hi all
ive been keeping community fish for about 5 years now but have recently been caught by the oscar bug!!!!

i plan on getting 2 baby oscars next year im going to have to do everything bit by bit! just wondering what is the minimum tank size in feet for 2 adult oscars? after
all this time im still confused about gallons n litres!!

many thanks

shaner

I will repeat what I said in the e-mail. It's good that you haven't actually purchase the Oscars yet. Think about it very carefully, if you try and keep to Oscars in let's say 75 gallon tank, he will run into water quality problems when they get large, and may well. So, if you can't run to around 125 gallons, don't get to Oscars. Have a look at the tanks are far available commercially in the UK. Go to a local fish store. There are lots and lots of companies that sell them. They are expensive if you buy them as a complete set up (Cabinet included) however, I think it's worth doing it properly if you are dealing with that much water. Remember that Oscars can live for a very long time. Housing them in the correct environment is extremely important. Lots of people trying keep Oscars in small tanks. They are the people who I received lots of e-mails from asking for help. I don't very often get e-mail from people who have very big tanks.

sorry i hav'nt read the e mail yet!
i know what you mean i want to get every thing right from the start! its a pain in the backside when something goes wrong later on that you could of prevented from the start! i was thinking of getting the rena aqualife 150x50x70.5! 121 gallons. do you think this would be ok? many thanks for all your info

shaner

The tank you are interested in sounds okay. Shop around, there are absolutely loads on the market. Some are a lot more expensive than others. My 125 gallon is made by clear seal. Unfortunately, there is also some crap tanks on the market. The tanks aren't so bad, it's the furniture that comes with them. A few years ago, I made the mistake of purchasing a 125 gallon tank off a relatively new company. I went for it because it was quite cheap. After a few weeks, I found out why it was so cheap, it was total rubbish. The wood warped so quickly it was unbelievable. Under close inspection, the screws that were used on the hinges on the lid had just been hammered in, not screwed him as they should be.

So, if you come across a really cheap set up, have a really good look at it, don't make the same mistake as many. In the end, I actually exchanged it for the tank I have now

The accepted minimum size for 2 oscars is 75 gallons. This I think is true because of the size oscars get to and they need to have room to move. However with larger tanks i think the more volume of fish the greater maintenance. I think the rule should be that if your nitrates get too high you either need to increase your maintenance (ie water changes) or get rid of some fish


You should buy the biggest tank you can afford because if you get the oscar bug you will soon want a bigger tank



1 gallon = 4.5 litres

100 gallons = 450 litres


If you go to the oscar forum here and go to 'setting up an oscar tank', the top thread is aquarium facts, sizes and weights. The is a link to a page where you can input for tank size and it will give an answer is gallons and litres

thanks for your reply

i get abit confused because you can get shorter tanks yet they have more gallons or longer ones with less gallons.

thats why i wanted to know in feet at least then i know im going to get it right.

many thanks

shaner

There are lots of different shapes and size tanks on the market. Some tanks may be 4 foot long, 12 inches high and 18 inches in depth. That isn't really big enough for an Oscar. However, you may find the tank that is 4 foot long, 3 foot high and 2 foot in depth, that is more than I'm off for a couple of Oscars. I personally like the length, it gives a fish enough room to swim back and forth. The best thing to do is get the exact measurements of the tank and then go to a website that can calculate the size of the tank. If you go to the links page on this website, and then to tropical fish links, there is a website then you can enter in measurements to find out how many gallons and litres your tank holds.

One thing you do have to take into account is that the tank may be 2 foot high, however, the water doesn't always come up that high, it may only come up to 22 inches. This makes a very big difference on how much the tank holds. If you actually calculate my tank which is 6 x 2 x 2, that is probably over 150 gallons. However, the water only comes up about 22 inches, when you calculate this, it's around 125 to 130 gallons.

thanks for all your help

ill try and go for the rena 6 foot one it a bit more pricey but at least ill know ive got the right length and gallons! its gonna take quite alot of saving but itll be worth it! like you said its better to get a good one and know its safe! ive seen some stands/cabinets and they dont look to safe to me!!!

shaner

When you are dealing with the amount of water that a 100 gallon + tank holds, you must at all costs put it on something that is suitable. You often see people with small tanks on a sideboard, if you were to try and put one of these tanks on your sideboard, it would just fold up underneath it. You're looking at over 1 tonne of water. You must also be very careful where you put it in your house. If in doubt, have a word with a reputable builder. If you don't do it properly, there's every chance it could crash through your floor.

You can build up the breeze blocks but you must do it properly, you don't want the tank toppling over. If you can afford it, get the cabinet that is made for the tank.

I have a 6tf x 2ft high x 30in wide tank under the stairs in my house. The stand was very simple. I have 6 piles of bricks. To make each pile I put 2 bricks next to each other. The next layer was the same but rotated 90 degrees. I just kept adding bricks until i got to the height I wanted. On top of these piles of bricks I put 3/4 inches plyboard (good quality ply from a timber merchants) followed by 1inch polystyrene. Then the tank went on top. I dont think the polystyrene needed to be so thick(1/4 inch probably would have done). I then just filled in around it with chipboard


Its easier to buy a cabinet but cheaper to make one

I'm glad you mentioned polystyrene under the tank. Whereas it isn't an absolute necessity, I think for peace of mind and just a few pounds, it is a very good idea when dealing with big heavy tanks. I haven't got any on the my 125 gallon tank and I haven't encountered any problems. I will however be putting some on my 300 gallon tank.

Polystyrene is usually recommended to be placed between the tank and cabinet. It purpose is to stop any high points on the cabinet putting pressure on the tank and causing it to break. These high points could be some imperfection in the cabinet or it could be a small piece of rubbish on the cabinet or stuck to the bottom of the tank. Most fish shops will sell either polystyrene or a rubber version (Or you can buy polystyrene that is sold in DIY stores for insulation. This can be a big thick tho).

As you say for a few qiud (or dollars for our american friends), its just not worth the risk of not using it