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This is my first forum so bare with me as I learn. I just got a 265 gallon tank. So far the filter is running, I got my lights, my heater and my rocks are all spread out in the tank. I plan on putting in some tin foil barbs today to get the tank going. I HAVE TO HAVE AN AROWANA! Oscars bala sharks and also musts. I really want the tank to be as earthy as possible. Lots of natural rocks and drift wood. Love to hear some feed back. Thanks!

Hey welcome to FP!

always nice to have new people on here.Congrats on your new tank Cant say much on the fish your getting because I dont know much about them and am relitivly new to fish keeping myself. But what I can say is that recently there was a thread about Arowana's and they are pretty big fish. Heres the link
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/35114.1.htm?8#

thats all i can really say and welcome and congrats
hope to see you on here alot

tigermom

Congrats on the tank, and welcome to the site .

Arowana are arent they! I don't know much of anything about them other than 1. They need very large tanks 2. They grow really big 3. There are different varities. Now that I've offered all that help(), I will say do you research very very carefully on them. Some of the smaller varities may work in that tank depending on the dimensions.

From what I know about oscars you will not be able to keep anything else in with them, they're rather aggressive as far as tank mates, your bottom feeders will be limited to some of the larger plecos that can handle any abuse the oscars throw out. Additionally they will need very heavy filtration.

Bala sharks get to 1 foot long, are schooling and very very active fish. This is another 'depending on the dimensions' of the tank issue. They would not work with oscars, but may work in a community setup. I wouldnt have them in anything less than 6' long 3' wide simply because they need the space to swim.

I think you're going to have to pick amonst the ones you've listed, I really don't see having everyone in there as the best possibility for the fish .

^_^

Thanks so much that thread was great......my tin foil barbs went in yesterday and they so happy in my tank they were just swiming all around. I think i am getting a parrot fish today but we'll see i need some silk plants too.

Hi,
Welcome to Fish Profiles!
Congrats on the wonderful large tank!
(Pictures.. Please)

SILK PLANTS!!! (Stabbed in the heart!!!)

Even with the large fish you are mentioning, you can
have the satisfaction of real plants. Try adding
some Anubis attached to either the rocks or driftwood.
Depending upon the depth of your substrate, you could
add some Jungle Val. If you use regular aquarium gravel
and its 2-3 inches deep the Vals would work.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Everytime i mention real plants peoples first reaction is o0o0o0o the fish are gnna eat them! I think i am gonna try them anyway. I have some pictures now I am workin on getting them online. I need some tips. I just got 2 great pieces of drift wood. you gotta see some pics........what do you have?

Hi,
You can attach the anubis to the pieces of driftwood
with some black COTTON thread. Tie it just tight enough
to hold the rhyzome to the wood and the roots will attach
to the wood. Over time the thread rots off and the plant
remains firmly attached.

This is a small piece of driftwood with a young plant
attached: http://www.azgardens.com/images/AnubiasonWood.gif

This is a picture of one variety of the plant:
http://www.gardenandleisure.com/products/wnr106.html

And, this is a picture of the Jungle Val:
http://www.gardenandleisure.com/products/wnr247.html

You can purchase the anubis by itself and attach them
to the wood starting at the base and working up. As the
plant grows, it will grow toward the surface and light
eventually coating the driftwood. The leaves on this plant
are not "tasty" to your fish, and are quite tough so they
would nibble once, and look for something else to eat.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

A silver arowana is going to outgrow that tank, but if you can get your hands on a Scleropages species such as S. jardinii or S. leichardti, they tend not to grow as large. Though their maximum recorded length is apparently something like 3', most do not grow quite as large as that, if I'm not mistaken. I'll say that it won't be impossible to keep an arowana in your tank, but keep in mind that as it gets to be really huge it might prefer a bigger home. I'll just leave it by saying that many arowana keepers, even those that maintain the really expensive ones, seem to successfully keep arowanas quite healthily (and therefore happily, if you want to think that way) in tanks that are 2' to 2.5' wide, rather than 3' wide. Give the arowana some though before diving into it, because it'll easily be the most expensive fish in your tank, on top of the fact that in the end it might outgrow it.

Here are a few ideas I'm throwing out there: royal pleco, sunshine pleco, any other pleco, clown loaches, stingrays, bichirs (ornates are my personal favorite, but lotsa people seem to like endlicheri; senegals are most common), and knifefish. You can't mix them all together (plecs seem to have a habit of rasping on stingrays and bichirs), but they're all cool. There are many types among each, so look around and explore the options. Most of these are way better fish than Oscars and way more manageable in that set-up than arowanas. Of course, that's my opinion... But hey, take a look at some of those fish, it might be rewarding.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

SO MUCH INFO. I LOVE IT!

