Advice on Oscar tank size, please

[Jacky12]

Working on an under gravel vacuum system to collect in a sump. (NOT!)

 

[Andy Sager]

Working on an under gravel vacuum system to collect in a sump. (NOT!)

Nice plan but if it's in a sump, it's still in the system so no advantage. You'd need to figure a way to dump that pile while not not losing too much water on the flush but eliminating some water.

 

[Jacky12]

You’re right, on to plan B. A NASA zero gravity space toilet, aka UWMS. Will show y’all my preliminary design later.

 

[Andy Sager]

You’re right, on to plan B. A NASA zero gravity space toilet, aka UWMS. Will show y’all my preliminary design later.

 

[Jacky12]

My post here just vanished, so I’m trying again. I got a terrific deal, $200, on a used 125 G tank, stand & much equipment, better than some stuff I have. This is for the pink baby Oscar & pink baby Jack D. I’m looking for. The homemade stand, however, is the ugliest one I’ve ever seen. The husband will enclose the open areas & I'll paint it black.

Thanks, Andy for steering me in the direction of a longer tank than the 4’ one I originally planned on. My Pinks are sure to greatly appreciate their spacious accommodations.

Look at what it’s coming with & he said there’s more! I’m so excited!

EDIT

I’m resizing images now & see the equipment list is a big file. Surprised as text only. Will resize later.

 

[Andy Sager]

Nice find. Your fish will appreciate the space. Just make sure you water test it before you get the fish.
I know I am going to get some backlash on this but I know from wence I speak , I would add a layer of styrofoam ( 3/4" to 1") under the tank as large tanks can shift when they are moved and by adding the styro, it gives the base more "give" to compensate for whatever shifting may have gone on. I've seen a lot of pressure cracks on big tanks after they were moved.

 

[Jacky12]

Dang! My reply vanished or went to the wrong place.

I don’t understand what is meant by water testing. I only have 12 tanks (soon to be 13) and have never heard of such foolishness. What exactly am I testing for? The presence of extraterrestrial organisms? I understand the aliens are refining methods to infiltrate our homes, so I’ll whip out my scanning electron microscope & test the water thoroughly.

Yes! I’ve witnessed a few to foam or not to foam debates. Appears to be more common in the UK & Australia. Since you suggest it & I purchased some for never completed projects, Wilco. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Colin_T]

Nice find. Your fish will appreciate the space. Just make sure you water test it before you get the fish.
I know I am going to get some backlash on this but I know from wence I speak , I would add a layer of styrofoam ( 3/4" to 1") under the tank as large tanks can shift when they are moved and by adding the styro, it gives the base more "give" to compensate for whatever shifting may have gone on. I've seen a lot of pressure cracks on big tanks after they were moved.

Having a 1 inch thick layer of polystyrene foam under the tank also helps insulate it. You can tape sheets of polystyrene to the back and sides as well to help reduce heating loss and associated heating costs.

 

[Jacky12]

Interesting, Colin. I may try that on the backs. It would obstruct my view of the fish & look kinda ugly on the sides.

 

[Andy Sager]

Dang! My reply vanished or went to the wrong place.

I don’t understand what is meant by water testing. I only have 12 tanks (soon to be 13) and have never heard of such foolishness. What exactly am I testing for? The presence of extraterrestrial organisms? I understand the aliens are refining methods to infiltrate our homes, so I’ll whip out my scanning electron microscope & test the water thoroughly.

Yes! I’ve witnessed a few to foam or not to foam debates. Appears to be more common in the UK & Australia. Since you suggest it & I purchased some for never completed projects, Wilco. Thanks for the reminder.

I'm 99% sure you are joking here but just in case, what sometimes happens, since the glass is not melted together but bonded together with silicone so that there is small amounts of movements at the seams, if the tank stays dry for too long, the seals sometime dry out a bit making and glass movement potentially split the seam. When you have that "give" at the bottom, the tank can actually remain in the current position without needing to shift to the new base. Just because you are using the old owner's base does not mean it's going to be exactly the same level that it was at their house.
I've moved large tanks where the styro under them was not squished at the same amount showing that the tank stand might have been level but the tank leveled itself differently.

 

[Andy Sager]

Having a 1 inch thick layer of polystyrene foam under the tank also helps insulate it. You can tape sheets of polystyrene to the back and sides as well to help reduce heating loss and associated heating costs.

