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I have heard much on the fact of size of tank for oscars. I bought used 55 gl. that already had 1 oscar that is 10 inches, 1 jack dempsey that is 5 inches plus a common pleco that is 8 inches.
Since I have put a small oscar(which I will relocate) and a firemouth cichlid.
I have heard of smaller growth of fish. The smaller one has grown to 5-6 inches in 6 months.
The firemouth I just put in and is only 3 inches.
All the fish get along great. The big oscar plays with smaller one and has never acted aggressive with any of them.
If fish is for our enjoyment is it fair to say that as long as fish aren't fighting each other and getting along, and water quality is fine that is ok with set up?
I also have 2 - 60gl. rated filters to make sure water is always fine

Possibly she was mistaken, and very very very likely they were stunted - keeping fish in a too-small tank leads to stunting, shorter lifespans, rampant disease, and death. Besides - people sometimes make it over Niagara Falls without a barrel, but does that make you want to jump? Keeping even one oscar in a 30 is just asking for pain and suffering on the fish's part.

Piranha - nope. These shy schoolers really need a 6' tank and a group of companions, and even then they're a lot of work.

-Molly
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COULD I PUT THE BUTTERFLY FISH WITH THE PAIR OF CONVICTS IN THE 30G OR WOULD THEY KILL EACH OTHER?

No, sorry. Once convicts start breeding, they get super aggressive. They won't tolerate other fish in the tank.

i just went over to petco on my lunchbreak and he told me that if i wanted to have oscars in the 30g all i would need was bigger and better filter and then they would be fine until they got to 8-9". are these guys just not qualified at petco or are they just trying to sell fish or is this filter idea true?

If I were you, and I wanted some slightly aggresive fish, I would get about 5 half beaks, they do reqire a bit of salt, but they stay small, and are fun to watch. They move quick and love to eat. It is a very fun fish. for the bottom of your tank I would get a few clown gobies, and 1 or 2 Kling-on gobies (gobius negras). Just a suggestion, but you will have to be willing to go slight brackish. Have fun.

brac

PS. I will be out of town for the weekend, sorry for any late replies if you have questions. Even so I am sure if you need info, others will be happy to help you.

PPS Welcome to fish profiles!!!

In reguards to "maybe a couple angels, a BN and some corys." YOU WOULD NEED AT LEAST A 55 usg. Don't go with that. "I am usually not one to complain about tank size, but trust me.

b

Chain stores are infamous for hiring people that aren't that knowledgable. Having a strong filter would be nice, but won't allow you to keep that large of a fish in that small of a tank. These guys need room and are messy animals.

HTH

IM TRYING TO LOOK UP THE HALF BEAKS. IS THER ANOTHER NAME FOR THEM THAT I CAN FIND A PROFILE FOR?

The profile for the halfbeak is here : http://www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/fw/profile.asp?id=Dermogenys+pusilla You may also want to do a google search that will turn up more info on them.
HTH,
Stella

Okay, first of all there is no need to shout... LOL. From what I understand, Oscars grow pretty big pretty fast. They are also notorious for producing a LOT of waste. So, it would probably be best to start him out in a bigger tank. I think perhaps a 55gal would be okay for a baby BUT if you can afford and have room for a larger tank it would probably be a better idea. And, I am not suggesting you keep the oscar in a 55g forever, because that is really not big enough for his permanent home.
Also, what other fish are you thinking about putting in with him? Oscars tend to eat tankmates so you might want to consider leaving him by himself. Now, I have not personally kept Oscars, researched them and decided they were not for me, so I'm sure someone else will let you know the suitable tankmates that they have found for Oscars. Although if you put in an Oscar and other fish then you definately want to test your water params frequently.

-Beth

[span class="edited"][Edited by bscal 2004-08-13 09:12][/span]

In reply of chain stores. My brother works part-time at a Petco. He only works there for 1 day a week, just for the discount and to pay for all his animals. His house is like a zoo. I have found that the people at Petco are better at answering questions then like at *another chain store*, of course there are aquarium only stores which can be more helpful.

[span class="edited"][Edited by just beginning 2004-08-18 23:18][/span]

I have found that the people at Petco are better at answering questions then like at *another chain store*

That really depends on where you are. Different stores have different employees. Here, the pet***** is better. Oh, and for future reference, we try not to use company's names, as it can lead to trouble if bad things are said about them.

[span class="edited"][Edited by just beginning 2004-08-18 23:20][/span]

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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.

Why cant you say bad things about them if is cause Master adam doesnt want us to thats fine but umm what are the other reasons?

It's so FP doesn't get sued by some disgruntled company or other. If you're saying "Petco is wonderful!" great, but if you're saying "I've never been in a -------- that I liked," blur the name.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

You could put in a smaller tank for a little while..but at some point, it can stunt.. I'd rather off just start them in a big tank..
I had 2 I got at Silver dollar size..maybe a little bigger..and put them n a 125 gal..in a year they got to be about 10" and 12". In 2 years my Trinidad pleco got to be 10" as well.. and YES, Oscars do produce aLOT of waste..and are messy messy eaters. SO bigger is better in that aspect as well.

I've got 2 oscars at the moment they are only small. But the reason i got them in the first place is because i've got 2 salmon catfish and they grow at the same rate as the oscars, So eventually they can all be in their own happy little (well massive) tank. I think the golden rule with oscars is to remember a happy, healthy well fed oscar will grow an inch per month. So just bear that in mind when you look at tank sizes.
Hope this helps.

In reguards to "maybe a couple angels, a BN and some corys." YOU WOULD NEED AT LEAST A 55 usg. Don't go with that. "I am usually not one to complain about tank size, but trust me.

The only thing wrong with that would be a couple angels. You could fit 1 angel and a BN or some cory's in a 30 gallon tank.

In regards to the oscar question...instead of putting it in a small tank and moving it to a bigger tank, why don't you just get the bigger tank now and let him grow out? You're eventually gonna need the bigger tank, and besides, no other fish can really go with the oscar so your not waisting tank space.


HTH

Plenty of fish can go with Oscars! Silver Dollars, Severums, Plecos, you name it!

Who said clown gobies? I was under the impression that those lived in the ocean?

A good aggressive fish for a 30g tank would be a Brackish puffer of some sort.

A good aggressive fish for a 30g tank would be a Brackish puffer of some sort.

there are also quite a few freshwater puffers that would work as well.

Jason