I am def going to try attaching the Anubias to my drift wood. (what type of store would have the black cotton string?) I think it will look amazing in my tank. I need to add some color! Finally some who suggested a plant that the fish wont eat and its not fake! Thank U! Does that go the same for the Jungle Val? How it fades from yellow on the bottom to green on top is a nice touch. Could you over plant your tank. The links you posted are great.

I added some fish yesterday (Monday I put 3 tin foil barbs). The clown loach, that I thought was gonna hide and never see, is swiming all over the tank! I also got an oscar he is kinda to himself like an old guy who could care less what everyone else is doing. The cutest fish ever is my BRIGHT green parrot who choose a section of drift wood and just peeks his head out every once n a while. Last but not least my gold gouramis i call her paris hilton. lol she is tooooooo pretty and flaunts it around the tank. I think i am gonna just be adding plants, wood, and some rocks for the next couple of weeks.

***********Well I just got torn apart in the chatroom when i told everyone what fish i have so i am gonna re-think some of my choices i do appreciate everyones info/opinion **********************

anubis is a good plant, they are alittle expensive, but my wholesaler friend swore by them. They were around 10 dollars ea, but they are worth every penny. Very forgiving and doesnt require much, i still have some from over 6 years ago.

They are what he told me "hard" leaf plant, which means that the fish wont eat it. So they are alittle extra cash, but worth it IMO.


The thing that stands out is why the golden gourami, they dont seem to fit in to what your goal is, but they will be fine for now. Or do you mean a golden true gaint gourami? i currently have one, and they will get massive, really a 300 gallon tank would be the minimum.

Anyway, i would aggreeto cut the arowana, unless you get the leichardti, which is alittle rare to find. a jardini arowana will be fine in your tank, BUT tankmates are in damager of being eatten. You can try, but dont be surprised if there are fishes gone. A silver you can keep but only for a year or two. Remember that silver arowans ave an extremely fast growth rate durring year 1. They can get over a foot in length in one year. After the first year their growth rate slows down. But they will need a larger tank for the rest of its life.

Your other fishes are fine, and you might even consider getting a small species of gar instead of the arowana. Gars tend to be smaller and a popular tankmate with larger fishes.

WOW you made me feel so much better. when i was in the chat i was told i was an idiot for putting thoses fish together without talk about the arowana. the gourami i think is a regular gold gourami. so do u think the fish i have are okay together in the chat room they told me to get rid of my oscar ASAP! i am so confused i do think gars would be a great addition to my tank. thanks for the advice i am really looking for some guidance through the start up of my tank.

Oscars will be abusive towards most other fish in the tank as I mentioned in my first post in this thread.

You could chose to keep them together, however if you find most of your fish with injuries or dead you'll know who's fault it is.

Also clown loaches schooling fish, a minimum of 6 to keep them feeling safe.

^_^

i would go gars over the arowana.

i love my florida spotted gar. They tend to be VERY passsive in a home aquarium. but it does depend on the species. i would have to recommend staying away from an gator gar due to size and the aggressiveness of them.

spotted gars tend to be small and ok for an aquarium of your size.

oscars will probably be fine, some maybe aggressive to tankmates though. Usually adults.

It was me in chat. Sorry chris but an oscar probably wont be fine. Itll eat his gourami, hassle the tinfoil barbs (although they will probably live) itll pick a fight with his green parrot (or vice versa) and probably kill it outright. He does have stocking problems. The tank incidentally still isnt cycled. We seriously need to be tightening up on the stocking advice here. It will be battle enough for the fish to survive the cycle period, dont forget he just put two cichlid species into an uncycled aquaria, which is so big, that it will probably take getting on for 40 days or so to stabilise with the quantity of fish hes just added. And as for adding gars... well that gourami will definately be gone. Most gars are fully capable of killing fish a third of their own length.

Imagine the tank was your own guys, this chap may have a big tank, but hes a beginner... He doesnt realise than if the oscar makes it 4-5 months from now that it will start the violence. It will also radically outgrow all the other fish in terms of speed, thus meaning it will dominate other fish in a few months even if they are all the same size now. Can you imagine being a gourami stuck between an oscar and a gar? Gars can be passive yes, but they are a serious predator. Lots of gars eat some quite large fish, and sure, it isnt personal, Aggression isnt involved.Just like it isnt personal for your average contract killer. " s' just business guv'nor" lol.

