FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have been playing around with the notion of getting an Oscar]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/475.htm[/link]. How I want to go about raising one is buying a baby and putting it in a 20 gallon. Once it has begun to outgrow the 20 gallon, I plan on moving it to a permanent 55 gallon aquarium. I know that this is a big fish and I realize the potential for maintenance. Can anyone share any helpful tips on [link=Oscar-keeping? Such as cleaning the cage, how often, what kinds of filtration should I use, what decor should I use, ect. Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to respond!

---
Born in radioactive waters, the Mutant Goldfish swims...
Check out my profile to see my tank setup(s)!

ummmmmmm well yea i have had so many oscars and i have noticed that u will need to clean the gravel either 2 times a week to sucking up that food on the bottem of the tank after feeding.

and a 55 is ok with one fish only in the tank and maybe a catfish or a pleco but u really need to do a but load of gravel vacing.

u are gona need a lot of filtration i used a HOB and a canister filter. canister filters are kinda expensive so u can use 2 HOB filters will be fine. they sometimes like good current but some times they dont it depends on the fish.

the decor should be some smooth rocks and some type of drift wood maybe a little floating plants. they will play with the floating plants and they get bord sometimes and that helps them not destroying filters and heaters.

Oscars usually get to large for a 55g. 75g would be a better choice for the added 6 inch depth. Oscars get to be around 14 inches. 55g tank is 12 inches front to back. 75g is 18 inches.

Trust me when I say a 55 is just not enough room for an oscar. Mine looked cramped in my 125. On top of that they are filty so tons of filtration and cleaning will be needed.

One thought might be some pairs of dwarf cichlids like bolivian and german rams or some kribs. Convits would be cool too, they are tough and easy to breed.

If you really want a bigger cichlid try looking into fire mouths. they are really cool looking and don't need as much space as the oscars.


chris

well if u keep ur oscars busy they wont looked so cramped by paceing the tank if u add some ghost shrimp or maybe some feeders that u have had for a week or 2 and they look and eat healthy. they just are really smart fish and need to do something other than pace the tank.

Its the turning radius of the tank. fish dont like to bump into glass everytime they turn around. 4ft is not much swimming room for a 14 inch fish either. imagin how much fun it would be living in a cloest you can take 4 steps in, thats the life of a oscar in a 4ft tank. atleast with a 75g it can turn aorund and keep swimming.

well it would be like a a 17 foot long closet for me lol. 6' 3" but i get wat u mean. it would be a pain but it will be fine for the time being till it gets over a foot long then up grade to a 4' 18" or a 6' 24".