Setting up an Aquarium for Your Oscar Fish

If you have decided you oscars then I would urge you read this page very carefully as it could save you a lot of hassle, inconvenience and most importantly for a lot of people, money. If you know anything about the Oscarfish, you will know that they get very big, and they get big in a relatively short space of time. They are also very messy fish, both in their eating and toilet habits. For this reason I would suggest that you set yourself up with the right equipment at the very beginning. I know that a 2 inch Oscar doesn't look anything in a big tank, but believe me, that 2 inch Oscar won't stay 2 inches for very long. Far too many people think they have got time on their hands when purchasing Oscars. They think they can house their little friend in a 10 gallon tank for a few months while they think about getting a larger tank. I am afraid that is not the case with Oscars. Oscars need big tanks and they need very good filtration. If you can't provide these two vital components then please don't even consider buying an Oscar.

A Suitable Aquarium for Your Oscar

An Oscar Fish can often reach 12 inches in captivity, sometimes they have been known to far exceed this. A very large Oscar could easily exceed 2 pounds in weight.

Fish do not do well if they are kept in poor conditions. If you are planning to keep Oscars then you really must provide them with an aquarium that is set up specifically to cater for their requirements. We always recommend going for the absolute largest tank you can afford, or house into your property. Many people seem to agree that 55 gallons is about the minimum size aquarium if you want to keep one adult Oscar. I would actually recommend no less than 75 gallons for one adult Oscar. The extra room will really benefit your fish and will significantly reduce the amount of maintenance needed if accompanied with a good filtration system. Once you start thinking about more than one Oscar then you are looking at tanks in excess of 100 gallons. People choose from attempt to keep Oscars in very small tanks nearly always run into water quality problems so a large aquarium is absolutely imperative for more than one Oscar Fish.

In the UK, commercially available aquariums that are available from many aquatic centres on the Internet don't get much bigger than 161 gallons. However, Bow Aquatics in the UK sell a 193 gallon aquarium. There is a four-month wait for this particular aquarium. Check their website out, they have a large selection of aquariums. If you want a very large aquarium then you'll probably have to have it custom-made. If you've got the money, check this website

How Many Oscars?

Levelling your Aquarium

Before you fill your tank with water, get yourself a spirit level and check that it is completely level with the floor. If it isn't, you may run the risk of broken seals or cracked panel. You can use foam board or thin pieces of wood to get the level right. You may also want to consider putting a very thin layer of padding between the tank and the stand. This wil help prevent the tank cracking if there is any debris left on top of the Cabinet. A piece of polystyre cut to the surface area of your tank and around a quarter of an inch thick is often a very good material to use. You can obtain these from builders merchants. If you choose not to put anything under the tank, you must brush the top of the stand thoroughly, you may have missed some debris, or there may be a slight flaw that could crack the bottom of the tank.

You also might want to consider filling your tank up in three stages, especially if it is a large one. This will allow the base and floor to settle. I better finish of this section by mentioning just how heavy a fish tank is when it is full of water. A 55 gallon tank will weigh in excess of 460lb (quarter of a ton). A 125 gallon tank will weigh in excess of half a ton (1000lb+) So taking this into account, be careful where you put your tank. It's always best to put these large tanks against a supporting wall. If in doubt, contact a reputable builder. The last thing you want is a tank crashing through your floor. If you have a nice solid concrete floor, then you have nothing to worry about.

An Oscars Home Is Its Own

There is one thing every new Oscar owner should know. Oscars love moving things around inside the tank. You can bet your bottom dollar that if you arrange the tank in a way you like it, they will prefer it completely the opposite way, and boy will you know about it. Oscars are very powerful fish, they can move just about anything in a tank, even large rocks. Don't be surprised if you wake up to find a large pit dug out in the substrate, heaters detached from side of the tank, plants ripped to shreds and you thinking "I'm sure I didn't put that rock there" If you want a pretty tank that looks nice, don't bother getting Oscars. There really isn't any point in you putting things back to where you like them, I can promise you that you will give up before the Oscar does.he

Filtration

Let's talk filtration. The filtration is the lifeline of your tank. Oscars are incredibly messy fish, you must have good filtration or your water quality will deteriorate rapidly. Basically, the majority of filters will perform three functions. They will deal with all the dangerous toxins that fish produce, they will remove solid waste from your tank, and finally, will help to oxygenate the water. Without a filtration system, your fish would be swimming around in a toxic soup.

