Oscars in a 56 gallon tank

[Mike H.]

Ok, so I haven't bought the fish or anything except for the tank. Now its a 56 gallon column tank. its much deeper and taller than the normal 55 gallon tank is. So i was wandering weather or not i would be ok to put two Oscars in it? Please give me your opinions. Thanks.

[weedkiller]

i wanted oscars but decided against it, believe mine is around 50 us gallon and even being a corner unit so it is deeper from front to back it is still too small for one, the research i did kept saying 55 us gal for one but to be fair to the fish i would say more like 70 us gal as they do grow very large, as to how much to add for x2 my personal opinion would be add 30 us gal, ive known friends to own oscars in a 70 gal and they seem very angry all the time, maybe its cos the not enough room to swing a fish and most tanks are not very large from front to back.
the choice is yours at the end of the day, i opted for x2 smaller american cichlids (still cycling so yet to buy them) that grow to about 8 inches so their domain seems bigger and hopefully makes them happier longterm.

[Maine_Fish]

Originally Posted by Mike H. Ok, so I haven't bought the fish or anything except for the tank. Now its a 56 gallon column tank. its much deeper and taller than the normal 55 gallon tank is. So i was wandering weather or not i would be ok to put two Oscars in it? Please give me your opinions. Thanks.

In my opinion, that tank would be way too small for a couple mature Oscars.

If you have your heart set on cichlids, there are smaller varieties that would be fine in that tank. Might make a really nice Angelfish setup. Have fun!

[Obsidian]

I would not do it. A column tank would probably take away from swimming room. Though Oscars do kind of meander more than some other cichilds, they are still cichlids. They will get large, and you will want them to be able to turn around and swim etc. And 2 of them in those small quarters would be an issue. Not because of temperaments especially, Oscars have a reputation for being mean, but because of their size. And the smaller swimming space does mean that when they chase each other they will have an easier job causing damage, as there is no real room to get away.

For Oscars, personally I would go with a 75-100ga tank, the bigger the better.

[Mike H.]

Ok, thanks guys. I will eventually move up to a 150 gallon tank and thats when i will get my oscars.

[lohachata]

i agree with the other mike...that 56 column is way too small...bear in mind that oscars can reach 18" +......i think that start with a smaller tank and move up to the 150....and the big tank will give them plenty of room to play in...once they get big remember to keep the kids away from the tank...or you'll be filing missing persons reports......lol
cool fish with great personalities though...