Oscar cichlid problem

[fishstix]

Hey, im starting a freshwater aquarium as a school project with my bio teacher. We've got a 55 gallon tank with 4 sucker fish, 3 tiger barbs, 2 goldfish, and one oscar cichlid. The ph is 7.6 and the ammonia levels are at .25. I had the temperature at about 82, but i read that oscars need it at 72-77 and just recently lowered it. The oscar is albino, so i made it a small cave out of bricks from my backyard (dont worry, i cloroxed the bricks then covered them in bacteria supplement before putting them in the tank) to protect it from bright lights, but it seems that the light isnt really the problem. All he does is lie tilted underneath a small bridge structure in the tank. I added some bacteria supplement to attempt to lower the ammonia levels and im concerned that i need to lower my ph as well. Does anybody have the same problem with thier oscar cichlid? He wont swim up to the top of the tank to eat the pellet food i got him, so ive just been giving him flake food. Im considering buying a number of brine shimp and hoping that he will eat those, but i just dont know what is up with him.

[nathanbarry]

A 55 gallon is way too small for an oscar aswell as the goldfish. Did you cycle the tank?

[redpaulhus]

Please ask the biology teacher to pick up a good aquarium book - The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David Boruchowitz would be an excellent choice - so that you can both learn about the nitrogen cycle and other issues:

a) Your tank is not ready to support that many fish that soon - which is why you have detectable ammonia.

b) goldfish and tropical fish do not do well together - the goldfish ideally need 65-68F rather than the 75-77F the tropical fish need.

c) As was already stated - an oscar needs a bigger tank. eventually the oscar will have health issues in a 55g tank.

d) a new 55g tank doesn't have enough algae to support 4 "sucker fish" - if these are common pleco's they will need to be fed AND will outgrow the tank (they get 18" long) - they will create more algae than they eat. If they are other "sucker fish" - ie "chinese algae eaters" they will get very aggressive as they get bigger, and most likely decide they prefer fish slime to algae...

Your biology teacher may be able to get some guidance from a local fish club - my club sponsors a number of tanks in schools, for example.

[fishstix]

I cycled the tank for a month with the two gold fish (so i had no intention of keeping them for very long anyway, i just needed a hardy fish to get things rolling) then i added the tiger barbs while they were very little; from what i have researched most fish get along with tank mates they grow up wth. While the tank was cycling large amounts of algea built up on the sides to the point that it was hard to see into the tank. I then bought four sucker fish who have done a great job keeping the algea level down but not completly so im not too concerned about there not being a food source; but i will take that into acount from now on. I did confuse the species of sucker fish i got with another, i wanted to get some Bearded Corydoras but instead i got the common pleco, wich can grow to over two feet( but only if it has the food to grow with). My plan is to take three of the sucker fish back and maybe the oscar as well. I want to get more schooling fish and a different cichlid as with the oscar i seem to have bit off more than i can chew. I wanted to get some form of crab, but it seems they take better to brackish water than freshwater. Anyway, ive become attached to the oscar want to know if there is any way to make a 55 gallon work.

[JustOneMore20]

Don't put Cories with the Oscar, if you keep him.

Also, the Tiger Barbs will probably end up as food when the Oscar gets big enough to eat them. I wouldn't count on them being left alone, even if they grow up together. Big Oscar and smallish TBs don't go well together.

Ditto on the advice about the Plecos...I would take them all back.

If you take the Oscar back as well, you'll have more fish choices, but will still be somewhat limited by the Tiger Barbs. You'll need to get atleast 5 more of those in order to give anything you add a chance at being somewhat left alone. Don't keep anything long finned with them, they'll be shredded.

I would definitely think about the stocking of the tank and make some decisions.

The Goldfish and Plecos need to go for sure and the Oscar would be healthier and live a longer life (un-stunted) in a 75g tank. 55g is too small.

[JustOneMore20]

I'm closing this thread since you have another one in another section.

Please in the future only make one post per topic. People will see it.


Here is the link to the other thread: http://www.fishforums.com/forum/oddb...d-problem.html