Many people just don't understand just how important filtration is on a fish tank. They buy a tank set up, fill it with water and then just plonk the fish in. Then they wonder why the fish start dying off. It would be lovely and convenient if that's all you had to do. Unfortunately, there is little bit more to it than just filling the tank with water and putting the fish in it. You have to establish a biological filter before you can safely house your fish. This may sound complicated but honestly it isn't. To explain this in its simplest form is to look at your toilet. Why do we clean our toilets with disinfectant? To kill all the horrible bacteria that feed off all the horrible stuff that goes into a toilet. This is basically what goes on inside your filtration system, although we don't want to kill the bacteria, the bacteria are our best friend when it comes to keeping a healthy aquarium. In an established filtration system, you have a huge bacteria colony that live on your media, whether this be sponges or little ceramic balls. These bacteria feed off fish waste. So what happens is that the water gets sucked into your filtration system. It passes through the media inside your filters and the bacteria start processing fish waste. First of all they get to work on the ammonia, this is what the fish produces first. Once the ammonia has been processed, this is turned into nitrite. The bacteria then start gorging themselves on nitrite. Once the nitrite has been processed you end up with nitrate. The bacteria can't eat nitrate, this is why you have to do water changes, to reduce the amount of nitrate in the water.

We would normally recommend filtering the equivalent of twice your tank size in one hour if you are keeping Oscars. Basically that means if your tank contains 500 L of water, you want to be filtering at least 1000 L of water an hour. There are various ways of achieving this. You can either opt for a very large filter, or alternatively install two filters. I'm actually in favor of installing two filters. This is really for backup purposes, if one filter goes down, at least you got one still working on your tank, you can also clean them intimately

You may well have heard of different kinds of filtration. Mechanical, biological and chemical, I will try and explain as briefly and simply as I can what these three types of media do, and how they affect your filtration system.

Mechanical Filtration

Biological Filtration

Chemical Filtration

Chemical filtration - in a lot of cases this comes in the form of charcoal. It is easy recognizable because it is the black media that you find in your filtration system. This is often used to remove left over medication that you don't want in your tank. For this reason, chemical filtration is not needed in your filtration system all the time. Many people leave it in their filtration and don't bother changing it. If this happens, impurities can build up to the extent that they start leeching back into your water when the chemical filtration becomes saturated. I would recommend that you don't leave chemical filtration in your filters, only use it if you need it.

Aquarium Filters

Filters come in many shapes and sizes and every aquarium should have the correct filtration working on it. Your filtration system is probably the most important part of your aquarium set up. Without a filtration system your fish will not survive for more than a few days. Oscar Fish create a lot of waste so the filtration needs to be able to cope with all this. Filtration doesn't just remove solid waste, it also removes all the dangerous toxins which are responsible for most fish deaths.

Choosing the correct filter for your tank is by no means complicated. In most cases it will tell you exactly what size aquarium the filter is made for. However you'll need to know how many gallons/liters of water your aquarium holds. Using this basic calculator you can enter the dimensions of your aquarium and it will give you an idea of how much water it holds. Once you know this information choosing your filter is child's play. Look at the filters specifications and you will see information including power consumption, delivery head, pump output, and most importantly, filter circulation. This will tell you exactly how many liters an hour the unit will filter.

Canister Filters

One of the best type of filter to opt for are canister type filtration systems. Canister filters come in various sizes that will filter tanks ranging from 30 gallons, right up to 1200 L, or around 300 gallons. If your tank is in excess of 100 gallons then I would certainly be looking to install either two canister filters rated at 600 L/133g, or maybe one large canister rated at 1200 L/300g. Either way, you will have more than enough filtration. The advantage of having two filters is of course if one goes wrong, you have always got a backup. Eheim manufacture canister filters that have heating built into the filter. Using one of these filters will obviously eliminate the need to install heaters into the aquarium. I would highly recommend Charterhouse Aquatics for any aquarium products including a wide range of filtration systems.

One very important thing you have to take into account when using canister filters Is that the pipework will normally run through a hole at the back of the cabinet. There also needs to be somewhere for the pipework to enter the tank. A lot of tanks come with a corner section taken out of the glass. before purchasing your canister filter, make sure you are able to fit it on your particular tank. You can always have your tank altered so canister filters can be fitted. When you have set your filter up, make sure that all the pipework is completely straight. If you leave a kink somewhere, it will restrict water going from the filter, or going into the filter which will affect the filters performance.

