Need Help Choosing The Right Fish Tank!

[bobbybrown93]

Hello there, i'm new to the forum so forgive me if im posting in the wrong section but basically im looking to upgrade to a bigger fish tank and bigger fish, but was wondering if i was to choose to have Oscars, what size tank should i consider to get? Because i know Oscars can grow pretty large!
Also if i couldnt accomodate the right size fish tank for oscars, do you have any other ideas on what relatively large fish i could consider?
Many thanks!

 

[twodoctors]

Oscar gets to about 1 foot, so people usually say about 5ft or more. More info may help.

Adrian

 

[bobbybrown93]

okay thanks, but doe

okay thanks, but does having to smaller tank for the fish's growth kill the fish eventually? see i was thinking of getting a 190 litre jewel corner tank but wasn't sure if it was to small to keep oscars in!
Thanks for replying though!

Bobby

 

[matt_storey]

way too small to keep an oscar in, you will stunt its growth and kill it.

keep a couple of firemouth cichlids or maybe a group of malawis

 

[twodoctors]

I was in a similar situation as you when I started in December. My 215L was from eBay and I thought it was a big tank and can keep most things (at £100 inc cabinet can't really argue!). I was hoping to get a JD or green terror. I started with Sajica, then firemouth. I had a pair of sajicas which were actually fine, until I kept disturbing their cave to clean it, and they had a domestic and separated. They never bothered my other fishes at the time (tiger barbs and rainbowfishes). They only did a bit of chasing when the others got too close. Had to move them on. Then I bought a firemouth, which was initially fine, then when I added a second thinking it was the opposite sex, things turned a bit "nasty". The new (and slightly smaller) one kept being chased away by the first one, to a point where I decide to return both. Now I have 3-spot gouramis as my "centre piece(s)" fish. No fighting. I can even keep shrimps in there.

Mbuna are aggressive. Most cichlids are also quite aggressive, but there are more "peaceful" ones out there. Peacocks are quite nice too. What I would advise you is have a good look around and see what is available in your LFS. Also find a friendly LFS who would be willing to take fish back if things don't work out. One way of doing this is to ask them to recommend a type of cichlids for you. Ask them for advice. That way if things go wrong they would be more willing to take fish back.

Good luck and have fun!

Adrian

 

[bobbybrown93]

TO: matt_storey

i thought it might have been a bit small
Ahh well, i have looked at those firemouth cichlids and they look real nice! What sort of size will they grow to?

bobby

 

[bobbybrown93]

I was in a similar situation as you when I started in December. My 215L was from eBay and I thought it was a big tank and can keep most things (at £100 inc cabinet can't really argue!). I was hoping to get a JD or green terror. I started with Sajica, then firemouth. I had a pair of sajicas which were actually fine, until I kept disturbing their cave to clean it, and they had a domestic and separated. They never bothered my other fishes at the time (tiger barbs and rainbowfishes). They only did a bit of chasing when the others got too close. Had to move them on. Then I bought a firemouth, which was initially fine, then when I added a second thinking it was the opposite sex, things turned a bit "nasty". The new (and slightly smaller) one kept being chased away by the first one, to a point where I decide to return both. Now I have 3-spot gouramis as my "centre piece(s)" fish. No fighting. I can even keep shrimps in there.

Mbuna are aggressive. Most cichlids are also quite aggressive, but there are more "peaceful" ones out there. Peacocks are quite nice too. What I would advise you is have a good look around and see what is available in your LFS. Also find a friendly LFS who would be willing to take fish back if things don't work out. One way of doing this is to ask them to recommend a type of cichlids for you. Ask them for advice. That way if things go wrong they would be more willing to take fish back.

Good luck and have fun!

Adrian

Thanks very much for your reply! But yeah, im at a point where there are so many fish i'd love to get but they all require different things! e.g certain sized tanks etc! But i think what you said about going to my LFS is the best thing to do, i'm pretty sure they'd take fish back if things didn't go to well too! Well hopefully...
Many thanks!

Bobby

 

[twodoctors]

I was in a similar situation as you when I started in December. My 215L was from eBay and I thought it was a big tank and can keep most things (at £100 inc cabinet can't really argue!). I was hoping to get a JD or green terror. I started with Sajica, then firemouth. I had a pair of sajicas which were actually fine, until I kept disturbing their cave to clean it, and they had a domestic and separated. They never bothered my other fishes at the time (tiger barbs and rainbowfishes). They only did a bit of chasing when the others got too close. Had to move them on. Then I bought a firemouth, which was initially fine, then when I added a second thinking it was the opposite sex, things turned a bit "nasty". The new (and slightly smaller) one kept being chased away by the first one, to a point where I decide to return both. Now I have 3-spot gouramis as my "centre piece(s)" fish. No fighting. I can even keep shrimps in there.

Mbuna are aggressive. Most cichlids are also quite aggressive, but there are more "peaceful" ones out there. Peacocks are quite nice too. What I would advise you is have a good look around and see what is available in your LFS. Also find a friendly LFS who would be willing to take fish back if things don't work out. One way of doing this is to ask them to recommend a type of cichlids for you. Ask them for advice. That way if things go wrong they would be more willing to take fish back.

Good luck and have fun!

Adrian

Thanks very much for your reply! But yeah, im at a point where there are so many fish i'd love to get but they all require different things! e.g certain sized tanks etc! But i think what you said about going to my LFS is the best thing to do, i'm pretty sure they'd take fish back if things didn't go to well too! Well hopefully...
Many thanks!

Bobby

We've all been there I'm sure.

Some people match their fish to their water parameter (like me). For example my pH is 7.8 so I know tetras won't thrive in my tank as they do better in acidic water. Some people believe that most tank bred fish are ok in most pH. Some believe that if they survive in your LFS (which should have pretty similar water parameters as yours if you don't live too far from them) then they should do well in your tank too. Something to think about when you choose your fish.

Adrian

 

[myrtle]

I'd definitely recommend matching the fish to the water as you can spend a fortune and a lot of time trying to change your water and still not succeed. Do you have hard or soft water? What pH is it? I have very hard water with a pH of around 7.5 so researching fish that suited my water was where I started. Most fish will adapt to a different pH etc so long as it is stable but others will just gradually get ill and die in unsuitable water parameters. Test your water and that will narrow your choices making the decision a little easier, especially if you haven't yet set your heat on something

 

[bobbybrown93]

I'd definitely recommend matching the fish to the water as you can spend a fortune and a lot of time trying to change your water and still not succeed. Do you have hard or soft water? What pH is it? I have very hard water with a pH of around 7.5 so researching fish that suited my water was where I started. Most fish will adapt to a different pH etc so long as it is stable but others will just gradually get ill and die in unsuitable water parameters. Test your water and that will narrow your choices making the decision a little easier, especially if you haven't yet set your heat on something

Yeah, well i will definatley keep this is mind when it comes to actually getting my new tank! Plus this makes it a whole lot easier choosing my fish knowing certain fish won't do so well in certain ph levels!
Thanks alot for your help!

Bobby