We need to start back on the basics here, from finding out what the tank perams are , to what the filter is, to how long its been setup, what the actual literal sizes in cm the fish are, what the current complete stocking list is and how to manage that before suggesting further fish. This is disaster in the offing.

This is not an experienced fishkeeper used to handling aggression or the feeding routines of large predators, it isnt someone who knows about cycling or water quality control. This is a beginner with a big tank. Lets see him through realistically and safely with all the knowledge he needs to know, rather than relying on a "fish techie" who drops in and tells him what to do, and so far has clearly given him some bloody awful advice.

Not slamming, i'm here to help.A curbing the enthususiasm period is needed.This isnt a time for maybe's, because that tank will be stocked so fast with inappropriate fish if we let it run that you wont believe it. This fella has the budget to make some heinous mistakes. Lets help him get it right. We wont be helping him by giving him more problems to sort out as the fish mature. This is someone who will see juvenile fish getting on and believes it will be a permanent situation, and who will be equally gutted to wake up one day to find a gourami twitching in its death throes being held in a gars jaws, and to see fish cowering in corners their fins ripped, their bodies sporting bites from an oscar who lords over everything and attacks anything that interferes with the decor its incessantly rearranging, and when the hyperaggressive state of the tinfoil barbs so constantly hounded by territorial aggression from the oscar start nipping, chasing and bashing their snouts in panic. They will look raggy and distressed and not the source of pride he would wish them to be.

This isnt alarmism, things can and do go that wrong with incompatible stocking. We need to be looking at territories,structure and decor, armoured passive fish, habitat governance, personality selection and the sizes of the fish chosen much more closely. The size of the tank in no way diminishes the need for this to be done properly, because hes already chosen fish that will use all of that space, and for whom territories are measured in feet, not inches.

But before we even get there, theres a water quality issue needing to be faced.Not to mention all the usual chit-chat about algae control , ph , nutrients, etc etc.

lol, he probably thinks im a right old grouch by now....but I am trying to help if the truth be told.The size of the tank only gives you so much room to manouvre, it will not give you much grace with beginners mistakes.

There is a huge anticulture against good fishkeeping, particularly as regards keepers of large fish, and the first rung of knowledge on the beginners fishkeeping ladder is to take cavalier statements about aggression, territoriality, and species suitability with an appropriately huge pinch of salt. Once that idea settles in your chances of keeping a peaceful aquarium full of healthy fish probably triple. Shoot too high too fast and you start a learning curve that is impossible for most people to keep up with . Ive seen too many people buy too many fish they cant possibly hope to handle cause cruelty and deaths becuase having owned their fish for five minutes they just cant bear to be parted from them, as if somehow their will alone will stop the fish from tearing each other apart.

If the truth be told, watching it makes my skin crawl and my stomach want to empty its contents, and I would happily be a little brusque to get the message across. I would also save our new member the heartbreak, the self disappointment, that comes with the full knowledge that , but for a little patience and a little absorbed learning , such things need never come to pass.

In chat he already said "im not a fish killer!". I want to believe that, but its all in the proof. Lets see some sensible stocking ideas here, and a quick willingness to move fish that will otherwise be killed. In a sense youre lucky, because you have a few months to catchup and act.

Fingers crossed. These are the moments in which people either excel or become idiot monsterfishkeepers. Lets start him off right

longharedgit mentioned something very important, and that is the idea of the cycle. I'm going to describe it shortly, but if you already got the whole explanation you can skip this. To put it simply, fish produce ammonia, which is toxic to them; the only reason that we as fishkeepers can keep fish is due to bacteria that break down ammonia, eventually producing nitrates, which are less toxic (but must be removed by regular water changes before they build up and become toxic). The problem arises when ammonia builds up quickly enough, faster than the bacteria can develop, especially in a new tank where there is no bacteria. This is worsened by having larger fish, which produce ammonia faster, and is also worsened by having a filter that isn't powerful enough for the tank.

What the cycle means for you is that, since your tank is new, you have to wait for the bacteria to develop. Add fish slowly, and keep track of the ammonia, doing water changes to cut it back down if necessary. If your filter is not powerful enough for the aquarium, this can be an even bigger problem (usually filters will say if they are recommended for a certain volume of water, so just look on the box to check if you haven't already). As for you, your main responsibility is to keep these fish not only alive, but happy. As many accomplished aquarists can tell you, research is the best way to avoid mistakes, and as long as you're giving your tank a break from adding new fish to let the cycle catch up, you have some time to do some.

