Intro and new fake saltwater tank and soon to be Oscar tank

[TMRC Exotics]

This is my first thread since joining the forums. I've been reading up and enjoying the forum. I'm now ready to post some tanks. A quick bio, I'm Steven, I've been in reptiles and fish for over 10 years. At my peak I was breeding ball pythons with over 20 morphs, selling 100,000 mealworms per month to a distributor and 500 fancy guppies (1-1.5 inch) per month. This operation while profitable was taking two entire rooms in my home and lots of my free time. In 2013 I sold off all of my pythons but 1, all of my guppy operation (tanks included $$$) and all but one of my mealworm cubicles. Im now setting back up some fish tanks for enjoyment and a possible future cichlid and oscar breeding venture.

Now to date I have setup a 20 gal high and 20 gal long which have cycled. The 20 high is a fake reef setup with young cichlids. This is a grow out tank and they will move to a 55 next. The 20 long is cycled but empty, I believe it will house some small Oscars soon. For my breeding projects I prefer to start young and grow out several fish to find my breeding stock. My current targets to breed are bumblee cichlids, kenyi cichlids and possibly some of the more expensive varieties. I have kept cichlids before but will need some advice. Some ids as well undoubtedly. I'll get some pics up now.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Here are a few shots of the two tanks. The 20 high is ran by a tetra 30 gal hang on back filter and the 20 long has a aqueon 20 gal filter.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

I need a id on both fish in the first pictures.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Here are what were sold to me as 2 bumblebees(first and second pic), a kenyi (pics 3 and 4), and a red zebra (pictured in next post). Let me know if you agree.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

The red zebra. The flash really washes his color out. He is very vibrant orange. Just his head is visible there in the left corner of the second one. Sorry for the picture quality. There cell phone pics and my phones camera has a really slow focus and for every 1 shot I get I have to delete 10.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Wy Renegade]

Welcome aboard here at A.A. Nice looking tanks and it sounds like you are aware that you will need to upgrade fairly soon as those tanks are really only suitable for fry or minimal numbers of juveniles. The I.D.s appear to be right so far, of the two unidentified fish the one with the yellow belly and horizontal strips is an auratus and the one with vertical stripes I am unfamiliar with. If your long-term goal is breeding Kenyi, you will need a 100gal long minimum. They and the auratus are extremely aggressive cichlids that exhibit high levels of conspecies as well as nonspecies aggression. The bumblebee or crabro cichlid gets very large and also will need more than a 55 gallon tank. Also, while those tanks look pretty nice now, the Africans will have a hayday rearranging them for you . Good luck with your venture.

 

[Jmunroe]

If your not familiar with oscars they grow faster than you can imagine and 1 inch and a half oscar will out grow a 20 gallon in about 2 weeks. A 20 gallon is really not suitable for even 1 oscar for any length of time at any size. For 2 oscars you'll need a minimum 125 gallon 6 foot tank with large frequent water changes. 2-3 50-75% water changes a week.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Yeah they are still tiny now. Around 1.25 inches. They will go to the 55 next and I was really hoping to get away with a 70-90 gallon as there final home. The store had the unidentified fish listed as moliro moorii

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Jmunroe]

More than one oscar will not work in a 70 or 90 gallon. Besides the foot print being to small the amount of waste they produce will hard to keep up with. 2 large oscars need more room. I keep one wild caught oscar in 125 gallon with some silver dollars and he uses that whole tank up and the tank requires 2-3 60-75% water changes a week to keep nitrates below 20ppm which is required to keep oscars and most all cichlids healthy. You can never change too much water on a tank with cichlids. Especially large cichlids.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

With the size fish I'm buying to start I'm pretty far away from needing a 125 gal. Probably 6 months to a year away from that. My initial purchase will be 3-4 1.5 inch Oscars.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Anthonysafricans]

Yes the moori is a troph n should only eat veggie flakes...otherwise will get bloat n die...n are best kept in species only tanks and second seems like you mixing lake cichlids...The troph comes from lake tanganyika and others are from Malawi. ..figure which way you want to go

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Anthonysafricans]

Here's a pix of my rainbow blue male

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Jmunroe- I am very familiar with Oscars. I've owned 4 or 5. The largest was in a custom acrylic 6×4x28in tank and was over 8in long. The 20 is a short term tank, the 55 will be used within 2 months and they will remain in it until around 5-6 inches in length. I will move them up from there. I still have the acrylic tank but It would be serious overkill at this point. Thanks a lot for your concern, these forums appear full of people who have never owned fish. I have been breeding them for 10 years. I just stuck mostly to live bearers for productivity reasons.

Staten- that is a beautiful tropheus. Yes I'm aware I'm mixing lakes and that many advise against it. I was intending a lake Malawi tank but didn't realise the troph wasn't until I had already purchased him. I have read about people keeping trophs with mbuna so I'm crossing fingers at this point. The dietary issue is something I'll have to evaluate further.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Thanks so much for all the replies. I don't mean to sound unconcerned about the size issue with tanks. I can increase to almost any size at any time. Its in the budget . I monitor water conditions closely and will know when its time to up size.

I'm currently reading up more now that I'm sure of what I have. Off to research land I go.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Jmunroe]

With the size fish I'm buying to start I'm pretty far away from needing a 125 gal. Probably 6 months to a year away from that. My initial purchase will be 3-4 1.5 inch Oscars.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Properly looked after oscars will reach a foot or close to it in a year. And they grow very fast, almost seeming to double in size over night at times. A 55 gallon will only suffice for a short period for 2 oscars like a couple or few months. A 125 gallon can house 2 oscars, the problem is getting 2 oscars to get along as they approach sexual maturity at 18 months. The most common mistake with cichlids, especially large cichlids is starting in a small tank with the intention of upgrading and not realizing just how fast it's needed. Upgrade sooner rather than later. And water change water change water change. Keep nitrates below 20ppm and feed a good pellet as the staple with greens and veggies to keep digestive tract in good working order, and of course treats like worms , grasshoppers ect. NO FEEDER FISH. Use a liquid vitamin such as Boyds vitachem and soak freeze dried krill with it and feed once or twice a week. Captive oscars need vitamin c mostly, for proper internal development and bone growth. My current oscar Chaos, I've had for 7 months and is 11 inches already. He is a wild caught which maybe contributing to his slightly quicker than normal growth. He is also far more aggressive than normal farm/tank breed oscars. All my oscars have always reached 12 inches by a year. I have been raising oscars and many other species of cichlids, as well as other fish for close to 30 years. Just trying to pass along the best way to raise these beautiful fish to get the best health for them and a less stressful time for yourself.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Thanks! Lots of great information in there. I'll get some pics up when I get my Oscars. Not sure if I want reds, tigers, albinos.. thanks for your time and input.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Jmunroe]

Your welcome

 

[Wy Renegade]

There are those on the site who have only kept fish for a short time and then there are those who have long ago lost count of the number of years they have been keeping and breeding them. The key is to figure out which is which .

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Yeah understood. I found a dragonscale betta today while Oscar hunting. Unfortunately found no quality Oscars, but I did get the betta. I had an old 1.5 gal that purposed nicely for him.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Can one of you tropheus experts enlighten me on what store bought food tropheus eat? I went to my local pet smart looking for veggie cichlid food but they all contained meat. What foods fit the bill?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Aquarium Advice mobile app