Planning For An Oscar

[holidayinn]

I have a 4*1.5*1 foot tank. It has a few platys, cories and tetra in it.

I used to have an oscar fish which came with the tank, unfortunately he passed away some time ago. Since then I have a small tropical community in this tank, as I have learnt that a 55 gallon is the minimum for an oscar. I like the fish in the tank but wish to own another Oscar. I have spoken to my lfs and they have agreed to take on the tropical fish. On a tangent - Would a different lfs in England offer credit for fish you bring in? Would they re-sell them or dispose of them?

So I have been pestering the parents for a while to let me upgrade my tank and they have finally agreed. I am looking to purchase a 5 foot tank, 2 foot high and 20-24 inches wide. This should give me a capacity of 120 gallons+ depending on what dimensions I end up with.

I am actively looking to purchase a tank and am 100% positive I shall have it by the turn of the year. In the meantime I am thinking of stocking my existing tank with some of the fish I’d like to keep with an oscar.

I have heard several opinions of what can be kept with an oscar and what can’t. I read one post where a member had kept a gourami with an oscar from birth and to this day the oscar hasn’t touched that particular gourami, anything else he put in at a later date, was munch for the oscar (not that i plan to put in a gourami).

I am thinking of the following setup:

3-4 clown loaches
2-3 silver dollars/tin foil barbs
1 JD and 1 oscar or 2 oscars
Pleco

Obviously, the quantity and type of fish will all depend on the size of the tank I purchase, filtration, water changes etc.

I have heard other possible suggestions such as bala sharks, severums and convicts. Would these be suitable for 120 gallon tank? Would they be compatible with the oscar?

I am thinking of purchasing a few clown loaches, roughly 3 inches in size, I’ve been told they take a while to grow, I am thinking of purchasing them now so they can grow to a better size when a baby oscar arrives. However, I have been told that clown loaches are really bad to cycle a tank. I won’t be cycling a new tank, rather upgrading. The gravel, filter and majority of water would be well-established. I would have to fill the rest of the fivefooter with de-chlorinated water. How likely would it be in this case that the clown loaches would survive? Can you suggest an alternative method?

Your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[ox5477]

well for any shoal of dither fish (sd's, bala's, tin foils, clown loaches) I would recommend a shoal of atleast 5-6 individuals. This makes them feel more secure.

A sev with the o will prob work as long as they are raised together. A JD even maybe too... but this depends on your dithers. Balas and Tin foils can grow large and with 6 of them in a tank... it doesnt leave much room for too many other large fish...

I would go with 1 oscar or 6.... the reasoning... 2-4 oscars will beat up eachother cause lots of damage.... 1 oscar will feel secure and will only have to compete with other fish in the tank and not feel worried about another member of its species. 6 works for finding a breeding pair.... but for this, a very large tank of roughly 300G+ is needed as it takes longer for oscars to pair off. So I would say your route needs only 1 oscar.

Well if you have mature media already on the one tank and are going to transfer it over to the big tank... as long as you start with small stocking amounts (begin with dither fish, add the cichlids last and together so territories can be established) and slowly add more as time progresses, you shouldnt see any large spikes in your bioload and the new filter should grow bacteria and you shouldnt have to worry about any mini-cycles.

Ox