Hob Filters/Bio Filtration

HOB filters are also used by many people. They are particularly popular in the United States but not so much over here in the United Kingdom. HOB stands for hang on back and it does exactly what it says on the packet, it hangs on the back of the tank. These type filters aren't always very efficient because they contain disposable cartridges which may not cater for biological filtration that well. Some Hob filters will allow you to add a bio filter which greatly increases the efficiency of the filter. Alternately , purchase a Hob filter with a built-in bio filter.

Tests show that BIO-FILTERS are extremely efficient when it comes to biological filtration. The only drawback is that a lot of tanks can't house these type filters properly because of the way they are constructed. Also, I'm yet to find a HOB filter that is rated fot the larger tanks, I've seen them up to around 110 US gallons (if anybody knows of some real beefy ones, please let me know and I will mention them on here) so if you want to use one of these filters and your tank is quite big, you may need more than one filter. As I have already mentioned, there are various other filters on the market, personally, I wouldn't use any of them, they are just capable of dealing with the amount of waste that Oscars produce. Until you have actually kept Oscars for a while, you will not appreciate just how messy these fish are.

Underwater Filters

Underwater filters like this Fluval 4 are located on the inside of your tank and are submerged under the water. They have an inlet near the bottom, and an outlet near the surface of the water. These filters tend to be designed for reasonably small tanks which is why there are not really suitable for keeping Oscars long term. These type filters normally utilise sponge as the media. If you neglect to clean them on a regular basis, they can easily become clogged up with waste. This could restrict the water flowing through the media which could result in your bacteria dying off through lack of oxygen. However, one of these filters would be perfect for a hospital tank. If you didn't want to keep a fully cycled tank running all the time, you could keep one of these filters running on your main tank and then use it if you needed to isolate of fish. It would fit perfectly in the corner and wouldn't look out of place.

If you suddenly found yourself in the position where you needed to isolate your fish, all you would need to do is take some existing water from your main tank and then transfer the filter and you would basically have a fully cycled hospital tank without having to wait four weeks. When the is treatment has finished , you could just put the filter back in the main tank, or alternatively, give it clean, media and all, put it back on the main tank and it shouldn't take long to cycle again.

Sump Filters

A sump filter is not quite as complicated as it sounds. It is basically a large reciprocal that can be constructed out of the same material as an aquarium, or you can use a commercially available open water tank to construct your sump filter. The filter has sections/dividers inside which act as containers for your media/pump/heaters etc. The filter doesn't really act any differently from a normal filter. The water enters in one end, runs through all your media and then is returned back to your aquarium. However a sump filter has the advantage of being able to contain an enormous amount of media, as well as adding a considerable amount of extra water to your system. These type of filters are most beneficial when used on large heavily stocked aquariums. Further Reading on Sump Filters...

Clean Your Filters

Don't think that just because you have a large filter it doesn't need cleaning. Canister filters especially will slowly collect waste and if you just leave them to it will eventually become so full of crap and debris, they may well start working against you. If the filter becomes clogged then the water will not be able to pass through it fast enough which in turn may lead to ammonia building up in your tank water. You may also find that the amount of waste collecting inside the filter creates extra nitrates. If you have one single canister filter then you'll have to clean it more often than if you have one large oversized canister filter, or maybe two filters. A large sump filter can go for quite a long time between cleaning, but remember the longer you leave it, the more debris will collect inside. A properly designed sump filter is an absolute doddle to clean so there really isn't any need to leave it for long periods of time in between cleaning. Canister filters are also very easy to clean, the trays that contain the media can be lifted out and dunked in a bucket of existing tank water. Don't forget to clean the actual empty canister out either, you'll find a lot of debris collects in the bottom. Internal filters will need cleaning on a regular basis as these are just inadequate when keeping large fish like Oscars.

