Hi,

I apologise in advance because I'm sure you get tired of this type of question!

Do you think that a tank which is 6ft x 18" x 18" might house two adult Oscars? I have checked the volume and advice on the website and from that it looks more like a size for one, however it is hard to believe when I think of how big the tank is! If the answer is 'yes if you increase maintenance' could you please try and quantify how much maintenance that might mean?

If it is not big enough for two adults how long do you think it might be suitable for? I know Oscars grow fast in their first year but I have the impression that they don't reach full size and that growth slows after this initial period.

Ideally I would love to have a small group of baby Oscars to bring on, gradually reducing the numbers based on who gets on and which I like best. I was told a long time ago (probably about 30 years! ) this is how it was usually done and I like the idea BUT I'm wondering how easy/hard it might be to find homes for the rest?

Any advice welcome

a tank that foot print is almost 100 gal capacity (99.3 US)
or 85 IMP gal size. yes, it can accomodate 2 full grown adult.
all you need is a good and adequate filtration. for more details
scroll the link below.

www.oscarfishlover.com/index.php/Oscar-t...Fish-tank-setup.html

in theory a tank that size will be able to house to adult oscars for life. the maintenace would be a little heavier but not unbearable. as for how much maintenace it is impossible to say. only be testing your water will you how often and how much water needs to be changed to keep the nitrates in check.

as for getting a small group of oscars to thin out as they grow the tank you talking about is definetly too small for that. aside from the fact that oscars grow really quickly , the bio load from a group of even four would overwhelm you within a short time. too soon to eliminate them down based on your posted criteria. and then there is the problem of rehoming them when they are larger.

another course you might look into is a single oscar with a few fair sized tankmates. in a six foot tank you could probably do one o and about 3-4 tankmates in the 6-10 inch range.

keep us posted on your decision and best of luck to you

btw for filtration you should look into 2 fluval 405s or their equivalent.


oh ya and welcome to the site

PAUL wrote:


Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply, I have read and now re-read the article - I think I was getting a bit mixed up with the UK and US gallons (I'm in the UK). Good news that the tank will be big enough for two

necromancer4 wrote:


Hello Necromancer,

Thanks for the welcome I'm happy enough to get two Oscars, I'd prefer that to one in a mixed tank although I do have an interest in catfish.

So basically the decision is yes! I'm pretty excited about this as to own a pair of Oscars has been a long standing ambition from my early fish keeping days. It will also allow me to indulge a couple of other fishy-fantasies but more of that another time

The tank in question is being given to me complete with all equipment including a really good filter (don't have the details of it at the moment) so while I expect to have to buy some stuff, it's saved me a small fortune which is good as I wouldn't be able to afford it at the moment otherwise.

My long term plan will be another tank, probably a self build, as the dimensions of this one are not my ideal but that would be a couple of years down the road. I'm going to be more than happy with this one for a while and maybe actually forever, have to see how it goes.

So now I just have to say yes to the tank and start sorting everything out. There's no hurry as I don't have my eye on any particular fish at the moment, in fact I'm not sure how hard it is going to be to procure some when the time is right.

I'm sure I shall be back with more questions very soon!

My six footer is also 18" wide, which is not ideal but works fairly well (so far) as long as I stay aware of the width limitations for my Oscars moving around.

I suggest you go with two Oscars in that tank now and whenever ready get them the new home you have in mind. Just keep filtration optimal and take good care of the tank (that's been my approach so far).

Pepe
Santo Domingo

pepetj wrote:


Hi Pepe,

Thanks for your reply. It's the width in particular that I would change if I could, I prefer a wider tank too but it will be great for a while. I saw a tank on ebay that is 5ft x 2ft x 3ft which I thought is a great size - shame I can't afford it at the moment though!