Beginner-question about setup

[Welsh197]

Hello,

I just recently purchased a 55 gallon tank along with a Penguin 300 water
pump. I have yet to put anything in my tank beside the heater and bubble
wall because my finances are a little low. I had a few questions for the
marine experts:

1. I was hoping on putting 8 or less fish in my tank:
(2x) Tiger Oscars
(1x) Jack Dempsey
(1x) Algae eater
(1x) Albino catfish

I was hoping these fish so far can go together happily, i kno the dempsey
is an agressive fish so I was going to get the oscars a little larger in
size and the dempsey a little smaller... will this work, what other fish
would you recommend for my tank, at least two more I would say. Possibly a few Convict chilids, how many fish do you think I could put in my tank?

2.I need to buy myself a new lamp for the tank, what kind of inexpensive
lamp would you recommend and what kind of bulb is ideal for less algae
growth and more plant-life growth?

3.Along with the 7 or 8 fish I was planning on getting 4 or 5 plants... is
that too many plants for a 55 gal. tank? Like two med amazon sword plants, a green hedge and some micro sword plants.

Thanks for all your help,

Jeff

 

[Menagerie]

[center:0d67e0638d] Welcome to AA, Jeff! [/center:0d67e0638d]
In a way, it's good that finances are low, that will allow you to properly cycle your tank and think about the best mix of fish.
Read these three threads on cycling and ask Qs as needed.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=101&highlight=
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=25680&highlight=

About your fish. Many oscar keepers will tell you that one oscar in a 55 gal is cruel; two plus a couple of convicts plus a JD is down right criminal. Since I don't want to see our new member get hauled off to SA cichild court, let me tell you what I know, keep in mind that YMMV JDs are nasty and can easily take down a larger oscar. I made the mistake of keeping one briefly in my African ciclid tank. He went after and killed a fish that was 2x his size (my favorite fish ). First, don't keep SA and Africans together. Secondly, and more importantly, this fish has a rep for a reason!! The JD is not just territorial, they view tank mates as food. Aside from that, they will grow large--6-8."
Oscars in comparision are mellow! Convicts are nice enough, but again, they grow to be quite large and if they end up breeding, they will take over the entire tank and EVERY fish should will be trying to jump out to get away! I have kept convicts and have never had one fully mature. As juvies, they are mellow. As adults, I have heard they can be pretty nasty and again, they grow to 6-8."
IMO, you have a choice to make about what fish you actually want to keep right now. Also, fish keeping can be a life long hobby and you don't need to keep every fish you ever wanted right this second (says the person with 7 tanks ).

Aside from the tank, heater and filter, you will need a gravel vacuum and a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, gh/kg--buying these in a Master kit will save some money, but some master kits do not come with a nitrite test! What are you going to use as substrate?

 

[glasstapper]

Welsh, had i to do all over again,, i'd start here on this site and start to read everything i could people put thier mistakes up as well as victories and alot can be learned from just reading the diff topics discussed as well as the article section on this site that's my opinion and menagerie has saved more than her fair share of newbies,, much luck to you and do diligence is the way to go

 

[Menagerie]

menagerie has saved more than her fair share of newbies

thanks for the kind words!

 

[TankGirl]

I had a few questions for the
marine experts:

Guess you'll have to cruise on over to the SW forum for that, lol!

Follow Menagerie's sage advice and you'll be well on your way, and save $$ at the same time, since many mistakes are costly, as you may already know!

 

[Welsh197]

Still Curious !???!

Thanks for all the good advice Menagerie. I already have some gravel in the bottom of my tank but im looking to get some river stones for decoration and some lava rocks to make some good hiding spots and background.

A friend of mine actually has the same mix of fish that im looking for actually. Except he has a 75 gal tank wit 2 tiger oscars , one dempsey , and a pair of convicts with about 4 or 5 young. He said that he bought his oscars fairly large and looked for a smaller less agressive dempsey to add to the mix, and he has never had any problems with the JD attacking any of his other fish in the tank. I kno I only have a 55 gal tank but i can always upgrade in 6 months+ if the fish start to get a little cramped.

I am really set on putting either the tiger oscars + others or the jack dempsey + others in my tank if I dont put them both in together what other suggestions would you give me for other chiclids or other fish to add to my mix.

Thanks again for the professional guidance of Menagerie

I already have a ph test kit but I figured I would be needing a master kit with all the essential chemical kits. Ill be purchasing a gravel vacuum shortly.

 

[wright4lfe]

" friend of mine actually has the same mix of fish that im looking for actually. Except he has a 75 gal tank wit 2 tiger oscars , one dempsey , and a pair of convicts with about 4 or 5 young."

well, how long do you want your fish to live? honestly? unless you do 25-40% water changes every 5-7 days you will severely limit the length of the life of your oscars and the personalities they display.

one more thing. if you are going to use your friend as an example, then ask him, not us. menagerie probably did the best outline she/he could and you passively said she/he was wrong. don't waste our time with questions if you are going to tell us collectively that we're wrong. sure, you could put 3 or 4 oscars in a 55gl., then when they outgrow it in 6 months buy a 120, then when they outgrow that buy a 18ogl...

