Calling all 55-75-90 gallon tank owners

[wilson]

I was just wondering anyone with these size tanks, if you could post pictures o the aquascaping and then describe ur set up(filtration etc.). I may be setting up one of these size tanks for an oscar and would like to get lots of different ideas and looks.

[madasafish]

I've got a 55 planted. Check out my gallery. Aquascaping a 55 is difficult, because the tank has little depth. A 75 or 90 is a much better option, as these offer depth, and allow for layering plants, rocks, driftwood, decorations.

[wilson]

i like it. It all depends on what my mom says for tank size. I am going to try to talk her into take me to a few [acronym:ef1806d237="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:ef1806d237]' to get some ideas about different tanks and the size and price. Hoeuflly this will get her involved a bit and she will enjoy it as mcuh as i do. I Like the plants but i think i am going to go with fake plants as the oscars may rip them up.

[Keeper]

Check out AquariumFreaks 90gal planted. Really sweet

[wilson]

that looks really good. Thanks for pointing his tank out.

[poppab02]

If you want an Oscar you need to go with at least a 75 gallon otherwise it's going to outgrow the tank

[wilson]

Not according to oscarfish.com, They say 1 oscar requires a 55g, two a 75, and three a 125.

One Oscar

Most aquarists agree that a 55 US gallon tank is the absolute minimum tank size to house an adult oscar. This is because a smaller tank simply does not have enough water in it to dillute the waste produced by the oscar. It is also because a smaller tank simply does not have enough room for the oscar to swim. A standard 55 [acronym:182b7eb86a="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:182b7eb86a] tank is about 4 feet (122 cm) long and one foot (30 cm) wide. Since an average Oscar grows to about 12 inches (30 cm), a 55 [acronym:182b7eb86a="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:182b7eb86a] barely provides room to turn, and provides a straight line swimming distance of about 4 body lengths, which is not much.

I am going to try for a 75g but if my mom olny lets me get a 55g one oscar should be fine as it will be the only fish in the tank.

[Menagerie]

Most people will agree that the MINIMUM for an oscar is 50;although, the bigger, the better.
You can check out my gallery (don't laugh at my pics ) to see how I set up my 80 [acronym:23a0a82436="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:23a0a82436] for Mbuna cichilds.

[ferret]

There is no such thing as "aquascaping" if an oscar is in the tank. He will uproot any plants you put in the tank, real or not.

Find you one nice chunk of driftwood for a center piece, a natural looking gravel/substrate, and you'll be set. Anything more will just get torn up by the oscar. You might consider throwing a plastic plant or two in but don't bother to bury it, he'll just dig it up. He'll play with them if you let them float around though.

I'll post photo later.

[jratuszn]

You can check out my setup in my gallery. I've had [acronym:741e8c9cde="Activated Carbon"]AC[/acronym:741e8c9cde]'s in it, but I think it'd work well for any large cichlid. The terrestrial plants really help keep nitrates low, too, so it'll help with messy oscars.

-J