Okay so I'll give you a little bit of a back story... my mother is looking to buy a house and when she does i will be moving out of my father's home and into my mother's house. I am worried about moving my Oscar, Stinky. I don't want anything to happen to him...

I'm looking into buying him a new tank but I'm not the best at this type of thing. Now i know i am not the best fish owner... I know Stinky's growth is stunted because he's only in a 30gal tank. I am on a tight budget. I just got laid-off and I'm on unemployment. I help pay alot of bills and the holidays are very hard... I'm looking for used tanks or cheap tanks so i can get my buddy into a bigger, better home... Now here are my concerns and what i need help with...

How do i move/transport my Oscar. Some of the houses we are looking at are almost an hour or more away and we might be moving in the winter.

Also, I want to get Stinky a tank mate. I love Jack Dempsey's. Stinky is around 6in (give or take an inch) and I'm worried if he will get along with a new fish and what is the best way to introduce them and if a Jack Dempsey is a good pair or not.

Now about a tank... I know he should be in AT LEAST a 55gal tank... I'm looking for something 75+ (especially if i get him a tank mate.) I would prefer a 125gal tank... thats probably best for 2 fish, right?

What exactly will i need to make my fishie(s) happy and keep them healthy? It would be helpful if i could make a complete checklist of everything i will need before hand so i can be well prepared...

oh and if anyone knows where i can get a reasonably priced tank/stand/set-up in Western New York that would be a big help! If there is someone on the forum in the WNY area that could possibly help a bit more or anything like that! I really want to upgrade my Oscar's quality of life. I feel so horrible for having him in too small of a tank for too long...

Please help me and talk me through any way you can?




I just re-read my post and i wanted to say that right now we really have no money... my mother will be buying a house with whatever inheritance she gets once my mother, aunt and uncle sell my grandparents house... we don't have much to work with. If i need to, i might be able to talk her into lending me the money to set my Oscar up with the proper tank, but i don't know how willing she will be. She's not too excited about having a fish tank and she's really trying to conserve whatever cash we come by so we will have a nice place to live.... So i want to try to keep the cost of every thing as low as possible, and buy what i need to ahead of time so i can be properly prepared for the move, but if i have to beg my parents for money at the last minute i can do that too. I'm really concerned about my fish, i love him so much. I just want whats best for him. Also, right now my only income is $90/wk from unemployment... thats not even enough to cover my bills, but i am willing to let a bill or two go afford a happy home for my Stinky lil' friend. XP

hi, just thought I would mention that a temporary tank of plastic could be a option. a large water tank may not look the best but would certainly give better water and more room. sorry about your financial situation if things are getting so bad maybe you should hold off with pets and I certainly wouldn't add more just yet.

as for what you need should be something like this
test kit
70-120g tank
200g filter etheim/fluval canister
heater 200-300watt
optional light
water treatment to make water changes (seachem prime)

I was reading your post, yes budget constraints are tough. I dealt with similar situations in my short life. Makes you grow up fast. Alright as far as Your oscar goes "Stinky"..You can get a decent set up at maybe a local superstore. Like Wal*Mart. They have a nice 55 gal tanks with the full set up for $250.00. Although you should upgrade from the filter supplied when you get a chance. You should perform weekly water changes of atleast 50%. Vaccum gravel with a proper siphon vaccum. I won't go into much detail, but I assure you call the information you need for a great aquarium set up and fish information can be found on this site. Browse around and you'll find what you're looking for.
Good Luck

Have you checked craigslist.com ? You can find real deals there and sometimes people that are moving are giving their tank away. It's a great site for fish lovers. Please keep us updated on how you and Stinky are doing.
As far as moving him, you can put him in a 5 gallon bucket with water from his tank and he will be fine for an hours drive....probably longer. If you can take the lid off when you stop and stir the water to give him oxygen. Don't feed him the day before the move, maybe not for 2 days and he won't dirty the water so much. They're tougher than you think
I know you want him to have some company but you really shouldn't until you have the room, it wouldn't be fair to either one of them. How old is Stinky?

Another site to check would be Freecycle . You can post for things that you want or post things that you no longer need. I use it all the time. I've almost furnished my whole living room using Freecycle. I scored a 55gl complete with stand, hood, filter, heater, lights, rocks, and even fish. ALL FOR FREE!! I've also gotten rid of old furniture, stereos, stray dogs, clothes, and toys. If I don't want to bother with a garage sale, and I just want it gone. I use Freecycle.