 

[wright4lfe]

" am really set on putting either the tiger oscars + others or the jack dempsey + others in my tank if I dont put them both in together what other suggestions would you give me for other chiclids or other fish to add to my mix. "

seriously, go somewhere else with this question...try oscarfish.com for example...

 

[Welsh197]

RELAX

wright4lfe.... relax dude, i wasnt saying anyone was wrong, I took Menagerie's advice to heart obviously because I am just a beginner and I need all the help I can get, I was just explaining where I was coming from with my whole thought of my fish mix.

As for asking my friend, I dont talk to him anymore and I knew this forum would be a lot more informative in helping me start my new hobby. I came here to learn a lot from people like Menagerie and not so much criticism from you Wright4lfe.

 

[wright4lfe]

"As for asking my friend, I dont talk to him anymore and I knew this forum would be a lot more informative in helping me start my new hobby"

if this is the case, then why was your immediate response to menag this...

"A friend of mine actually has the same mix of fish that im looking for actually. Except he has a 75 gal tank wit 2 tiger oscars , one dempsey , and a pair of convicts with about 4 or 5 young. He said that he bought his oscars fairly large and looked for a smaller less agressive dempsey to add to the mix, and he has never had any problems with the JD attacking any of his other fish in the tank. I kno I only have a 55 gal tank but i can always upgrade in 6 months+ if the fish start to get a little cramped.

I am really set on putting either the tiger oscars + others or the jack dempsey + others in my tank if I dont put them both in together what other suggestions would you give me for other chiclids or other fish to add to my mix. "

thats basically like saying..."thanks for the advice, but its not what i want to hear. oh, by the way, here is an example of someone doing what i want to do."

now, maybe that wasn't your intent, but in the 10 plus years i've checked out internet forums and BBS', its the case 95% of the time.

besides all of that, do you understand the logistics of upgrading to a 180-225 gallon tank and the responsibility involved? or do you have a friend that has one of those as well...

 

[Menagerie]

Take deep breaths, we are not here to attack others. No harm has been done!

I always say "my friend...." even if I haven't talked to them in years. How awkward would it be to say "This guy I used to know kept all these fish...."
Everyone's a friend, even if they're not

Back to the task at hand. Welsh197, your friend's tank may have been doing well in the time you knew him. Many people make the mistake of buying juvienille cichlids, saying how great they are and a year later, one is king of the tank with only half the population left 8O ~OR~ The tank is doing great because it was the luck of the draw 8)
In any event, you came here for advice and I can tell you are taking it seriously.
I am a big fan of upgrading tanks, but sometimes it can sneak up on you. My husband and I were finishing our Master's degrees with 4 months left before moving from Idaho to Calgary and we realized our 29 gal with African cichlids needed to be upgraded. We knew a 50 gal would not be enough, so we bought an 80 gal, set it up and 4 months later moved it I don't recommend that! We had wanted to upgrade after the move, but the fish were getting nasty!
For some serious advice about oscars, PM oscarbreeder. He has been keeping Oscars for years.
About the other fish that you want to keep. I would get a pleco to help with algae, common plecos grow to be quite large over their lifetime. Our common is arond 7-9 inches (I don't see him often) and still fits great in our 80 gal tank. One day, I would love a 100+ gal tank for the pleco and more Africans, but for now, the pleco is fine. Even if you cannot upgrade the tank anytime soon, a small pleco will grow to 5-6" in 2 or so years and there will be nothing to worry about in a 55 gal and there are albino varieties out there. I am not sure what other catfish you want. Many Synodontis catfish grow to be quite large. Ours hides all the time and we never see it. I really prefer plecos, and the larger they get, the more often you see them, IME.

(1x) Algae eater
(1x) Albino catfish

I would make this the same fish.

Now, JDs vs. Convicts. Both are gorgeous when treated well. Both can be nasty. Both get big. (Remember what I mentioned earlier, you don't have to keep all the fish right now!!) My vote goes to the Convicts soley based on morphology. When you look at a Jack, they look like wild hunters. Their eyes are big and their whole head is taken up by their mouth!! Convicts may make a more suitable tankmate for your oscars. More than likely, 2 oscars and 2 convicts bought while they are small, and a pleco will be fine for up to 12-18 months in a 55 gal. I make no promises, but I would feel safe with that at my house.
The one thing that will be crictical for the health of the tank is going to be weekly PWC while vacuuming the tank. Oscars are messy eaters!

Whew! That's enough for now. Think this over and contact oscarbreed for more oscar info!

 

[glasstapper]

Yeah!!!!! What she said its all for the love of the fish

 

[wright4lfe]

sorry for getting frustrated, but after spending alot of time on chat forums and information forums, it really gets under my skin when people ask for advice and then pull a 180. you'd think it wouldn't bother me after all these years, but it still frys me...lol

 

[Menagerie]

glasstapper--settle down!

wright4lfe, I understand how frustrating it is, but if people don't want to take my advice, that's their problem. Meanwhile, hopefully I am helping someone else who is reading this