Heating

Oscars come from the tropics so they need to live in a heated environment. If you happen to live somewhere where it's warm all year around, you may not necessarily need a heater , however in most cases an aquarium heater will be necessary. The temperature of an Oscar tank should be between 21°C and 28°C although Oscars will be okay with water up to 30°C. You may find that fish become lethargic and might not eat so much in cooler water conditions, on the other hand the hotter the water, the less oxygen it will hold so it's important to watch out for signs of oxygen depletion, especially in summer. A telltale sign will be fish opening and closing their mouths a lot. When choosing a heater, make sure you opt for quite a robust one. Most of the time, heaters are placed on the inside of the tank in a vertical Or slightly angled position. You must bear in mind that if you go for a large aquarium, you're going to need to increase the amount of heating you will need. Heating an aquarium is rather like heating a room, if you haven't got enough heating, the heaters may keep the water at a reasonable temperature about may stay on all the time which in turn may reduce the life span of the heaters, and obviously increase your electricity bill. Always place your heaters near the inlet so that the water is being heated as it comes into your tank, if you put your heater too far away from the inlet, it won't work anywhere near as efficiently and probably isn't going to heat the water that well. If you are using a sump filter, place your heaters in either the chamber that the water enters, or the next one along.A large Oscar is more than capable of cracking a flimsy heater if he feels like it. It is very important that you know what the temperature of your waters at all times. Heaters have been known to malfunction which could render the water too hot, or too cold. Various companies sell digital thermometers. These are very accurate and easy to read. The digital readout can be stuck on the outside of the aquarium so you can put in easy view. The sensor has a sucker on it so you can put it on the inside of the tank.

You may want to consider opting for an external thermometer over an internal glass thermometer as Oscars love to destroy things in their tank and some of these thermometers are flimsy and delicate and can break very easily. Whereas the Mercury contained in some thermometers will not cause any harm to your fish you don't really want all the little bits of glass littering your tank.

Remember to turn your heaters off when you are doing large water changes.

Whereas Oscars can tolerate water temperature down to 21°C 70°F, other fish may not favour these conditions. Keeping fish in water that is too cold for them can sometimes result in diseases such as Ick, so you do have to think carefully about heating your tank properly.

Heating large aquariums is not always quite so straightforward. A larger aquarium may need several heaters to keep the water at a suitable temperature. I have some heater modules connected in-line on my sump filter. I have two 300 W heaters set at 28°C and these bring my water temperature up to almost 28°C.

When you put these modules inline you may experience a slight drop in water circulation because of the obstruction. If you are using a strong pump then you shouldn't experience any problems but just keep an eye on your water conditions for a while to make sure that the water is being circulated quickly enough. If you start getting ammonia present then you may have to make some adjustments so that the water flow is adequate.

Oxygen Levels

Something that is often overlooked when keeping fish is the oxygen levels in your aquarium. One of the most important aims is to maintain high oxygen levels, but keep carbon dioxide levels low. Carbon dioxide is created by fish, bacterial respiration, and oxidation of waste products.The larger the creature, the more oxygen it will need. Keeping large fish in small aquariums can lead to low oxygen levels plus high carbon dioxide in the water. If the fish does not get enough oxygen but respiration [breathing] is still possible then it can develop a condition known as "hypoxia". If indeed your fish has got to this stage then it will probably be hanging at the surface gasping for air, or possibly just breathing very heavily. If the fish is unable to find enough oxygen then it may well slip into a coma and die. A fish that has died from total lack of oxygen [asphyxia] will often have flared gill covers, possibly a wide open mouth and may have very pale gills.

Many people believe that a heavily planted tank will actually create oxygen for your fish. This is actually untrue since plants use oxygen during the night. The most efficient way of generating oxygen in your aquarium is to use a very efficient filtration system that has a strong output. In other words the water entering your tank from the filter is causing plenty of surface agitation. It is important to set your filter up correctly so this action is taking place. Many people make the mistake of submerging the inlet pipe to cut down on noise. If you are using a very small aquarium then it is important that you ensure enough oxygen is being created. You may be advised to add an airation pump which will not only create oxygen, but will also help remove carbon dioxide from your tank.

It's also worth mentioning that the warmer the water, the less oxygen it contains. So even if you have got a very large aquarium it may be a good idea to add an airation pump in the warmer months just to make sure that your fish are getting enough oxygen. Lack of oxygen can kill fish quite easily . If you must keep your fish in a small aquarium then all efforts must be made to oxygenate the tank properly.

Lighting

Oscars don't really require any specific type of lighting in their aquarium. Aquarium lights are really only for our benefit. An Oscars natural environment will be one of dimly lit and probably very murky conditions. However, it's nice to be able to see your fish so a lighting system is normally installed on an aquarium. If you don't turn your lights on and your aquarium is quite dark, you may find your Oscars are not so active.

