn't matter how deep it is.

 

[Vip]

Agreed with Impur, doesnt matter about the depth there going to dig it up anyway so you can put as much as you want really.

 

[freddyk]

I agree, you have nothing to worry about, though it is true that less gravel is easier to keep cleaner - the more gravel you have, the more crud will build up in it.

What an odd size tank, I worked it out to 83 gallons.

 

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

odd size? cool
at my LFS it is a standard size, maybe tank sizes are diferent in aus?
you think its ok to have those 2 Oscars in the tank right? they will be ok fully grown with 2 Bristlenose Plecs?
could i add something else in there too? like a columbian shark?
all my fish will be 1" when i buy them in 2 days. Im not 100% on the shark idea but have heard many great reviews on them and thught they would be a great addition.

 

[mwm]

I would say no for columbian shark because when they get big they need to be brakish. And ya in my tank my fish have dug big holes there patches of glass everywhere

 

[Opcn]

The 1/4 inch gravle people are the same as the bare bottom people, they are to lazy to vacume out the gravle, I think thats a bad idea for cichlids because they love to dig, it would be like not useing a blanket because you have to wash it. Gravle Away my friend

 

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

not sure if i'm allowed to do this but, heres the link B)

http/www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/...oscars.htm#top2

scroll down the page until it tells you about what the Oscar needs then you will see 1/4" of gravel MAXIMUM

 

[mwm]

Weird i have 1" and i want more gravel its funny to watch them dig it up

 

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

yeah i got my tank today (x-mas) and i need to wait 1 week for it to dry (custom tank and silicone is wet)
Im so happy the only problem is that i dont have a stand for it and the table i have is apparently too weak, i thought it would hold it but its a no-no, it has metal legs and everything.

Anyway i have ordered in two Oscars for the tank and asked for them to be as small as possible. First i will cycle the tanbk with about 10 neons?

Just so happy i finally got it after much anticipation!!!!! i have been waiting for a big tank for an oscar for 8 years (im 17 now so that means since i was 9!!!)

 

[gadazobe]

Congrats on the new tank, but I do have a couple of doubts. First is - neons are not suitable for cycling a tank, they are too delicate and second, your oscars will grow too big for that size tank. IMO it's suitable for 1 oscar only.

 

[Yellow Bartail Grunter]

ok cheers, i just thought neons because they are the cheapest fish at my LFS.
and today i saw at my local fishing SUPPLY shop they had a tank i think about 30 gal tall (if not less) which had two bala sharks, 3 yabbies (freshwater cray type things but small), 1 mbuna i think it was a Labidochromis freibergi? and one pleco which was about 30 cm

I couldnt beleive they all lived in there and they were peaceful too!!!

My fish got itch last night and i put in medicine today. The itch was so bad
i dont know if they will pull through. Their bodies were absolutely covered in it!
I put in some stuff which had malachite green (i think that is the main ingridient)
at 2.4mg/ml? something like that.

anyway ill post soon to update you on their health!