Oscar - only got 33.4 gal's

[Tim97]

hey guys. with my busy life i only have time to properly car for one tank. im not a big fan of community tanks so i was looking at getting an oscar.

now i know a bigger tank size is needed (well, actualy im not 100% sure but ive read that they need atleast 40 or so gallons.) so i was wondering if keeping a single oscar in a 33.4 gallon tank (lengh:80cm width:36cm height:44cm) is possible with proper maintenance, since operantly they're messy fish.

it will not have any tank mates in the tank. only the oscar.

[emc7]

31, 14, 17 in inches. Yes, they are messy fish and yes, you can compensate for an undersized tank with frequent (probably daily) water changes. But would you want to. Treat this fish right and it will get 12" long. It will go 3 fish lengths, turn around and go back. Not my idea of ideal conditions. People on this board commonly say 70 gallons is a minimum for one happy oscar.

IMO oscars join goldfish, pacu, common plecos and many others on the list of fish local stores should not stock. They ought to be special order only after you show proof of 90 gallon aquarium and adequate filtration.

So, in conclusion people do keep oscars in tanks that size, but no one is going to recommend it. Most likely you'd miss a few water changes and it would croak and then you could get some most appropriate fish.

The things people like most about oscars (their intelligence, the way they pay attention to people) are common to most south and central American cichlids. Get one convict, or a firemouth, a severum, an acara. Any medium (5-7") cichlid and keep it alone and you will have a wet pet that will welcome you and even learn tricks.

[Tim97]

thanks for the reply. im really looking to get a nice big fish, but then again i do not wont to put a fish in an undersized aquarium.

looking at the fish names you gave me, Severum looks like the biggest one out of the lot. (the rest are below 15~ cm's, which i quiet honestly dont want, unless ofcourse my aquarium is only good for one fish below that size). it says however that they may grow up to 12 inches (6-12 inches) which is as big as an oscar. im guessing this is more suitable for my tank, despite it size because its less messier or something? or do they hardly ever reach 12 inches?

anyway, besides that could anyone name me the biggest sized possibilities of south/central American cichlids suitable for my tank?

[pullins125]

well me personally i would either do a parrot cichlid or a discus. they both get 6 inches and are very pretty. you should also be able to do two due to thier lack of size. and as ecm said you dont want it too .ong so it can barely move. parrots and discus arent as long but they get pretty wide as well.

[trashion]

Never mind! Misunderstood.

[sarahbellum]

Not sure but I THINK he was saying two parrots or two discus. Not together.

We have some parrot cichlids and they LOVE to sit at the front of the tank and watch us when we move around the room. Or when we have company over, they sit up front and just stare at everyone. Its kinda cool and we've gotten many compliments about how "friendly" our fish are.

[emc7]

He said OR

Find out what is available near you and check them out here: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/results.php

I don't agree with all of their assessments, but its a great place to start.

[pullins125]

yeah not together discus are to delicate. i no that. i got 3 parrots and they are very friendly as wel. always front of tank when i come in the door. never did discus so not sure bout them but they look pretty. i would do either 2 parrots or 2 discus. not together. lol.

[Tim97]

ive had a look and ill be settling down for an oscar. not in my current tank though, i will be purchasing a 45 gallon tank very soon to house the oscar (i will, ofcourse, get the tank first :P )

thanks for the advice guys.

(yes, 70 is the minimum on this board apparently, but im sure 45 gallons for one fish is plenty. besides, ive read 40 gallons is ok, and looking at the size of the tank, i'd agree with that.

Your Oscar tank should provide at least 30 gallons of space per Oscar, plus any space needed for any other fish. A minimum tank size of 40 gallons is recommended if you are keeping an Oscar.

)

we'll find out soon enough if its big enough, wont we :P

[emc7]

Whats your other source? Are there dwarf oscars in your neighborhood, or are do they mean minimum to start with? Here we tend to take the full adult size into account. Whats wrong with a smaller fish? Do you only have oscars there and nothing else?

