we got a dilemma here

[cogburn]

okay i have a bit of a dilemma... i went into my most trusted lfs yest. just to look around and they have lemon oscars... which is the fish i originally really really wanted to put in my 180 but theres NOONE around here that has them... even the owner of the lfs said its the first time he's ever gotten them... he only has 5 left... the problem im seeing here is... i wont be purchasing or setting up my 180 gal til hopefully sometime in nov. when my new house is finished... but... i dont want to let this oscar slip thru my fingers... i currently have a 29 gallon full of zebra danios, neons, and a few platys... do you think i could put this lemon oscar in for the next few months and keep him til the 180 is ready? questions... while i know a 29 is nowhere near big enough for an oscar... will it be okay for a juvie for 2 possibly 3 months at the most? if i were to put him in there will he eat all my neons, danios etc... will the neons, danios, platys nip at the oscar knowing that theyre pretty timid as juvies? ugh... what should i do... the only other tank i have is a 10 gal... should i set up the 10 use filter media and gravel from my 29 to instantly cycle it then put the oscar in there for a few months? i know 10 gal is probably even worse but at least he would be alone in there and wouldnt hurt the other fish... what should i DOOOOOO??? thanks in advance for the help guys... help me obi wan kenobi youre my only hope...

-Larry

 

[cogburn]

perhaps i could even set up the 10 gal... which has a filter rated for a 40 gal... put all the neons, danios, playts etc. in there... and put the oscar in the 29... that way at least he'd have the bigger tank... its too many fish for a 10 but at least it would be way overfiltrated and would only be for 2 or 3 months... HEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!

 

[Sum22]

How big is it? I doubt having him in there for a couple of months until the 180g tank is ready for use is really going to hurt him. Plus, it would give you the incentive to get that 180 up and running ASAP.

 

[cogburn]

so put him in the 29 and hope nobody bothers him or hope he doesnt eat anybody... or put him in the 10... or put the small fish in the 10 and him in the 29... i would say those are my 3 options...

 

[Sum22]

How big is the lemon Oscar you are getting? That makes the difference on whether or not to move the others. If he is larger than the other fish, I doubt they will bother him. Just to be safe, I'd relocate the smaller fish to the 10g and add the oscar to the 29 until you get the other tank.

Think of it as QTing a fish. How many people actually have a QT tank that is the right size for the fish they are housing? He'll be fine for a couple of months in a small tank.

 

[cogburn]

the lemon is young... maybe 2"... 3" tops... im thinking im just gonna put him in the 10 gal... no gravel or anything... ill take the filter media from the 29 and squeeze it into the 10... shouldnt have any problems with cycling at all then but ill keep an eye on the parameters... it would be a major pain in the patoot to try and catch and move all the little fish in the 29 gal... my plan always was to have 2 oscars in the 180... a tiger and i wanted a lemon but resigning myself to never finding one i was just gonna get an albino... i know when youre adding other semi aggressive fish i.e. convicts, severums in with oscars... you want the oscars to be twice the size as the others because oscars are timid as juvies... so... i think im gonna get a tiger and a lemon around the same size... put em in the 10 as it stands right now it should only be for 2 months... maybe 3 months tops... the house will be done sometime in nov. and its already halfway thru sept. so i think i should be fine... if the 2 oscars get aggressive with each other ill put a tank divider in or something... i dont think theyll grow too much in the 2 or 3 short months... so they probably wont outgrow the 10... then when i get the new tank and get it all cycled i can move the oscars in and get my other fish small and the oscars will be bigger and there will be harmony... thanks everybody for the replies and advice...

 

[cogburn]

on a side note... if i set up the 10 gal... take the filter media from the 29... squeeze it into the 10 gal and take a few cups of gravel out of the 29 and put it in the 10 do you think ill have an instant cycle? i mean naturally i will keep an eye on the params and be ready for water changes should the need arise... but i should have a pretty instantaneous cycle right?

and yes this is definately incentive to get the 180 as soon as i humanly can... heck i dont care if i get the tank and move it into the house before my bed... my fishies are more important ill sleep on the floor there shouldnt be any delays with the 180... i have the cash sitting in an envelope waiting til the day i can go pick it up... i already have the filters, heaters, air pump, air tubes, air stones... all i really need to buy is tank, stand, canopy, and sand... im pretty much ready to go i just need the house to get finished and my certificate of occupancy and im in like flynt...

 

[Sum22]

Oh yeah, you will be fine if they are that small. I doubt they grow more than 1" or 2" in a couple of months. Squeezings should help, adding the filter would be better. Any way you can cut part of the fibers/floss and stuff that into the filter on the 10g?

 

[cogburn]

yeah ill cut it and put it in the filter... good thinking... im gonna call the lfs and have them save me a lemon and a tiger... ill go pick em up hopefully tues... if not *cough, cough* i might suddenly become ill and have to leave work early one day this week

 

[cogburn]

alrighty... got the last few things i needed to get the 10 gal setup... set it up tonight... squeezed the filter media in... added about 3 cups of gravel from my 29 and cut the filter floss and tucked it into the filter on my 10 gal... hopefully thats enough to keep me from having any kind of cycle... all components running fine... wifey is going tomorrow right after work to pickup the lemon oscar and im going right after work in the other direction to get the tiger oscar... both will be in the 10 gal by 6pm tomorrow night... cross your fingers... i checked the water params shortly after setting up the 10 gal... 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 ppm nitrates... ill test again tomorrow right before acclimating the oscars and if there is any ammonia ill do a pwc... and then ill be testing daily... cross your fingers...

 

[Sum22]

So it is approaching 8pm EDT - How is it coming?

 

[cogburn]

wifey picked up the lemon and i picked up the....... well i thought it was a tiger... but now im kinda thinking its actually a red oscar... both in the tank both doing alright... a lil timid but swimming around a little... i put a few flakes in and they both ate them... they dont seem to be having any aggression towards each other... tested the water 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate... so far so good... altho i informed my wife that when theyre fully grown ill feed them pinkies once in awhile and she flipped out a lil... so maybe ill either be avoiding those or doing it when she's not around... right now im gonna stick to flakes, crickets, brine shrimp, and worms... so we'll see... now we just gotta get the house done so they can get in their big tank but so far so good... the lemon she picked out is beautiful... lots of vibrant yellow color and theyre exactly the same size... ill try to get a pic tomorrow... thanks for all the advice...

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

What i would have done is 1, if your cycling the 180.. just throw the small bastards (meaning the zebras and soforth) in it.. or 2, set up the 10 gallon for the zebras and put the oscars in the 29g by themselves. but eh your way works too lol

 

[cogburn]

2 things michael... i wont have the 180 for at least 2 months... my house is being built right now... when its done ill be getting the tank... and i will NOT be using fish for cycling... i think thats cruel...

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

if they are 1 inch fish.. in a 180 gallon tank... the ammonia will be so deluted.. they wouldnt know the difference.

 

[cogburn]

to each his own... i just wont be using fish

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Technically you wouldnt be using them... They would just be living in a perfectly 0'd out tank. No harm no fowl. If anything they might jumpstart the cycle. 180 gallons is a lot of tank for a couple little fish.

 

[cogburn]

thats true... didnt think of it that way... either way its a moot point... wont have the 180 for a few months

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Yeah im not ...that cruel.. Anyways..wasnt to aware you didnt have the house/tank yet... your in my boat.. ill have a 150-155g...when i have a house =(

 

[cogburn]

sucks doesnt it? i have the cash sitting here... tank is at the store waiting for me... but the house is only this far...