not even a year into it... but i love it. comment!!!!!!!!!!

[newnut]

let me know what you think... here's my story...

inventory... a bottom feeder that's about 6-8 months old.. he's about 7-8 inches long and the current king of the castle. also... a claw frog that's about 6-7 months old.. he's getting BIG about 6 inches long and fat
about 2 weeks ago i got a baby (small) oscar, and one of those black bubble eyed butterfly tailed goldfish (what's their officaial name? i've heard moorehead????) the guy at the pet store said they'd co-exist, but i'm sad to report that the "moorehead" is now missing an EYE the guy on the phone says the oscar did it..... and that he'll be ok. (will he?)

so i decided that the oscar needs to be separated.. i got me a 55 gallon tank today (and an angelfish, plus 2 more goldfish types) for all the fish except the oscar,, he'll live in the old 29 gal tank. i also got him a pal.. another oscar. basically 2 kid oscars... they seem to love each other so far, but i wonder what'll happen once they grow up?

as of this moment (because of the 'dirty' shells/rocks i bought) the 55 gal is being filtered until the water isn't so CLOUDY... so ALL of them are in the 29 gallon tank...

question time:
will those 2 oscars be able to co-exist in a 29 gallon tank?
the 55 gallon tank has one filter.. one that's, i don't know, 6-7 inches wide.. is that enough?
the 29 gal has one that's 4-5 inches wide.. how about that?
my bubble eyed guy that's missing an eye... is he OK??????? i got some MELAFIX for him.. but is that going to harm the others at all?
how many years do you think you need under your belt until you look towards salt water..? (i love those tanks and can't wait to get there)
i picked up sixteen 12 cent feeder fish.... within 4 days they were all eaten. i never saw anyone eat them.. i'm guessing the frog ate them, but maybe the oscar did? how often should i treat them to feeders? i'd think that if they like em, why not all the time??

please.. any "newbie" advice on my situation is much appreciated.. i love this stuff...

 

[Guest]

Tip 1: the fish store doesn't always know what they're talking about

Those two oscars *alone* will need more than 55 gal when they get big. Plus, Angelfish, Goldfish, and Oscars all have different water requirements. Did you say you have shells in your tank? They'll leech calcium and make your water hard.. not a good idea unless the fish you're keeping are okay in hard water.

To be bluntly honest, you've got quite an odd mix of critters that really shouldn't be housed together. Rehoming some of your fish may be a good idea. I think you should start with a good book (or some online research) and go from there.

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

she's right, you will be lucky to keep one full grown oscar in a 55 gallon, they get huge. and i agree you do have an odd mix. and the pet store folks RARELY know what they are talking about. angelfish are slow, my oscars would absolutely maul my angelfish if given the opportunity. your buddy should be ok without an eye as long as it doesn't get infected. we need more info about the filters before judging their suitability-- i would strongly suggest you read up on your particular types of fish, their water chemistry requirements, water chemistry in general, cichlid and fish aggression, etc. , until then, i would expect you to continue having problems. and your oscars will grow fast! mine are around 9 inches and they aren't a year old yet......if kept in a too small aquarium, not only can you stunt their growth and development, but your water chemistry will suffer, as well as the fish --three oscars will likely soon battle it out and you will have ONE oscar while not the most aggressive cichlids, they do tend to become territorial to a degree as they get older and bigger, and most kept in small aquaria will not tolerate other fish...i just had to remove a large pleco from my 90 gallon because the O's started tag-teaming him relentlessly....and I think mine are probably less aggressive than most....i posted a long post awhile back on here about oscars that i crammed as much as i could into, if you are interested do a site search on oscars and you will find it fairly easily.