Oscar, tank size and tank mates

[Nailroth]

Hey i really want to get me an Oscar but i know they become huge, I don't have a tank to fit an oscar now only 2 99 gallon tanks but in the near future im going to buy me an approximately 142 gallon tank, can an adult oscar live in this size tank?

length 59 inches
width 23 inches
depth 23 inches
Gallons 142

these are rough estimates of the tank size (i use cm not inches were i live so i had to calculate cm to inches)

I also want some tips on tank mates for an oscar for this size tank, i would like to keep 2 oscar but i believe the tank is to small for 2 male oscars (going to buy oscar fry not full grown so might get 2 males if i buy 2 read it's hard to see what gender a oscar are and i don't want to take the chance to get 2 male to have them kill each other off when i have had them for a while)

Thanks in advance

[ScottishFish]

A 75G is the bare minimum for 1 adult oscar. So a 142G will be excellent. You may be able to fit 2 in that depending on the nature of the individual fish, some are ok with tankmates and other oscars, some won't even tolerate other fish in the aquarium.

Good tankmates can be - severums, convicts, firemouths, some geophagus, JD's, Green terrors.

Oscars do produce massive bioloads, what filtration you using?

[Nailroth]

in one of the 99 gallon i use 1 fluval 3 with a fluval 406 the other tank has a fluval 3 with a maxi jet 1500 but if i'm going to get me a 142 gallon tank ill be buying a Fluval FX 5 just for the bioload of the oscar.

i think it wont be hard to keep oscar with tankmates if we go the dog/cat route. aslong as they are rised from an early age with tankmates i think it will be ok but ill look into that aswell


won't convicts be a stupid idea for tankmates for a oscar in a small tank like this? i heard they are easier to breed then guppies and they are extremely protective and will most likely kill the oscar becose of it size it can't really stay far enough away?

[ScottishFish]

Just as a bit of advice, I'd recomend you to overfilter by at least 2x so if your tanks 99G (let's call it 100) then you should be using at least 200G of filtration.

I have a Fluval 406 on a 48G, its an excellent filter, its rated to 400L I'm not sure what its rated to in gallons. The FX5 is supposed to be a pretty impressive filter also

[Nailroth]

the 406 is rated for 100 gallon and the fx5 is rated for 400 us gallon or 1500L

i use more then twice the tank volume in filtration the 406 is rated for a 100 gallon tank i have a 99 gallon and i filtrate 389 gallons an hour the fx 5 filters 593 gallons an hour so for a 142 with an oscar i think its not a problem with the filtration :D

[ScottishFish]

The 406 isn't enough on its own for the 99G, its rated to 100G when there is no media in it, when you have media in it the rate of filtration can almost half. So really you should get another filter rated to 100G for your 99G tank.

The FX5 will do great for the 142G, I'd also recomend an internal or HOB filter to help with surface agitation and mechanical filtration

[Nailroth]

length 59 inches
width 23 inches
depth 23 inches
Gallons 142

this is the demension of the tank i would be getting for an oscar

[Goes to 11!]

Guess who didn't review the thread? Sorry about that.

Not a bad footprint in my book but I have never had a 5'x2' tank either, Hopefully someone with exp with stocking that tank size will chime in.

For a single O and light company I see no issues but naturally that is stock dependent.

[Nailroth]

i think im going to get 1 oscar 1-2 firemouth a Douglas and if i can get my petstore to take in severums i would like to add one of those too if possible.

Douglas is a Liposarcus pardalis that we had when i was a child and he was my favorite fish in the whole tank.