this is the most helpful oscar site i have seen by far. well i just bought 2 tiger oscars today and they are in a 10 gallon tank with three goldfish and one pleco. goldfish are about 2 inches long and the pleco is about 2 1/2 inches and the oscars are about 2 inches also. how important is it to get these oscars out of this 10 gallon tank and how soon? the goldfish are there just as feeders but i didnt know that they would be too big for the oscars to eat right now but i did start the tank with goldfish only and they have been living in there for about 3 weeks. i did do a 30-40% change of the the water the day bofore i put the oscars in and used the ammonia tab that fizzes to help treat the water. how long can these oscars make it in this habitat?

Im not a pro yet.. but as this site has to say.. you can expect your oscar to reach about 8 inches in the first year then grow slower after that.

If you use the one inch per gallon rule your already at 13 inches or so .. so your tank is already too over crowded. ( I don't use the one ince per gallon rule most pet shops do . every fish is different depending on its bio load and how aggresive it can be and so on)

I would guess you would need at least a 125 gal tank your house the 2 Oscars and pleco at full lenght. and your goldfish.. well.. food for your Oscars

Rule is at least 55 gallons for One single Oscar and 75 for Two Oscars.. then add the Pleco your at least 125 gallons for just those three (Pleco's can get to 2 feet if raised correctly)

So to answer your question Once you have the money I would get your self a new tank pronto. I think if you leave the oscars and pleco in the 10 gal tank for too long you may stunt their growth making then live considerably shorter lives.

well if i get a 55 gallon tank for just the two oscars, is that at all possible good enough for them to live in permanatley? if so then i think my pleco(Jim) can be lunch

A 55 gal tank for 2 Oscars is like you and someone you know living in a bathroom together for 15 years....

the more room you can give your two oscars the better... for the sake of your oscas go big.. keeping them in a small tank just hurts their potential for what they can be

What i Think might be a good idea.. Keep one oscar and return the other back to the store for someone that would be able to keep care of it and purchace the 55 for that one remainging.. that would be the more humane thing to do i think.

JeepGuy

Get a larger tank now. Oscars grow really really quick

The 2 oscars will be fine in the 55 until they bigger (When they are full size keeping the water quality good is really hard). Test the water for nitrate every week to start with then every month(20 or below is ideal, below 50 is acceptable). As they get bigger the nitrate will rise and to keep it down you will need to do more and bigger water changes. When the water changes you are prepared to do are not enough then you will have to return one to a fish shop


A word about feeding- Only feed what they will eat in about 3 mins once a day. No more, no matter how much they beg- oscars are professional beggars.

i just checked my 10 gallon tank and here are the readings....
ammonia 0.25
nitrate 40
nitrite 10 +
hardness 150
chlorine 0
alkalinity 120-180(i couldnt really tell)
PH 7.8

i am so new to this i need to know what you guys think

Your nitrites and nitrates are a tad high...do another wc.

I myself wouldn't even put a single oscar in a 55, let alone two with a pleco(US gallons). And if the pleco is what I think it is, it won't be lunch but will grow into a 26'' monster. Trust me.(If it's a common or sailfin plec).

Art

Your tank is cycling. I would do 20% water change each day until ammonia and nitrite are both 0. Then you just need to keep nitrate down by doing water changes.

There is no need to keep the plec until it gets full size if you dont have room. When it gets to about a foot return it to a shop and get a credit, then just buy a smaller one(not too small or it will get eaten). The plec in my discus tank got to about 8 inches(dont want much bigger in with discus) and as my 2 other tanks already a plec in them, I returned it to a fish shop and they swapped it for 2 baby ones

Since nobody has said anything about the poor Goldfish, only the poor Oscars and Pleco I'll add in...

Ok, we've already established the fact the Pleco and Oscars will get big. So will the Goldfish. Goldfish need at least 10 gallons PER Goldfish. Since we are talking feeders you probably have Comets, Comets need 20 gallons, preferably more as adults. They will get to be 10-15in+ each. Goldfish are just as messy as Oscars therefore you're looking at doing water changes everyday keeping 2 Goldfish in such a small tank. The Goldfish will grow fast. By the time your Oscar is big enough to eat 2in Goldfish your Goldfish will be bigger than your Oscar.

Take them back, give them to someone who can give them proper care, step up and care for them or put them down humanely. (I can give you a list of how to do this.)

Please educate yourself on these beautiful fish...

kokosgoldfish.com is a great site for Goldfish information.

Don't just give away your problem when it gets to big, if you can't handle the size it'll get later on then give it back NOW. Because what happens if you run into the problem of not being able to find someone to take it later on? Pet shops do not have the room for a 1ft+ Pleco. Thats like getting a cute puppy and then throwing it away when it grows up. It Isn't Right! I'm sure all hell would break loose if someone said they bought an Oscar at the store and then a year later gave it away and got a new baby because it grew up, no? So why is a Pleco or any other animal any different?

I always thought goldfish grew to the size of the tank so overstocking wasnt a problem as they just dont get so big. Personally i dont feed live fish to my fish, i think its a bit cruel

I would return the goldfish to a shop, i doubt they will refuse some free fish!!

Rattie i see you point about the pleco, however i have ended up with so many because i keep re-homing plecs that have outgrown other people tanks, i have only ever bought one, other than the 2 small ones i swapped for the big one. I now have 2 small, 2 med(6in) and 2 large(10in). This excludes the ones i have moved on to others. Fish shops round here can move a 8 to 12 inch plec on real easy. Unlike oscars, i can think of 2 shops that have at least 6 8in+ oscars they just cant shift

Rattie, goldfish need at least 40 gallon per fish.

I thought goldfish grew to the size of the tank so stocking levels dont apply. People keep goldfish in small tanks and they dont get big