Okay, now fish choice. I made some suggestions earlier of fish that you might want to look into and research, not ones that you should buy without thought. "Not ones you should buy" goes double now that you have a gold gourami, since some of the fish I suggested would chomp one right up (and an arowana would too). Right now you need to think about what your plan is for your aquarium. As far as I can see (which actually isn't very far since I'm nearsighted), you have three options.

Option 1. Get rid of the Oscar. The Oscar is an aggressive fish and, as mentioned quite a number of times already, can make your aquarium a quite unhappy place for the rest of your fish. Without an Oscar, you could have a peaceful community aquarium with the rest of your fish; you'll also have a lot of good choices with fish, still, that are generally good for beginners. For you, I would recommend a peaceful community. It'll be easiest, for one, as the fish we will recommend will be relatively common and easy for you to find, you won't have to deal with aggression, and you get to have the experience of, well, a slice of calm, serene nature in your home. You'll be able to keep all sorts of fish in a tank like that. Personally, the community is the way to go; my aquariums have almost consistently been community aquariums (I have had some species tanks, too). Also, you'll have the virtue of lots of resources for how to maintain a community aquarium, as that's probably the most common type of set-up.

Option 2. Get rid of most of your less tough fish in favor of keeping the Oscar. This way, you could have an aggressive tank, probably mainly with cichlids, but I have no idea since I've never kept an aggressive tank.

Option 3. Get rid of both the Oscar and the Gold Gourami and go with big fish, including predators. Basically, Option 3 is a community tank, but all your fish are too big to be eaten by any other fish in your tank. bettachris and I have been recommending you, probably not much to the satisfaction of others, fish that are not found in your average beginner's tank. I can at least speak for myself in saying that I did this on the assumption that your tank would house something arowana-ish, which basically means large and predatory. Tinfoil barbs, clown loaches, and parrot cichlids all grow too large to be eaten by many 1' to 2' predatory fish, but gold gourami do not. Thus, keeping predators is a possibility if you take that fish out; however, these fish are less common, less easy to find at your LFS, and most definitely will be more expensive. On the other hand, if you devote enough time to learning about the fish you want before purchasing them, a tank with predatory fish may be something we can help you with.

When I say "get rid", it means bring them to your local fish store. Usually, an LFS will take fish, and sometimes they will even pay you, give you store credit, or some other nice thing. I myself have "sold" fish back to the LFS before; when you make a mistake or when your tanks are changing, doing this may be necessary. It's way better than some people who flush them down the toilet or release their fish into local waters.

In any case, I'm trying to make some recommendations, but I wasn't present in the chat so I don't know what has already been discussed, so I can't work that into my post and skip unnecessary information. Take what I say with a grain of salt, and definitely wait for a second opinion. I might be able to regurgitate information, but other people have more experience than I do.

My gosh, I typed way more than I planned to. That looks really overwhelming to read now that I've posted it.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

your right what was i thinking. i keep thinking golden gouramies are being refered to true gaint goldens.


Anyway like stated you should figure out which direction you want to go in.

If you want a large fish theme tank, you will need to remove almost everything(still not exactly sure what you have)

I went fishing for peacock bass down in miami a few months ago and caught some "wild" oscars. Basically oscars who out grew the persons tanks and they just released it....anyway... They were living with peacock bass, i believe i caught a large female jargur cichlid right in the same area,

But if you want to go with a big theme you will have to commit to the large fish like oscars.

Of course theres that jardini arowana, but it will not tolerate other fishes..

So its up to you to pick which way you want to go.

You know your parrot is probably dyed right? and that is color will fade over time.
Post pics

Hi Mint,
You surprised me with your comment about the black
cotton thread. Any store that sells sewing thread will
carry the stuff in black. Black cotton sewing thread
is what is commonly used to attach plants to rocks and
driftwood. Any other color stands out and then you have
to hope that the plant(s) will grow out to cover the
thread so it cannot be seen. Black blends in.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Sorry frank i though black thread was like some special thread...lol DUH!

All my fish are doing well, or atleat i think they are. My fish tech is comming by my house today to pick up my fish and i am gonna start over. I would like a community tank and i am going to start looking into my options very carefully.

If you are doing a community tank, the Bala sharks would be great, I think. They are very peaceful despite their size, so you wouldn't have to worry about every fish in the tank getting harassed or eaten like you would with an oscar or arowana or gar. You could probably keep the tinfoils too, I'd imagine. I think a school of bala sharks would be absolutely beautiful though!

The pottery that growls!