Oscar Housing

[Miss Wiggle]

you have to remember though that a tank is far from the most expensive bit of kit you'll need. the filters, heaters, lights etc will be more expensive. I don't think it's something that's really worth cutting corners on. I'd rather go for something a few inches wider and deeper to give them that little bit of extra room. Fair enough your fish might not get to 18"..... but if it does??? are you seriously gonna be able to give him up and take him back to teh store cos your tanks not big enough..... i'll bet not, so I'd say get something that's big enough for worst possible scenario.

If your 13 and strapped for cash your gonna have to face facts you'll need to save up for a while to get good enough filtration etc, so just save up a little while longer than planned and get a slightly bigger tank.

 

[KathyM]

I would think if you're planning ahead on getting a particular species, you'd want to get the optimum setup for them, not just barely adequate, or cramping them in something too small. Obviously if your priority isn't the fish, then you might feel fine about it. We were asked for advice and can only go on what we feel is best. Most experienced oscar keepers recommend 75g for one oscar, and 125g for 2. If you want to keep one in smaller, you should at least be aware it's not recommended. Recommended filatration for adult oscars is 5 times turnover.

 

[tetraman]

Thanks. I am in total disarray right now. I have $100, so I can buy a 10 or 20 gallon tank, but for the life of me I can't decide what I would do with it. The Iieas so far have been:

Killifish
Cory breeding
Zebra danio breeding
Goldfish
Nano reef
Seahorses

The list goes on.

 

[TurboVtec93]

I see you want a nano reef but youll need alot more then $100 sorry to say. Its hard to even find marine fish under $20. If I were you I would just keep saving and read up on different kinds of fish in the meantime. Just my $.02

-Alex

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks. I am in total disarray right now. I have $100, so I can buy a 10 or 20 gallon tank, but for the life of me I can't decide what I would do with it. The Iieas so far have been:

Killifish
Cory breeding
Zebra danio breeding
Goldfish
Nano reef
Seahorses

The list goes on.

Ok well you can get rid of those 3 for a start

goldfish need 40g+.... yes really
nano reef and seahorses is gonna cost you well over $100 so if you haven't the money to do it properly don't do it at all.

I'd maybe go with breeding cory's, it's a nice little idea.

 

[tetraman]

The cories or the killifish are the ones I'm seriously considoring. I saw some beautiful species of both groups on Aquabid. Couldn't you keep one or two bubble-eye goldfish in a 10 or 20 gallon tank? They stay at five or six inches.

 

[Bomberman]

NO STILL BUBBLE EYES ARE STILL GOLDFISH I HAVE ONE SINGLE GOLDFISH (BLACK MOOR 8+ INCHES) IN A 45 GALLON AND HES DOING GREAT AND I AGRRE WITH MISS WIGGLE ON HER POINT ABOUT THE TANK THING WHAT IF THEY DO GET TO 18' INCHES THEN WHAT. AND PLUS IF YOU ONLY CAN DO A 10-20 GALLON THERE IS TONS OF FISH YOU COULD TRY LIKE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TETRAS!~??



SORRY BOUT THE CAPS BUTTON STUCK ON CAPS LOCK GRRRRR

 

[tetraman]

I'm going to a dedicated fish store today and they have things like fancy plecos and all other niceties that pet stores don't bother to stock. I've been begging my mom to bring me for months.

 

[LisaLQ]

I think you've done the right thing. Oscars need big tanks (contrary to the opinion of the person with the 4 x 18 x 18 who's posted) as they are big fish, make a big mess, and have a big attitude. To be an oscar owner you need a big budget too

I have no idea how those pairs of oscars and other cichlids coped in such a small tank (4ft). I kept one oscar, and an intermedium - neither were fully grown - in a 125g (6ft x 18 x 18 with a plec and dithers) - and had to give them up as at even that size the upkeep was too much (with an FX5, another external running at 1300lph and two internals running at 1000lph and twice weekly water changes). I dont have millions to spend on tanks, my even bigger tank only cost £100 I think on Ebay, and that I had to save up for! Contrary to popular belief, you dont have to be a millionaire to be responsible and give these fish what they need.

I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than that tank size for a pair of adults, and only then if you have the time and energy to be very strict with cleaning and upkeep. And only then with a pair raised together from babies, or a breeding pair.

I'm of the opinion that if you cant provide what the fish you want need, you should think about different fish. It's should be about what's best for the fish, not how many you can cram in a tank for the effect (note - this isn't to the OP as I am impressed they've taken the responsible approach in the end).

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks. I am in total disarray right now. I have $100, so I can buy a 10 or 20 gallon tank, but for the life of me I can't decide what I would do with it. The Iieas so far have been:

Killifish
Cory breeding
Zebra danio breeding
Goldfish
Nano reef
Seahorses

The list goes on.

Well, the cory or zebra danios breeding are possibilities, as long as you have tank space elsewhere to move the parents too as soon as they have spawned- or they will eat the eggs.
Killifish opens up a lot of possibilities too- ask in the oddballs forum.
The advantage of these three is that they can be done more or less on the cheap- obviously you're going to need to condition the parents and keep babies and parents separate, and provide baby food, but that's not a massive outlay.

Another idea might be trying to breed peacock gobies, very nice-looking fish, not that expensive, and you could sell the offspring probably quite easily.

 

[jayjay]

Dwarfgourami, it's not really necessary to move most cories after spawning as they don't eat their eggs IME. Just thought I'd say.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Dwarfgourami, it's not really necessary to move most cories after spawning as they don't eat their eggs IME. Just thought I'd say.

Mine always do. But I should have phrased it more carefully, as noot all species are equally prone.

 

[tetraman]

I've read that some do, but aenaus cories usually don't.

The updated list:

Cory breeding
Bolivian ram breeding
Killifish breeding

I'm probably breeding the Bolivian ram because I already have a male and a female, and it seems like they're starting to pair.