Hey guys new user and oscar keeper to be here!

I'm 19, i have been keeping aquariums since i was 7.

Boy, that means my 55 gal is 9 years old.

I got my 55 gallon when i was 10 and kept a community tank for 6 years and for the last 4 years ive had African chichlids!

Well Im moving on in life now and ive really grown out of the whole community tank thing, it was great, but its just too much effort and time right now. Plus my malawais are getting very aggressive and I cant introduce any new fish without majo drama and I am very annoyed at them.

So basically I want to ship out the old chichlids and introduce a new single oscar (a fish which will grow large and will have CHARACTER.)

My problem is, what to do with the old fish, I would like to find a buyer and I know pet stores will just rip me off. (Ill be so sad to see my clown loaches go )

i was just wondering about filtration, is a single submersable filter ok? it does the liters per hour nessessary for a 55gallon.

Also, is the oscar fine by themself? I plan to give it lots of love and attention .

Thanks for your help.

PS. my other more.. aethetic concern is scratches, being a 9 ear old tank (been resealed a few weeks ago) ithas a few scrathes that are noticible if you are about.. an inch away form the glass (im very picky ) is there any way to reomove them?

Welcome to the site

Re-homing fish isn't always that easy. Fish stores obviously have to make a profit so they want to give you as little as they possibly can. If you can't find a private buyer, you'll probably end up selling them for next to nothing. I have actually given away fish before because it's got to the point where I just have to find a new home for them. I wouldn't have thought you Much problem with the clown Loach, how big are they? Clown Loach can often command quite a high price, but again, Fish stores probably want them for next to nothing.

The Oscar will be perfectly okay on its own, don't be tempted to start adding other fish, you've only got a 55 gallon tank.

Really couldn't help you on the scratches, whether a scratch remover will make any difference, I know not. You don't want to make the glass any thinner so you might just have to live with it.

Hi! Pepperoni ~ I started the hobby when I was 15/16 years old with a 10 gal then moved upto a 30 gal @ 17. I have had this 30 gal since I was 17 which is 29 years. I can't believe it myself. But this morning was the last of the 30 gal one. I just finished transporting all my fish to mine & thiers new 150 tank. I still can't believe it's finally here and believe me it was a long time coming.

I have done all the fish you have and currently have oscars, red devils, dempsys, clown loachs which by the way I would not get rid of, they are capitable and I think look awesome with oscars. However, some of my loaches were a bit too small for my oscars and the oscars ate some of them, then the oscar wasn't feeling well for a few days because I think he ate 3 loaches within a week and the loaches defense/razors may have hurt thier tummys. Anyways, I also have some salvinis and one medium pleco (the only fish I regret a bit having).

How many fish do you need to get rid of? I personally,
would just hold onto them and when they pass on don't
replace them and then switch over. They are family you know. You know the pet store will never give you a credit for what the fish is really worth but if you want this right away and bad enough they it may be worth turning them in for maybe a store credit. I've heard people ebay fish ? and I'm sure you will hear from others with other ideas.

Oh! I think an Oscar is a great choice. They have so much personality. Let us know how you make out.

Enjoy!!!

Welcome to ofl.com

Welcome to ofl.com

Alright guys well its sunday. Hopefully today I'm going in to buy a new 4' x 15" x 18" because i want a fresh start with a new tank. I'm also going to buy black gravel for the first time and a nice backing.

Im going to remove the fish and keep them in a smaller "tank" for a few days until i can trade them in at the pet store. They will be in there for a few days until the next time i can get around to getting to the pet store, during that time my new tank will be aging on my old stand, which still looks perfectly sound after 9 years.

As for the fish, I'm going to keep my 2 loaches and try to fatten them up as the oscar grows. I'm going to pick out their prettiest, healthiest tigar oscar juvenile so I can watch it grow and know about its history, not like the big ole sickly ones. I'm not sure about tankmates for it. A few tinfil barbs or silver dollars might ruin it, im not sure.

Anyway, ill post some pictures of the new setup and when i get the fish, of him aswell .

Id try get a 4x2x2 if i was you and just keep the oscar on it own.You really should't put anything in with an oscar if the tank is under 75 gallon,thats just me.Good luck i hope all goes wel keep us posted.

Just filled the tank lol.

A few dramas, hose came out while i was away and flooded the loungeroom (its tiled).

A size bigger wasnt an option, the stand is for 4ft x 15".

having no middle swimming companions is ok, i decided to have the oscar alone just with some clown loaches.

2 concerns. Water is cloudy from rocks after rinsing them countless times but i know thats normal, i just don thave aquality test kit. when i pick up my oscar ill take a water sample, and buy my own test kit.

Other concern is the backing. never used it because i had a terrible time with it when i was a kid. The water is cloudy but the backing is really dull. not like anyone elses tank ive ever seen, however, water got down the back and is sticking the backing to tank, a clue perhaps?

Also, found a home for my cichlids.

Apart from that, all is well.

When i get it all settled ill take some pictures.

if the backings not glud on you always get water down the back which is a bugger to ger ouy unless you can reach it well.which im suer you carnt as its against the wall haha.

ive got the same problem as i forgot to glue it and now with a full tank its too heavy to move i just get used to it and it dries up after a few days.

looking forward to seing your pictures

Ok well I was very pressed for time so I hope i've done everything sufficiently. I know some people will be angry at me >.<.

The tank was seeded with my old filter bacteria and was running with full aeration for 48 hours before i put in my 2 clown loaches and today I got my new bubby tiger oscar. All the fish look very healthy and happy. Boy my new baby is very inquisitve . But yes, the fish store said there was no point testing my water quality so im concerned.

The tank is still completely bare but that will be fixed very soon.

Here are the photos as promised.

First let me apologise for the images, its my first time photographing a tank. Secondly I will reiterate that the tank is 55 US Gallons, 4 Feet by 15 Inches by 18 Inches High.

I linked them because im not sure about the forums rules on picture size.

2 Clowns
img258.imageshack.us/img258/594/0000268xb4.jpg

Tank corner view
img512.imageshack.us/img512/4688/0000269es9.jpg


Edit- Imageshack has bummed out. Ill make a photbucket account or something when i get from the orthodontist

Aright I have added the pebbles. The fish sulk when i approach and hide behind the filter. I hope they get less shy as the days go on.

Fishtank With pebbles
img264.imageshack.us/img264/632/0000281tg6.jpg
(One problem is, it looks great, but how do i clean under them?)

I just keep editting this post, lol.

I think im going to make the layer of pebbles more sparse and try and get a nice piece of driftwood. Tell me what you think.

Looks good!
I think adding the driftwood will finish the whole thing nicely.

Oh that is strange that the fish store told you there was no point in testing your water???