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another thing is they are far more personable if there is only one. your their source of entertainment and attention that way. course your gona need to spend more time with them if there is only one so they like you

its really a coin flip with temperment. cichlids have mood swings when breeding kinda like women but with steriods on top of it lol. these things have a mood swing and fish die its that simple. you could attempt it and have a tank divider handy...and no not one of those flimsy plastic screen things....hard and not transparent.

Ok thanks.. I researched them a little bit last night and I got mixed information again... some say if it's a breeding pair you can maybe put them in a 60gal (30gal each) but other say you can't... ahh lol

ive thought about it and i think the JD woudl be your best bet. the other wet pets are rather large and wouldnt work. there are some smaller ones like 6 inches but dont think they have the wet pet aspect like the oscar and JD. those 2 are really the best wet pet type other then larger types.

I'd like 2 or so larger fish with lots of personality.. more like the oscars. Now I know of Jack Dempsey's.. I'm curious to know if there are any other types of fish similar to these...

Bratty - the question here is what do you want?
Do you want several medium size fish?
Just a couple larger fish?
Aggressive, peaceful, semi aggressive?
Pet fish like Oscars?
Colorful or doesnt matter?
Have you ruled out a community tank? They are
my personal favorite.
We could all give you a million ideas of what we
would like, but its better to help you find what
you would like.

Myself, if I could make a recomendation of what I like,
in a nice tall tank like yours, I would go for either
Angelfish or Discus. Both are like "pet fish" and very friendly, though the discus take more time to become unshy.
They are colorful, and they enjoy being in groups.
I personally like to stock a tank with fish best suited to the tank size and shape. But thats just me.



Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

ok...so any other ideas on what I can keep in here ?? I don't want to make the same mistake twice..

I see I've scared the heck out of katie....
It's all metaphorical. I'm saying that I would keep an animal and give it so/so conditions rather return it to a pet store and have somebody else give it horible conditions. The "cat" is the fish and the "closet" is a 55 or 75 gallon tank while the "under the sink" is a 10-30 gallon tank.
But I really don't want to make an issue here, so I'm going to stop posting.

wasnt saying a cat, was saying yourself as a person. Thats about what a oscar feels like in a small tank. it was a comparsion to below standard conditions and just a little better conditions.

ok thanx again... right now I have a pleco....figure it's just a common... if i see he starts to become a problem I will bring him to a petstore that accepts any fish people no longer want. I will start a new thread and thanx again to everyone who has helped.

"I actually just deleted my post because I realized there was a 2nd page

But, that really is a funky ethics issue. I personally feel it's best to give substandard care to an animal that, chances are, will get even worse treatment if you were to return it. I would definitely shove my cat into a closet rather than return him to the pet store and have some other guy shove him under a sink. I feel that most people's solution when it comes to big fish and slightly smaller tanks is to get rid of it so the fish is not a problem anymore. However, this is not in the animal's best intrests.

But that's way off topic and I apologize for bringing it up in the first place. However, that would be an awsome topic for general freshwater or the rec. room.

Again, sorry about messing up the post, I'll go away now."

IMHO, the problem with that thinking is that it will make useless all the knowledge diligently collected in order to properly care for our animals. We can justify any action by bringing up an example of that action that is worse.

It is up to us as responsible pet owners to do our best when caring for our pets, not slightly better than the guy next door.



I would definitely shove my cat into a closet rather than return him to the pet store and have some other guy shove him under a sink.