If you have live plants in your tank and you want them to grow and stay healthy, you are going to need bright lighting that is on for most of the day. In the tropics, the natural photoperiod is around 12 to 14 hours. Basically this means the period of time per day that an organism is exposed to daylight (or to artificial light) During the summer months, I don't tend to turn my lights on until the evening, around six or seven o'clock. There really isn't any need since it is quite bright. During the winter time, I leave leave my lights on for around 12 hours. I have a small planted 20 gallon community tank that I also illuminate for around 12 hours a day. This really shows with the plants which are doing extremely well.

If you are going to leave your lights on for quite a while, I would strongly advise you to give your fish plenty of dark places where they can hide away. This could be thick vegetation, lots of rock or large pieces of wood. Remember that a lot of species of fish, especially South American fish come from dimly lit habitats. You should research your chosen fish and find out what sort of environment they live in. If they come from very shallow streams then they will probably be exposed to more light than fish that inhabit mangrove swamps etc.

If you keep both diurnal and nocturnal fish together (diurnal meaning fish that are active during the day, nocturnal, fish that are active at night) you have to remember that you have to give both fish their time of both lightness and darkness. Fish do sleep and will do so not long after the tank is in darkness.

We must mention algae, if you combine bright light and water, I'm afraid you're going to develop algae, there is absolutely no way around it, unless you want to keep your tank in darkness all the time, nobody really wants this. I would just suggest keeping up with water changes so nitrate levels are low and keep an algae cleaner at hand. If your tank is near a bright window, put some backing on the back or the sides, this will make a massive difference to algae build up.

When you turn your tanks on in the morning, don't do it if the room is completely dark, this can be very stressful for fish. Open the curtains and let natural light into the room and then turn your tank lights on.

When you first introduce a fish into your aquarium, especially if it's a baby, turn the lights off. Doing this is much less likely to stress the fish out. Once you've done this, turn the lights on gradually. In most cases, baby Oscars are more interested in food than anything else. My baby Oscars are not put off by anything when it comes to feeding. However, if you have only got the one Oscar, you may find that it is a little more timid than being in a large group. You must also remember that lights generate heat. Having a lot of lighting very close to the water could raise the temperature of the water so be careful.

It's quite common for Oscars to be frightened when the lights are turned on. If this is happening with you, you could try Introducing them to the light gradually over a period of time. Anothor method which may work is to place a coloured perspex on top of your condensation tray changing the colour of the light.in

If you find that your fishes colour fades and they appear light, it may be a case that your lighting is too bright, try reducing it, or switching it off for a while

Oscars Can Jump - Use a Secure Lid

It is very important that you use a secure lid/hood on your aquarium as Oscars have been known to jump out of their aquariums, sometimes perishing because they haven't been found in time. Don't under estimate the power of an Oscar Fish, they are quite capable of lifting an aquarium lid and unintentionally jumping out. It's not quite known why they do this but it is more than likely them investigating what they may see attached to the underside of the lid, or condensation tray. Maybe a piece of debris or uneaten food that could be an easy snack for them. You may find that drips of condensation fool your Oscars into thinking food being put into the tank so they lunge at any potential food and in some circumstances jump a little bit too high. Because they are very powerful fish, they can easily find themselves dislodging a lid or condensation cover, sadly ending up on the floor where they soon perish if not found quickly.

If your aquarium has very light lids then you can secure them using Velcro, I would advise the heavy-duty Velcro just to be on the safe side. Something as simple as a very large book can also be used to secure the lid as well. The lid on my 300 gallon aquarium consists of a large piece of heavy duty plastic, the same material that is used in greenhouses. Rather than cutting this plastic cover into sections, I have actually cut out various access holes along the section of plastic, this enables me to drop food in without having to lift the whole piece of plastic. I also have my lights attached inside plastic guttering which lay across the top of this plastic cover. This actually means even the largest Oscar will not be able to dislodge this 8 foot long plastic cover, even though it is actually very light and easy to remove by hand.

