Ok..need advice...

[Ticket2ride21]

Ok, here's the deal. WHen I got my two oscars they were TINEY TINY and they were in a 20 gallon tank. It's been almost a 8 months and they are GIMONGOUS! anyhew, they are definately too big for the tank and i should have known better but now their dad (me) can finally afford a bigger tank....and im going all out.

125 gallon tank. I cant remember all it comes with but obviously hood, pump, skimmer (what ever the hell that is), and a few other things. Think that'll be big enough for em?

The problem now is that the amonia levels are REDICULAS in the other tank. they have always been because of those darn oscars. I had to take my clown knife out becuase they were beating him up...and then they got even bigger. what all do i need for my new HUGE tank. Im not very familiar with taking care of large tanks but i know i need one. please drop me some advice..

~Dave

 

[BrianNY]

Congrats on the new tank Dave. I'm you and your oscars will really enjoy it.

You'll need the same basic equipment for the 125 as you would for a smaller tank. The only difference is, more of it. I use (2) 250 watt heaters, and (2) large cannister filters on mine. You don't need a surface skimmer as that's for SW.

One bit of caution when transferring your oscars. You mentioned ammonia in the tank. You're going to need to watch the pH very carefully in your new tank. I'm assuming that the pH in your current tank is on the low side. As tanks age they frequently have pH drops. Ammonia is highly toxic at higher pH levels. Make sure your new tank is fully cycled before you introduce the oscars to their new home. Also, you don't want to be adding the fish from a low to a higher pH. Keeping an eye on this will help your fish immensely.

 

[cplawrence]

From what I understand 125 gal would be sufficient to house two oscars. As for what you need, the skimmer is a saltwater thing so you don't have to worry about that. With a tank that size, you probably want to look into two canister filters. For heating, you would be looking at about 600W total. You would probably want at least two if not three heaters to ensure a uniform temperature in the tank. Otherwise, you're pretty much talking decor which is up to your tastes. When you look into getting all this, check out Big Al's if you're not already aware of them (www.bigalsonline.com). They sell the filters for nearly a third of what my LFS charges.

By the way, if you're seeing ammonia levels in your small tank, you want to start doing some frequent water changes to keep that down. Oscars are pretty hardy, but the last thing you want is for them to succumb while you're setting up their new home.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

As the others have said, the skimmer is not needed. If it comes with the kit, see if you can trade it for something else. Get 2 or 3 good quality heaters. I'd go with 2 canister filters with extra filtration. Oscars are messy so they need the extra filtration. To cycle the 125, try to get Bio-Spira. It may be expensive, but you will be able to instantly cycle your new tank and move the Oscars immediately.

 

[Guest]

I don't have any advice to add but i just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your new tank!

 

[Menagerie]

[center:a099c65663] Welcome to Aquarium Advice, Dave! [/center:a099c65663]
You certainly came to the right place If you are not currently doing PWC, you need to start. That is the cheapest way to keep a tank healthy. As for cycling the large tank, you can search for posts regarding cycling, or read the article in the Articles section. Good luck!

 

[Toirtis]

Welcome to the board....as for advice, I can but echo what has already been proffered, so nothing additional.

 

[QTOFFER]

Welcome to AA, Dave!

A 125 gal will be like heaven for your two oscars.
Do you have a Python gravel vac system? If not, get one. It will make water changes on that 125 gal ALOT easier.

 

[Guest]

I agree with everyone else's recommendations. I don't know if you have one already or not, but I would strongly suggest getting a test kit to help keep track of tank conditions.

 

[coolchinchilla]

WHen I got my two oscars they were TINEY TINY and they were in a 20 gallon tank. <snip> can finally afford a bigger tank.... <snip> 125 gallon tank.

Dave, I wanted to commend you for taking care of your oscars. It's a big financial commitment to get a tank large enough for 'em. Some people would leave oscars in the 20 gallon usually to die prematurely. It's refreshing to find fish keepers who really take care of their fish. Kudos to you.

 

[jrp1588]

Sheesh, I can't imagine python-less waterchanges on a 125gal. I bet you'd have some huge muscular arms after a month of that. lol

 

[mrcrazypants05]

Welcome and congrats on getting a 125 gallon. In the month that I've had my Oscar he has grown from a little under three inches, to just over four! My fish love the space... especially the giant danios I believe... not sure how much longer they will last though. :\ Need to find them a good home. heh... Maybe I could trade in for some different fish or supplies at the LFS Anyway you can see the setup in my 125 gal in my signature. I can definetly tell they all love the space... of course they aren't 8-9 inches

 

[DeFeKt]

1 300W heater
1 1000lph canister are sufficient. note: "sufficient" for two oscars only anyway.
minimum weekly water change up to 50 %
minimum deep gravel vac fortnightly and lightly when you pwc
mine are 10mnths old and @ 11 inches long.
they love sand but gravel will do, and they love to have an area of the bottom cleared of substrate to play in. Especially if they are nesting.
I kept the top area of the tank free for them to get fiesty, but kept an amount of wood and rocks below the half way deep line for them to sleep and swim around.
They also like to rest in the tucked away parts of the tank at night, so make sure there is plenty.

Good luck and good onya. many people wonder why they're oscars die when all they have is a 20gallon tank. somewhat disappointing if you ask me.

Matt.

 

[whodini]

Kudos to YOU also 3 years ago i had to do that for whodini(my american freshwater eel) and &my two silver dollars that were teeny tiny also i got them in a 20 gal (but are in a 90gal now) and as you do i had ammonia problems also , so what i did is filled the new tank half full with conditioned tap water took 1/2 filter media out of 20 gal aquaclear mini filter put into the new filter(which is a fluval) and dumped a 8ozbottle of CYCLE &started the filter. added a raw shrimp to sit in the bottom of the 90 to feed a bacteria bloom (it'll get pritty cloady, means it's working it'll clear it self )do a 40%water gravel clean in the 20g and dumped it into the 90gal and every 3-4 DAYS 20-35%water change in 20gal& dump into 90 test, test and test till the ammonia spikes and drops then wait and test til the nitrites spike. after the spikes drop add some more CYCLE and when the ph , temp are perfect match suck the shrimp out
and...............
welcome oscars to their new home!!!!!]
worked well for me and didn't cost too much hope it helps and the constant water changes in the 20 kept my fish happy and healthy enough for the big move