I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

hehe I really like that Idea!! So I'm still not sure wether or not I want two.. But i'll research it more and make a educated decision!

well ive read about 3-4 pages of google research returns and it seems if you buy a few of them and let them pair of and remove the extras they will be fine together alone in a tank that size. cant have any other tank mates though and that includes plecos. no intruders in their space will be left to live. also need caves to hide in and plastic plants will help. some floating plant life like water sprite might be a good idea. will block some light, its easy to grow, and its a heck of a nitarte sponge. it floats so they wont bother it. even if they rip it to shreads it will just grow multiple plants instead of just one.

if your serious about a mated pair my suggestion is buy 6 juvies, put a bunch of pots in the tank for caves and wait for a pair to form. you MUST keep a close eye on this scenerio though. soon as you see a pair protecting a pot you divide the tank between the pair and the others and sell or give away the others...then remove the devider and cross your fingers. being brought up together and naturally selected they should agree with each other for the long haul. garantees...none. could end up with heartbreak its allways a possability so keep it in mind.

if you dont think your experienced enough to handle it then DONT try to. im not saying it to scare you just saying a single JD is just as much fun.

You know, if you want a large personal fish that's different from the mainstream SA chichlid, here are some options:

mawali eye biter
These are actually fairly common, although I've never seen them with blue coloration in a pet store. Most of the one's I've seen are 2-3" long, dark silver (like the 2nd picture) and have orange or red fins.

the siamese tigerfish is also somewhat common, although it is often sold as a brackish water fish. They might be a little big for your tank though.

If you want something wierd, check out the bichir
These are also not hard to find.

mudskippers are very cute little fish that will provide you with a great deal of entertainment. However, they will be harder to aquire than the above 3.


Smaller chichlids like firemouths and acaras would also make nice wet pets with less mess than a jd or oscar.

Last edited by djtj at 08-Jan-2006 19:51

So maybe tomorrow I'll call Petsmart and ask them if they'll take the oscars back and if they have JD's..bc I'm really interested in getting a "wet pet" as you've called them. After experiencing just a couple days with the oscars i'm completely compelled to keep them and raise them! thanx

Just to let you all know, I returned the two oscars today and got a 1 inch or so Jack Dempsey... Looking forward to him growing up a little because he looks kinda lost in the 60 aquarium...

any hints on a healty diet for them that might make them grow faster... or any information from anyone that's ever had them...i'd be greatly appreciative..

well ill recommend Hikari cichlid pellets. just keep in mind they expand as they soak up water. just a remider so you dont feed 20 of them dry. best thing to do is presoak them in a cup and then give them. this prevent bloat ect. i would also mix in things liek shrimp pellets, algae, krill would prolly be welcomed, deffinetly bloodworms once in a while. the secret is a varied diet.

if you want him to grow fast then multiple small feedings will go alot further then one big one. Not only is it healthier but will get your new friend to associate you with food alot faster.

congrats and have fun watching him grow because it wont take him long to max out lol. like oscars they grow up fast. keep us posted and feel free to attach pics

Thanx SOOOO much for all your help..everyone. I actually had purchased a small and big bag of the Hikari Cichlid pellet..medium.so i'll crush them a bit and pre soak them as you've said.

I also have freeze dried crickets from the oscars... when he's big enough will he want these also?

ya he wont mind them...they are messy though. shells everywhere and they dont break down they just kinda get stuck in the filter.

ok good. i won't be feeding them yet since he is still pretty small..

and when he does get bigger I'll be using them as a weekly treat.. like on Fridays or something hahaha

Bratty - you may want to do an actual post
about JD's. I know several people in here
keep them in combination with other fish.
Perhaps someone could recommend a complimentary
fish that you could keep with your JD.
I know a nice pleco would work, if you like that
kind of thing - maybe a nice one like a queen
arabesque, or gold nuggest, or green phantom,
or something like that.
Congrats on your JD. I have seen some JDs that were
amazingly colorful at maturity!
Good choice!


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

JD's need a 45g so yours will love all the swimming room !
Same foods as an oscar. They are also fairly solitary once adult. When it nears adult size it'll probably eliminate any tankmates in a tank your size.

As Sneaky suggests though, there are some interesting plecos out there.. Choose one that does NOT grow to a foot long or larger as that'll pollute your tank more then clean. Again, research is key. And I can't speak personally for JD's.. I've kept everything fairly similar to it, mainly Oscars, plus Green Terrors... Sometimes you will luck out and get one that gets along with other fish in a tank your size, that is the exception rather then the rule once they are adult. If I tried that now, it would be in a tank 120g or larger with a few large fish and many 'territories'.

