Tank size

[killjoy92]

So i have a 55 gallon tank and an odd population
1 albino oscar bout 6 inches
2 bala sharks 5-6 inches
3 gold fish 3-5 inches roughly
1 silver tetra
1 common pleco 3 inches
5 snails
and 1 crayfish
the bala sharks and the oscar were bought at the time and same respective size about 2 inches. bought about 2 months ago
everybody is coexisting very well the Oscar only harasses the tetra and only once in awhile till it seems to get bored.
now i know that quite shortly i am going to have a very over populate tank. my question is what size tank should i look into purchasing and still be able to ceep the fish that i have?
also any ideas about what type of filtration i should use i currently have a whisper 60 HOB???

 

[Samzter]

I'm going to say a 200g tank? Balas are the ones which reach a foot am I correct? A common Pleco needs a bare minimum of 125g and goldifish really don't belong in tropical tanks. What type of goldfish are they? I'd Rehome them. And did I say welcome to AA?

 

[Jmunroe]

Yes balas do and 2 is not a good number to have. You should get 5 they are schooling. Get rid of the goldfish they are cold water and very messy. Get at least 200 bit I would look for at least 300 gallon tank with the oscar, balas and pleco.

 

[Jmunroe]

For filtration I would get at least one FX5 or 6, 2 would be better and a aquaclear 110 HOB.
You need a bigger tank ASAP.

 

[Samzter]

Yes balas do and 2 is not a good number to have. You should get 5 they are schooling. Get rid of the goldfish they are cold water and very messy. Get at least 200 bit I would look for at least 300 gallon tank with the oscar, balas and pleco.

If they get to a foot and they need 5 maybe it would be a good idea to rehome them too lol.

 

[Jmunroe]

I would never get balas myself and yes I would take them back. They are without a doubt one of those fish that should not sold in the shops.

 

[Jmunroe]

Balas will get bigger than a foot. More like 14-16 inches

 

[GodFan]

Unfortunatly these fish cabnot coexist long term. The tetra will be eaten, the goldfish prefer colder water than everyone else, and the oscar may fight with the balas. Unfortunatly no aquarium you can buy (unles you have room for a bare minimum 1000 gallon) is gonna be large enough for the balas. I hate that those are even sold in this hobby. They are extremely active schooling fish that get huge!

 

[killjoy92]

what is the issue with balas are they just bad fish to have or diffifult to maintain once they grow larger??
2 of the goldfish are feeders they are the last from about 10 that i had gotten for a gar that i had originally bought the tank for they are original residents of the tank. i know that they are bad for oscars if they eat them. i would have rehomed or gotten fid of them with the purchase of the oscar but it seemed not to have any interest in them and they are still to large for it to eat.
as for the third gold fish its some kind of weird lookin fancy goldfish not sure what kind at the time i got it for some color and movement to the tank. a 55 gallon with 2 small balas and a small oscar gets to be alittle boring so all the other fish have been additions to add movement and color to an otherwise boring tank.

i figured that i would need a bigger tank for fish that i have 55 gallons is working rather well for now but of course they are going to get much larger. what is the appoximate size of a full grown oscar everywere that i have looked at seems to have varied theries on their eventual size??

if 2-3 hundred gallons is what i am looking to get do you know of any sites were such a tank could be purchased for a relatively decent price i am on a bit of a budget???

 

[killjoy92]

if i were to get a 2-3 hundred gal tank would i be able to get my oscar a buddy i love oscars think they are awesome fish would love to have a tiger oscar to accompanie the albino.
would that size tank support the balas pleco and 2 oscars or is that a bad idea?
also are crayfish good snacks for oscars? the only reason i have one is it was supposed to be eaten i did it once before and the oscar ate the thing right up but the second time the oscar apparently didnt want it so i now i have a crayfish that i had bought so i would be food.

 

[GodFan]

what is the issue with balas are they just bad fish to have or diffifult to maintain once they grow larger??
2 of the goldfish are feeders they are the last from about 10 that i had gotten for a gar that i had originally bought the tank for they are original residents of the tank. i know that they are bad for oscars if they eat them. i would have rehomed or gotten fid of them with the purchase of the oscar but it seemed not to have any interest in them and they are still to large for it to eat.
as for the third gold fish its some kind of weird lookin fancy goldfish not sure what kind at the time i got it for some color and movement to the tank. a 55 gallon with 2 small balas and a small oscar gets to be alittle boring so all the other fish have been additions to add movement and color to an otherwise boring tank.

i figured that i would need a bigger tank for fish that i have 55 gallons is working rather well for now but of course they are going to get much larger. what is the appoximate size of a full grown oscar everywere that i have looked at seems to have varied theries on their eventual size??

if 2-3 hundred gallons is what i am looking to get do you know of any sites were such a tank could be purchased for a relatively decent price i am on a bit of a budget???

I cant remember an oscars full size. The issue with balas is their enormity and their activity level. They are so active they have been known to crack the glass on peoples aquariums! A 300 gallon tank will NOT be big enough for these guys. They will look like caged tigers. Also your best bet for a tank that large is craigslist.

 

[Fett999]

The average full grown size of an oscar is 12 inches but they can get as large as 15 inches. Bala sharks definately need to be in groups of 5 to keep their nervousness down but even then they are skittish and jump. You need to make sure the lid on their tank is pretty much nailed down as most flap style hoods they will jump through, and with the tighter fit lids they will do themselves quite serious damage to their head. For a group of 5 you need a massive tank as they are highly active. Breeders tend to keep them in huge heated ponds. Keeping them with oscars is really a bad idea and you will probably end up with a lot of jumpers in the balas. And the goldfish and fancy tail oranda from the sound of it really need to be removed from the tank ASAP as has been said before, as they need a cold water tank not a trop. The tetras will not be around for much longer with the soze that the oscar and goldfish are getting to I'm afraid.

 

[Jmunroe]

x2 on what Godfan and Fett have said. I was being conservative with my guess on the tank size for balas so now you have more informed info on their care. Oscars number 1 fav food is crayfish and he will eat it once he figures he can get it into his mouth.

 

[Jmunroe]

And being an oscar keeper I can tell you they grow fast at a rate of an inch a month until they reach 10-11 inches which is in the first year then they slow down and slowly get bigger over the next couple years. Even up to 16 inches, not often but it does happen. After a few years of good care they usually get to at least 13-14 inches.

 

[GodFan]

x2 on what Godfan and Fett have said. I was being conservative with my guess on the tank size for balas so now you have more informed info on their care. Oscars number 1 fav food is crayfish and he will eat it once he figures he can get it into his mouth.

If they eat crayfish then the op may want to look into self cloning crayfish as a sustainable food source.