Just curious...I was looking at tanks on craigslist and found two 150 gallon tanks (just wishful thinking right now as I cant setup something that big right now) but one was a standard longer tank and the other was a wide version measuring 48"x24"x31"....just curious if the length would be more important that the depth or the other way around? I'd like something larger like this maybe next year sometime but didn't know what was generally prefer...longer but less depth or deeper. Just curious...thanks!

in oscar fishkeeping, the volume of the tank plays an important role, thus,
the bigger the volume the better. space where to install is also additional
factor to consider...in short 48 x 24 x31 is the same as 62 x 24 x 24.
unlike in aro, they prefer to have more lateral surface than depth

Aggreed with Paul.It comes down to how many Gallons.
Some people use the rule of thumb, that the lenght of your tank should be at least five times the size of your fish, and would advice the longer tank.

i agree more long then deep. out oscars dont really care what theay are in as long as theay can swimm and turn without kissing their butt first. its more cosmettic and what u preffer but i like that long tanks I think theay look better and are easier to clean

Having kept Oscars for a number of years now I can definitely say that you're much better off concentrating on length and depth, rather than height. Oscars like swimming back and forth, rather than up and down. Obviously you have to give them room to turn around as well so a minimum of 18 inches in depth is something I would recommend.

i agree with the guys longer is better but in my case i had 2 go 4 depth only because of space the only problem i have is the cleaning of it when i but my arm in it wont touch the bottom so if i want 2 move anything in the tank i have 2 use a claw to move things around

CARPBOY wrote:


lol i have already found this to be a problem with my 8footer... i cannot stick my arm in and touch the back wall or the bottom of the tank without standing on something to get higher up in the air to do it lol. guess its time to get longer utensils for cleaning the tank lol. i was thinking about getting a boat brush, one of those short scrubber type brushes that has like the 4ft handle on it... i think that would help me out alot more than this short scrubber i have now. got some grabber tong type thingy with a action grip handle lol... its like 3ft long... already tried it out, works well. if i can get some kung-fu grip action mastered i should be set.

Yeah...I figured having a long tank would be a little better...might have to wait on that...or rearrange some thing around to see if I could make room...time to sell the furniture! haha!

Lenght and surface are the more important as long as you have at least 18inche in height. Also as said go too deep and it can be difficult to maintain

thanks...yeah I will keep an eye out for a longer tank when I get the chance to upgrade next year...then as soon as we can get our house i'm going for a 200+ gallon tank and my wife said I will be allowed a fish tank room in the house! Think I found a keeper! haha...only catch is I have to build her a room for here rabbits...good trade off I think!


EDIT: And just to tease me I just checked craigslist and some guy has a 125 gallon and a 250 gallon for sale right now about 5 miles from my house!