People here make recommendatation based on their own experience, and if they are just guessing, say so. No one here has any financial incentive to mislead you. I trust the 70 gallon consesus. IMO: if you disregard this advice, you are asking for trouble. You may well be successsful and you can compensate with large water changes for a heavy fish load. But I don't know of any way to compensate for lack of swimming room.

I really don't think you want to discover the tank is too smal the hard way. I don't want to see posts from you like "why can't I keep the tank clean/nitrates down?, "why does my oscar keep getting sick"? or even "gah.. my oscar cracked his tank"

[JustOneMore20]

45 gallons is NOT enough. You want atleast a 75g tank MINIMUM. These guys can get up to 15" if taken care of properly. You will stunt it and it will die prematurely. Or it will get hole in the head from bad water conditions and die that way.

Don't put the Oscar in a tank under 75 gallons!

If you want an Oscar, get the proper tank size.

If you are limited on tank size, get something that can live in your tank forever. Don't put a fish in danger just because you are selfish.

[trashion]

I fully agree with Kristin. Please, please don't put an oscar in a 45. Sure, I know a person with 2 oscars in a 40 breeder. They're mean fish, they will attack anything, and they're both stunted at around 9". They're constantly catching illnesses like Hole-In-The-Head. Don't do that to your fish.

Get a properly-sized tank, and you will have a happy, healthy oscar for well over a decade. They're like aquatic dogs. Some will even let you pet them. They're worth the extra money.

[redpaulhus]

Setting up a lifetime home for a fish is no different than setting one up for a rabbit - you plan from the beginning to :
a) keep the animal for its natural lifespan
b) allow the animal to grow to its natural size in a healthy environment.

I'm assuming that you would not setup a hamster cage and then go on a board asking about putting a rabbit in that cage.
Why do so for a fish ?

A good rule of thumb for pretty much any fish is that the tank should be at least 2 "fish lengths" wide and 4-6 "fish lengths" long - so for a 10-12" (25-30cm) fish I would recommend at least a 48 inch x 18 inch tank - and 72x18 or even 48x24 or 72x24 would be better.
Would you honestly put a 1" (2.5cm) tetra in a tank that was 1" wide and 3" long ? Thats the same proportions an oscar in a 45g tank would be faced with.
A single oscar masses about the same as hundreds and hundreds of tetras - would you put 200-300 tetras in a 45g tank ?

I've got an oscar at home who is at least 12" long and 3" wide - he gets weekly water changes in a 125g tank and if I miss one, he starts to get hole-in-the-head.

You don't want to know how many phone calls I take every week asking me if my LFS can take a big oscar that's outgrowing its 55 or even 75g tank - and we generally say no every time (we don't have anyplace to put them, either).

If you can't care for an elephant, don't buy one. If you really want an Oscar, and take proper care of it, you'll have a pet for decades.
Mature, responsible pet ownership is about meeting an animals needs from the moment you buy it until the end of its natural healthy life.
None of us here are ever going to tell anyone that they should be immature or irresponsible about the health and well being of their pets.

[Tim97]

been a while! lol i had computer problems, so sorry about this delay.

anyway, i was told the tank was big enough by the cichlid specialist, and i believed him too because of the tanks size. i said 'ill think about it' and returned home (im waiting to give away my current aquarium).

i had underestimated the size of a 4 ft tank.

its dimensions are 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot, which is just below 120 gallons. sort of explains why i was comfortable with it doesnt it? :P

im certain thats plenty for one Oscar and if it is not, tough luck, im shoving one in there anyway

edit:

just kidding, i wouldn't do that to a fish lol, im certain its big enough.

[emc7]

Thats a much better size.

[Gourami Swami]

4x2x2 is fine for an oscar. I would have yelled at you if you put one in a 45 gallon but the new tank is a great size

Ive got a big guy (13" or so) in a 100g with some tankmates and he does great