FishProfiles.com Message Forums

i currently have 5 guppies and a long finned rosy barb in a 20 gal all of which are for sale so eamil if interested will sell or trade and ship But i would really like to put some kind of oscar in it and trade it in at the lfs when it outgrows the tank. would it be okay to put a young not huge yet oscar in my tank? also when the hamster dies which we htink it might because it looks sick we paln on using the aquarium she is currently in for an aquarium after washing of course its a 20-30 gal by the looks of it

i would say no i tried once and it was terrible. he was very moody and just sat in the corner

Oscars grow very fast, both your tanks are to small. 50 to 70gal min. for oscar to be happy. He would also eat the rest of your fish in a flash.

].<

You really have to give up this idea of getting an oscar unless you get a bigger tank! There have been numerous threads about this that you started, and the answer is, and always has been, don't do it!

Oscars grow REALLY fast, and they need a MUCH bigger aquarium than it looks like you can provide. Don't get a fish you aren't able to raise into adulthood. Don't use the excuse that you will give it to the LFS when it gets too big. You will stunt the fish if you put it in that size tank, and you won't want to give it up. Oscars are personable fishes that you will really like, but you MUST have the right sized tank for it!

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Dont do it. There are numerous reasons, most of which have already been touched on. They grow too fast, it would not be happy in that tank, you could stunt it, and (IMO) buying a fish when you know that you will not to be able to care for it for long is just wrong.

As an oscar owner I totally have to agree with Janna and lunker101.. You will get attached to the oscar, and not want to give it up.. If you don't get a bigger tank, your oscar will be very unhappy. Oscars need a 55 gal minimum tank size. My 1 foot Tiger Oscar has a 90 gal tank which it shares with 4 very small cichlids and a catfish. It's a battle to keep the nitrates down, imagine in a 20 ?
For a 20 gal there are other interesting smaller cichlids you could try if you do not want to get a bigger tank.

Maybe a pair of rams, or kribs, or brichardi. You could even use real plants and these types of cichlids won't tear or dig them up.

The Amazon Nut...

would it be okay to put a young not huge yet oscar in my tank?

NOT something I would recommend. They grow fast and you will find you need a larger tank more quickly than you think. The cost really adds up when you have to up grade tanks 3 or 4 times to keep up with his growth spurts. It's better for him and cheaper for you just to buy the proper sized tank now.

But i would really like to put some kind of oscar in it and trade it in at the lfs when it outgrows the tank

This is NOT a good idea either because one of two things will happen, either you will become attached to the oscar and will not be able to give him up. Then you have a big unhappy oscar in a little tank with water quality similar to landfill run off. Or you will give him up and the LFS is stuck with another larger oscar that no one wants to buy because he's not "a cute baby" anymore. I've seen it happen over and over again. It's a sad story.

Not to be mean, but you had three similiar threads (that I actually saw). You really need to keep to one thread, unless its a different question.

The answer is no.

oscars need a 75-100g minium.

ppl say 55 as minium, but why would you put a 14-16 inch fish in a tank only 12 inch wide.

"ppl say 55 as minium, but why would you put a 14-16 inch fish in a tank only 12 inch wide."

Fish dont use all 12 inchs to turn, usually theres a few inchs off the glass. And some 55 gallons are 48x16.

I wouldn't put an oscar in anything less than a 75 gallon. I just don't believe that putting a fish in a tank where it is longer than the tank is wide is humane. :%) If that made any sense. It's summer.

The fact of the matter is that an oscar needs a much bigger tank than you are currently able to provide.

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

i've never heard of a 55 16wide, do u have the exact dimesions?

and have you ever had a adult oscars, they use the whole tanks, and a 12inch oscar does use the full 12 inch.

The tank is 48Lx16Dx17H(maybe more if you count the seams).