New Oscar Tank
- Thread starter Zaqyshadows
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Zaqyshadows
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Ok well amazon has a 48 for like 70 And i have heard complaints of people not getting enough depth from the light and such. Im not going for the plus model just the blue and white.
Bichir Bro
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A P. Delhezi would look nice in there…
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Zaqyshadows
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Ok so I have a new theory for setup. 2 O's, 3 rapheal, 2 Birchir, 5 silver dollars. 1 Banded leporinus. Maybe. Maybe get a Pleco but only if theres an Algae problem where I'm setting it up. Do keep in mind I have a grow tank. Its only 30 gallons but I can get them big enough to not get outgrown and eaten by the O's
Zaqyshadows
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Yeah I can see that. I like the albino Sengals but the one big one would be cool too.
LayzorBeams
Aquarium Advice FINatic
No. Its as simple as that.
OSCARS: you can manage 2 Oscars in that tank if you're careful, watchful, and willing to have them almost alone. They make an unbelievably huge mess in a short time. Its quite insane. Not to mention that they can be aggressive if overcrowded with weaker fish.
RAPHEALS: these are also pretty big fish. Almost a foot long. They are predators, and they can cause major damage if the Oscar tries to swallow them. Lot of spikes. You will also have to feed the tank at night as they almost never venture out in the day. They may eat smaller fish.
BICHIRS: big, messy, spiky, predatory. Not a great mix with others, IMO. If the O tries to eat them, he can get hurt. Bichirs don't always get along with each other. They can get 2 feet long, and have a bioload almost as big as the Oscar. They may eat smaller fish.
LEPORINUS: big, fin-nipper. This is a foot-ling fish. It nips fins. However, i could see a tank with just 2 Oscars and a Leporinus.
PLECO: size. They can be huge, and have a massive bioload, or too small to be in the tank. There isn't that many that are of appropriate size in that tank. They all have large bioloads.
Your 30 gallon grow-out can hold these fish when they are about 2 inches and then they will be too big.
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Bichir Bro
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Polypterus senegalus reach max sizes of 8-12 inches depending on tank size. Yes species do reach that size, the majority do not. Only three that I know of off hand teach that (P. endlicheri endlicheri, P. endlicheri conginicus, and P. Ansorgii and P. ornatipinnis).
Their bio load IS NOT as big as an oscars. Very little is bigger than theirs actually.
And yes they're Carnivores but again P. senegalus are generally very peaceful and only eat very small fish. Even a full grown Senegal would have a crapload of trouble eating an Oscar at its smallest size, silver dollars at their smallest size and plecos. In that stock I can virtually guarantee that a Senegal wouldn't eat anything is his chosen stock.
Now onto the plecos...there's hundreds if not thousands of pleco species out there, and yes there are plenty that can happily co-exist in that stock. Green Phantoms would be my first choice with that stock but again there's tons of them out there. There are certainly more to choose from. And you are indeed correct on their bioload. Pretty much every single one of those dudes are poop machines and can pretty easily make or break a bioload on a tank.
LayzorBeams
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ok. A few points to make.
I said that they have *almost* the amount of bioload as an O. They are messy.
Bichirs in general can eat anything the can catch. A young O with a large Bichir is food. If i can catch it, it can kill it. And then rip it up, and eat it. Ive seen it happen.
I know that Senegals are small, but he didn't say Senegals he just said Bichirs. So i was making a generalization.
However, i cannot disagree with the Pleco statement as i don't know much about the different types.
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Bichir Bro
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The op did say he likes albino senegals which is why I said that.
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nwsharksfan
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If I could hijack this thread just briefly - I had a question which is pertinent to the overall topic. I have a tank with an Oscar and a Chocolate cichlid. I've had them for about 6 years and until now I didn't think much about water movement. Do Oscars like a current? I don't have anything moving the water aside from two canister filters. Should I get a power head or wave maker?