Ornaments, Plants & Substrate

It's nice to have a tank that looks nice, after all it is normally situated in the living room where it can be seen by most people who visit. However, when keeping Oscars, you have to bear in mind that these fish like excavating and moving things around. If you want a pretty tank with lots of nice plants then don't bother with Oscars. Every Oscar owner will tell you that plants don't last very long in an Oscar tank. For some reason, Oscars love uprooting and destroying them, it is very common so don't be surprised if this happens to you. If you don't want the hassle and expense of having to keep replacing plants, you could search around for some fake ones. There are quite a few very nice looking fake plants on the market that should stand up to a destructive Oscar. Obviously with fake plants, you won't have the benefits of them helping to reduce nitrates in the water, they are purely there for decoration and nothing else. Fake plants will never look as realistic as live plants either. There are advantages though, algae will grow on plants, at least with fake plants, you can take them out and give them a good clean. It isn't so easy to do this with live plants as they get broken very easily. If you want to try plants, you will probably be better off planting them when your Oscars are babies. This will give your plants a chance to put some good sturdy roots down, this least give them half a chance of staying up. of course, the Oscars will still rip pieces off so you may still end up giving up with plants. You also have to bear in mind that keeping plants healthy is a task in itself. many people start off with a planted tank, six months down the line, they go to fake plants. Many plants need lots of lights, lots of light means lots of algae in many cases. Some plants also need nutrients to keep them healthy. If you want my advice, don't even bother with real plants, try some fake plants and see how you get on. Get some pebbles and put them around the base so the Oscars can't uproot them that easy.

Most people like to put a bed in the bottom of their tank. This is known as the substrate. The Amazon River has hundreds, probably thousands of tributaries attached to it, many of these are completely different to each other, where as some may have a gravel type substrate, others may have a sand substrate. You don't have to have a substrate in your tank, it just looks nicer, after all, you are trying to replicate an aquatic environment . There are various substrates that you can use. Gravel and sand is probably the most common substrate used. Remember that you don't want too much substrate in your tank. Around 1 1/2 inch is perfectly okay. Having too much can make cleaning more difficult. You have to bear in mind that there are advantages and drawbacks of using sand or gravel. Let's start off with gravel. What are the advantages? Well, apart from disguising a lot of the dirt, waste also tends to work its way under the gravel so that tank doesn't look so dirty. You can remove the waste with a gravel vac. The disadvantage of this is that waste can get missed if the gravel isn't cleaned properly. This could have a detrimental effect on the water quality. Now let's look at sand. The advantage of using sand is that waste doesn't get trapped underneath, it sits on top. This means that the filtration tends to remove it more efficiently than if you're using gravel. If you are using a light coloured sand, you can see the waste a lot easier when you are cleaning. The disadvantage of using sand is that because the waste sits on top and doesn't go underneath, the tank can look a little dirtier than if you were to use gravel. So I suppose it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Personally I prefer sand. I'm more confident that the tank is cleaner because the filtration removes dirt quicker.Read Full Article on Sand...

One important thing that you have to bear in mind when using sand is dangerous gas pockets can build up so you should try and move it around a little bit when cleaning. You do have to be careful because the finer it is, the easier it is to suck up. It is very important to mention that our substrate will be a haven for beneficial bacteria, just like what is inside your filtration. For this reason, you don't want to clean the substrate too much. What you are trying to achieve is removing waste, that's all. A little bit of dirt is good, you don't want a spotless fish tank.

Before you put your substrate in the tank, make sure you give it a clean. The easiest way to do it is to use a bucket. Fill it half full of substrate and then add water and just swill it around until the water starts clearing. Some substrate is a lot dirtier than others. Black sand for instance can be a lot more dirty than white sand so you might find yourself using a little bit more water and spending a bit more time cleaning some types of substrate. I will say that with all the will in the world, you are not going to clean your substrate to the extent that when you put it in your tank and fill it with water, it will be crystal clear. The chances are it will become quite murky and cloudy and may stay like this for a day or two, maybe longer depending on how well you've cleaned it. It really doesn't matter, you could even put your fish if you want, they won't come to any harm.

If you want ornaments in your tank, make sure they are clean and free from paint that may contain lead or impurities. You can normally find plenty of purpose made items at the aquarium store . If you are unsure in any way, you are probably better off buying from somewhere that supplies aquatic equipment. I often get pots from garden centres. One of my catfish has made a large pot his home. I have even seen one of my Oscars sleeping in the pot at night.

Give your Fish Shelter

Rock and slate always look nice in a tank, especially if you arrange it properly. It is very important that you give your fish somewhere to shelter or hide, especially if you you have other fish such as clown loach or catfish. Diurnal [fish that are active by day] & nocturnal [active by night] fish will need to find shelter so they can sleep in safety. This could be behind a large rock, submerged wood or just about anything that gives them the appropriate shelter. So when setting up your tank, arrange some rocks or wood so that your fish are able to gain access underneath, or behind these constructions.