A piece of advice,

These fish live about 8 years or longer if healthy.
If you get bored easily, you will get sick of keeping ONE fish (and a cleaner) in a tank for several years. If you think you'll be one of those people, better to exchange it now while it's young and 'adoptable' then to drop it at a fishstore when it's an adult. Rarely does that end in happy results.

Just making you think now because.....
Some time invested in careful research would turn up several other options for keeping a group of smaller, more peaceful cichlids in your 60g and perhaps even mixing non-cichlid fish with them should you stock right, without overcrowding your tank. You may find that alot more rewarding in the long run. Only you'll know for sure.
I hope this is some helpful advice.









Last edited by DaFishMan at 09-Jan-2006 20:09

Last edited by DaFishMan at 09-Jan-2006 20:20

The Amazon Nut...

Im not sure 2 JDs could be kept in a 60g tank. that would require far more reading and its rather late here. More then likely (this is pure guessing) a breeding pair could possably fit but being cichlids this could be one of those love hate relationships.

most of these larger cichlids are best kept alone with maybe some other smaller fish darting around like silver dollars or other smaller faster fish to large to eat.

smaller fish are good for clean up to because these larger fish eat like cows. most of it is spat back out and left to rot. smaller fish love pre chewed smaller bits heheh.

a pleco is a possability but now your pushing the limits of the water volume. these are another messy fish but with poop rather then food. they eat and poop in the same motion it seems so your left with it all over your tank. a smaller pleco would be needed in this situation . the 1foot plus size types would deffinetly out grow and overcome the filtration.

some smaller plecos would include scibbles and clowns, they remain around the 6inch size as adults. good enough to pick up scraps and leave plenty of poop for you to admire in the morning lol.

Your biggest problem with this tank is the width. At only 12 inches wide it won't leave enough room for your oscar to turn around once fully grown. An oscar can easily reach 12 to 14 inches and as such will be just too long for this tank.

You're fortunate to have this large a tank to work with and there are a myriad of fish that would find this tank very comfortable. A search of this site and others as well as reading up a bit will give you a very good idea of what you could do, and I think you will be very happy with the outcome.




Last edited by OldTimer at 07-Jan-2006 21:29

Last edited by OldTimer at 07-Jan-2006 21:42

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

ya 12 inches really isnt enough width for a 16 inch fish to turn around in unfortently. hate giving bad news. and its only my opinions, other might disagree.

Its not all bad though its still a nice size tank and can house a variety of other fish. your obviously into "wet pet" type fish and i believe...not 100% sure because its been a while since ive read up on them....but im pretty sure Jack dempseys (JDs) are slightly shorter then oscars. myabe the 12 inchs width would be more appropiate for one of these? hopefully someone else jumps in because im really not sure.

they are a cichlid like the oscar and are rather large. they still hold the same personality and willingness to come to the glass and hang out with an owner. They actually have a bit more color to them but its more of a reflective kind of color. just a thought.

ill see what kinda info i can find out for ya from internet.

thank you so much.....thing is where i live we don't have the best variety of fish around.. but i'll look into it..again thanx

umm.. another question.. do any of you recommend a gold severum or a greed severum for my aquarium? and how many? again it's a 60 high 48x24x12

They are just different colors.

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

well no one else jumping in so i researched JDs. here is a decent pic of one. Jack Dempsey pic

anyway the most common size i got was 8-10 inches. males are in the 10 inch range, females are smaller.