LayzorBeams
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Zaqyshadows
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I think my filtration can handle the bioload. I am filtering at over 600 gph. With bottom agitation to kick up some of it to the filters. That's not really at question here. I think the fx6 could do it by itself IMO but I'm going above and beyond because I understand the bioload will be pretty big even for a 125. If I do get a pleco it will be a smaller one. Yes I am going to do the Sengal I think they will contrast the black moon sand well. I think 125 is plenty for two Oscars I could probably do a third. 75 is recommended for two. Im nearly double what is recommended with just some bottom dwelling fish and a small school for dither fish Im good. Im confident that water quality wont be an issue. As for the Rapheal I think its a good match for Oscars they stay under 12" and they are too wide to fit into an Oscars mouth. I think the grow tank would hold them for bigger than 2" as well. I will probably have the Birchirs and rapheal and silvers in for a while before i get my Os so I have plenty of grow time between them.
PassengerTN
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I have a striped Raphael, and a Senegalus bichir. Neither are very fast growers. Raph's are boring, I've seen mine 3 times in 5 months.
Jesse
Jesse
LayzorBeams
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Well, try what you want. But if you are keeping two Oscars in that tank with other fish that have big bioloads, like Senegals and Rapheals, you are going to have a water problem with only 600 GPH. I have 1000 GPH on my 75, with 2 HOB and a Canister, and it still gets dirty quick with only 7 fish in it total. They are all under 6 inches. Their bioload is maybe equivalent to 1 Oscar. So yeah, you better be doing 2-3 water changes a week. You will be amazed at the amount of waste even an adolescent (~8 inch) Oscar will produce, and a 14 inch fish is a food-devouring-factory of poop.
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LayzorBeams
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And btw, 75 is a minimum for ONE unless you have waaayyyyy over the top filtration on the tank, like 1400 gallons per hour. (This is the opinion of many in the hobby. Im actually fine with a smaller tank, but I'm ok with doing a lot of extra WC. Most don't have the amount of time i do to maintain the tanks, so a 75 gallon is the best practical size in water volume and dimensions.)
Some people think only a single Oscar can be kept in a 90. Ive learned from here and personal experience, that a lot of stuff can be done. However, it shouldn't really be done. I could keep and O in a 40 gal and it would live ok, but it isn't great for the fish. You have to ask yourself do you care about the health of the fish, or the amount of entertainment the tank gives you.
For me, i would feel alright with an O in a 40 with a crap ton of filters, and a lot of WC, but i would only do 2 in a 125 because of territorial issues. It isnt really a linear equation.
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Some people think only a single Oscar can be kept in a 90. Ive learned from here and personal experience, that a lot of stuff can be done. However, it shouldn't really be done. I could keep and O in a 40 gal and it would live ok, but it isn't great for the fish. You have to ask yourself do you care about the health of the fish, or the amount of entertainment the tank gives you.
For me, i would feel alright with an O in a 40 with a crap ton of filters, and a lot of WC, but i would only do 2 in a 125 because of territorial issues. It isnt really a linear equation.
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TMRC Exotics
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This is your opinion, not outright fact. I'm not opening into the dreaded Oscar tank size discussion on the ops thread but you can't equivocally state 75 is the minimum.
IN MY OPINION
A 55 is fine. With good filtration and attention to water quality a pair IMO is just fine in a 75. I have no problems with two in a 125. This is my opinion but I'm not asserting it as fact. Only my 2¢.
LayzorBeams
Aquarium Advice FINatic
True. Its not my opinion actually, i think a 55 is sufficient. I was more so saying that it is the common opinion of the a lot of people in the hobby. I will go back and revise my wording.
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Zaqyshadows
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I think its safe to say none of it is fact. Due to the diversity of Oscar personality. However what is fact Is if you have enough territory room and clean enough water for fish to be healthy and test your water regularly then your fish are going to be healthy. And I was wrong to say 600 gph. I used some calculator thing and I'm not sure how it got 600 gph. I did the math my self and I'm more like 1500 gph. 2x aquaclear 110s at 500gph and an FX6 at 500gph = 1500gph plus two fluval pluses. Which I wouldnt count much twords filtration just circulation. If I felt the need to do another pump I'm sure I could afford it before they get to adult size. If I take anything out itl be the Raphs. And maybe one of the bichirs. But the dither fish are semi necessary and SDs dont have a big bioload. I just want the bichir because I like them. I did want a bottom feeder but im not sure if its necessary with sand. Plus ill be doing the Clams. Will O's eat FW Lobsters?
ImACoolguy
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+1 don't expect to see it much. I had one and it hid 24/7. That's a fish you go to the tank at 2am with a flashlight to see.
Caleb