You can get various types of wood for your tank. Two common types you will see is bogwood and mopani. Both these look lovely in a tank. Mopani is the sort of wood that you would find in the Amazon whereas bogwood isn't. You have to bear one thing in mind when introducing things like bogwood into your tank. You will find that it will probably stain the water and make it look like tea, minus the milk and sugar. Putting activated carbon in your filtration will often remove a lot of the staining. If you do this, make sure you change it every few weeks.

Before you pack your tank full of rocks, wood, pots and other fancy objects, let me explain a few things that may save you a lot of work. These additions may look very nice, after all a tank resembling an underwater desert is pretty boring. However, underneath all these objects is a haven for muck and debris. This could be uneaten food or just plain waste. When you carry out tank maintenance, lift up any old shape rocks and make sure you clean underneath. You'll be amazed how much muck collects underneath objects in the tank. I often find a nice big flat rock pressed firmly into the substrate stops any debris getting underneath.

If you do happen to have a lots of rock in your tank, I would strongly advise you not to take it all out at once if you are arranging your tank. Any object that is in your tank is going to have beneficial bacteria living on it. One day you might decide you want to rearrange everything. I would advise against taking everything out of your tank and replacing it with new. Under certain circumstances, this could upset the stability of your tank. You may start noticing slight readings of ammonia or nitrite. If you have a very good biological filtration, you shouldn't really have anything to worry about. Just be aware.

I just want to touch on something that most people don't even think about. Wood and rock can certainly make a tank look stunning. However, what you have to bear in mind is the more you put in your tank, the less water you will have in there, commonly referred to as "water displacement" A piece of rock 18 inches wide and 12 inches high and weighing 25LB will displace less water than a 3 foot piece of wood weighing the same. Basically it's all down to volume, the bigger the object you put in the tank, the more water you will displace, so if you got a small tank, don't pack it with big ornaments and use minimal substrate.

Changes in the Tank

The Oscar could quite rightly be described as quite an intelligent fish. However, we mustn't confuse an Oscars intelligence with that of a dog, or maybe an octopus. An Oscars brain is still very primitive so their intelligence shouldn't be compared to animals that to some degree, can think for themselves. Oscars are very inquisitive fish and will notice changes in their environment. For instance, they can sometimes show what people would class as an annoyance when things are moved around in their tank. I have observed my Oscars investigating a large crater that was formed by water coming from the hosepipe during a water change. It wasn't there before and they were obviously well aware of this. If your Oscars do show signs of stress or anger when things change, just give them time, they should settle down except and get used to changes.

Oscar Fighting - Rearrange their Tank

So you may well ask how do you stop your Oscars from fighting? If you've got Oscars that hate each other, the chances are they will keep on fighting whatever you do. However, sometimes the simple procedure of rearranging their tank can stop Oscars from fighting. This can often help when introducing an Oscar into a tank that already has an Oscar in it. Oscars are very attentive fish that are well aware of their environment. If you rearrange everything in your Oscars tank, this will often take their mind off the fighting. Unfortunately I can't guarantee a long-lasting truce.

Treatments for Cycling New Aquariums

There are various products on the market that claim to aid in the development of your biological filter. I think you should read between the lines and not take these products literally and assume they will perform some kind of miracle and instantly cycle your tank. I have used a product called Stability manufactured by Seachem and it seemed to keep the ammonia at bay, however I was using it on a 20 gallon community tank containing only a few small fish , I doubt whether you would get the same results on a large tank containing lots of big fish. From my point of view I am somewhat dubious on the manufacturer's claims on how these products work.

Electricity Usage

As we all know, keeping fish can be extremely addictive. I am certainly not alone when it comes to having multiple tanks in my home. However, there is one very important thing to bear in mind if you are ' thinking about having several aquariums,. can you afford all the electricity that will be needed to keep them going? Believe me, it is not cheap. Okay, small community tanks aren't going to break the bank, on the other hand, very large aquariums that require lots of filtration, heating, and lighting could increase your yearly electricity bill by more than you think. I recently got a hell of a shock. I changed electricity providers and received a bill for what I owed , it was around £500 for just a few months. I put this down to having various filters, heaters and lighting on large tanks running all the time. Believe me, I love this hobby but it ain't a hobby for somebody who hasn't got the money to spare.