Hello all, this is my first post

well anyways, i have my self a little oscar (8cm's) in a tank that is good for his size atm.. and i also got him a 55gal (4ft x 1.5 x 1.5) and a Aqua one CF 1000l/h and 250w heater and air pump with stones..

it also has lights and all..

i was wondering what els should i get? since im new 2 this oscar thing and all..

ive had fish before.. but nothing bigger than guppies and a few goldfish..

i dono if i should put anything such as driftwood and stuff like that because oscars get varry big and i dont want him 2 be unhappy with not enough space..

can someone plz help me and tell me if i can fit in a large driftwood or large rocks..

and also.. since he is varry small.. will a few clown loach's or a SF pleco his size be a good idea?.. the oscar will look silly in such a large tank.. and when he gets bigger i can maybe sell the others and keep the origional oscar

Thanks alot..

welcome to the site

Okay, 55 gallons is okay for one Oscar. However, adding any more fish is a complete no-no I'm afraid.

when you start putting large pieces of wood or rock in your tank, it displaces water. So when you are keeping your fish in the absolute minimum size tank, you certainly don't want to be reducing the amount of water you have got. So I wouldn't be inclined to put any large pieces of wood or rock in your tank. Maybe a small piece of wood would be okay, that's not going to displace much water, and it would give your O something to hide behind. However, Oscars are not noted for being the sort of fish that need hiding places, unlike catfish, CL etc

Thanks 4 quick reply

auuuu.. soo i need 2 get something small so i dont reduce water volume...

what about a few large PVC pipes?.. will that harm the water?

and also.. what about the filter i have?.. is it enough.. orr do i need 2 get another one?.. will it do?... and do i need a power head 2 move the water around.. and iff i do how many l/h should it be..

Thanks alot

I have always gone by the rule of thumb that with oscars you need two times the normal filtration that is called out for your tank size. Oscars chew there food with the teeth in the back of there mouth, which means a lot of food and waste goes through the gills and into the water. You should also do water changes a little more frequently in a 55 gal tank. I have a 100 gal tank and I do 2 25% water changes a week. Do you agree OFL???

I do 2-30% changes a week in my 75 gal with one 10" albino O. There are times when I do 3 changes a week, if i change filter pads etc. I am running a #5 Rena and a whisper 60 HOB and thats just enough. Im of the belief that he needs enough food to be healthy. I'd rather change water 3x per week, than let him go without food for a extra day. I also check water parameters every day.