In my area of Florida, it gets cold in the winter but not frigid cold but when it did get cold enough to freeze, I encased my outdoor tanks in styro. Between that and good heaters in them, I lost no fish when there was ice on the ground.
So ya never underestimate the value of styrofoam. I always have some on hand.

 

[Jacky12]

Andy! Only joking about the water aliens.

I will use the styrofoam under the tank. Would the fat 2” foam be better?

I’ve heard of people breeding fish in cold basements using styrofoam on tanks; makes sense to me to do the same outdoors.

 

[Jacky12]

I find your rationale convincing, if I’m understanding correctly. Others never mentioned tank integrity, it’s always stands & floors that aren’t level. I put a yard long level on my stands that showed flat surfaces, but was told the base or floor may still be uneven. This never made sense to me. But your explanation does.

 

[Andy Sager]

Andy! Only joking about the water aliens.

I will use the styrofoam under the tank. Would the fat 2” foam be better?

I’ve heard of people breeding fish in cold basements using styrofoam on tanks; makes sense to me to do the same outdoors.

I wasn't worried about water aliens but more tank integrity.

Something people don't often think about is that the panes of glass of an aquarium are actually just 5 pieces of glass floating around with some " stuff" in between them to try and hold them together. Failures can happen. One of the nice things when Acrylic tanks come on the market is that in the end, they are one solid piece. The glue that holds acrylic actually melts the pieces into a solid piece opposed to glass. This is why using silicone on acrylic is not such a good idea.

As for what thickness styro to use, that really depends on your floor and stand. The more level your floor, the less thick your styro needs to be. Around here, the most common size available is .75" so we'd double layer that for anything 100 gallons and up. With the 2" styro, just make sure it's pliable. If you can't squeeze it, it may be too thick. In reality, the most movement you should see is only maybe 1/16" +/-. Much more than this and the tank will probably leak. So the extra thickness is to make up for leveling.

As for the insulating properties, it helps when you either have cold going directly at the tank or a breeze blowing at the tank but if you don't seal the tank in styro, it doesn't insulate much from just 1 or 2 sides. The top is actually the most important. That's where the water leaves from evaporation or bursting bubbles.

 

[Jacky12]

Since I have so much .75 around, I’ll double it. Thanks for the tip.

The acrylic tanks I’ve seen cost a bloody fortune & it’s said they scratch easily.

 

[Jacky12]

So here’s what’s happening. A local Facebook guy wants to get rid of a big & beautiful 8 yr old pink Oscar who’s in a 120 G tank with a foot long gar & some smaller fish. The Oscar is about a foot long. He wants it gone tomorrow as far as I can tell. This man is not easy to deal with. My new 125 G will not be set up until the middle of next week, maybe a bit sooner.

I have a 40 G setup now. Would it be too stressful to put the Oscar there for a few days? I’ve seen people carting them off & displaying them at fish shows in smaller tanks.

I can get a 75 G on sale at Petco for $110. Should I buy that for very short term use?

Don’t know how much it matters, but this is supposedly a highly socialized fish. The 40 G is in an active area of the house. The 75 would have to go on the floor in the guest room. Alternatively, the husband may be able to install a 4x4 support post under my living-room desk.

Another problem is I’d have to abandon my plan to raise up a baby pink Jack D with a baby pink Oscar. The pink albino Oscar is proving difficult to find. The albino tigers are far more common.

 

[Colin_T]

I would pass on the old Oscar and gar unless you really want the fish and it's cheap. The fish will only be around a couple more years before it dies of old age and you also have the gar to consider.

Moving them into a smaller tank would stress the old fish and probably cause problems.

 

[Jacky12]

I don’t want the scary looking gar. My Facebook fish buddy very much does. I don’t want anything in the tank (he has some small fish, I can’t ID) but def not feeders.
except possibly the Oscar. He is quite the gorgeous specimen. The owner is going SW & doesn’t want these fish

Everyplace I look has a different life expectancy for Oscars. Some say 10-13 years but more say 10-20. Wish I had a better handle on life span. Googling now.

O

 

[Jacky12]

i can't get a good pic from the owner's facebook video. A link from the video to here failed. he's prettier than this. i need to see him in person.

 

[Colin_T]

Oscar life span is around 10 years. It can be longer if they are kept in really clean tanks, but the average is aorund 10.