So with that it sounds like a good canidate for your tank, they are common in shops so that shouldnt be an issue. prolly looked at them and thought they looked boring. heheh most baby fish do

about the severums that i really have no experience with. never found them attractive and they appear to be very lazy anytime i see them. this of course is a personal preference.

no that's not what I meant.. hehe sorry i was unclear.. I mean would they be too big or would they be ok for my aquarium?

sorry i was unclear

Sin in style..thank you so much for all your help. I really didn't expect anyone to perform a search for me.. thank you!!

wow I really like the jack dempsey's.. again...i don't want to make the wrong decisions again...so how many could i have in my aquarium (i want at least 2 fish in my aquarium IF possible..of the same species).. and I also already have a Pleco.. but how many could i keep or what other types of fish would be best with them???

thanx already!!

quick look on size and a single severum shouldnt be an issue in that tank. i would say another canidate with out much fuss.

Sin,

Hi !
Your oscar advice was great, I can tell you've raised some yourself eh ?

Re feeders.. I did not feed them ALL the time.. Either saturday or sunday night, or when company came over.. The oscars would get a treat or 3, often jumping for their snackie.. My oscars were also lean, very active and not overly beefy, like some overly bulked out oscars which were incorrectly raised on beefheart and feeders until they became fat and sluggish..

Hikari floating pellets, African Ciclid flakes, Algae flakes and shrimp pellets were the staple of the diet.
A few feeders once per week.. Other treats.

The Amazon Nut...

Djtj-

I know youre trying to look at the bright side, but there is no excuse to keep these two fish in a 60 gallon. Its way too small and there could be territory issues.

A petstore's substanderd conditions do not give us an excuse to have slightly less substanderd conditions.





I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

no 2 oscars will deffinetly not function in that tank. simply isnt enough room to move plus there is a good chance they will fight for territory and kill each other. i agree that one alone in that tank might be better off but really whats better off? would living in a closet with a liter box be better then under the kitchen sink? rather miss out on both those lives personally.

well the "possibly" does keep me happy enough hehe. I'll be researching more tonight and contact the LFS to make sure they will take them back (I don't want to bag them up and go for a 30 min. drive only to have to come straight back!) Thank you so much for your help! I've got some great ideas and now i'm just left to figure what I want.. although I think I'll come back here and ask someone who's already had the experience first.

thanx soooooooooo much!

I know youre trying to look at the bright side, but there is no excuse to keep these two fish in a 60 gallon. Its way too small and there could be territory issues.

A petstore's substanderd conditions do not give us an excuse to have slightly less substanderd conditions.

no 2 oscars will deffinetly not function in that tank. simply isnt enough room to move plus there is a good chance they will fight for territory and kill each other. i agree that one alone in that tank might be better off but really whats better off? would living in a closet with a liter box be better then under the kitchen sink? rather miss out on both those lives personally.

I actually just deleted my post because I realized there was a 2nd page

But, that really is a funky ethics issue. I personally feel it's best to give substandard care to an animal that, chances are, will get even worse treatment if you were to return it. I would definitely shove my cat into a closet rather than return him to the pet store and have some other guy shove him under a sink. I feel that most people's solution when it comes to big fish and slightly smaller tanks is to get rid of it so the fish is not a problem anymore. However, this is not in the animal's best intrests.

But that's way off topic and I apologize for bringing it up in the first place. However, that would be an awsome topic for general freshwater or the rec. room.

Again, sorry about messing up the post, I'll go away now.


Last edited by djtj at 07-Jan-2006 22:21

well my personally experience, i tried it. i had a solo oscar in a 75g tank and he of course seemed lonely and bored so i got him a friend. they quickly got to 7 inches and proceeded to kick the crap out of each other for what seemed to be hrs on end. eventually one became more dominate then the other but this only lasted a few days. the subdominate decided he wanted a turn and fighting resumed and the king of the hill changed once again. eventually they woulda just killed each other because their territory over lapped each other and would have never been happy with what they had.

my sollution was to return them with no repayment. now the 75g hold dwarf cichlids. largest fish in there is a 6inch pleco. im happy with my decision and happy with my current tank. yes its true odds are they were scooped up by someone who stuck them in a 30g but i wasnt the one who did it so it makes me feel better.

oh and by the way i fully intend on buying a fairly large tank in the future for 6 or so oscars to live a full and healthy life together as a group the way it should be