New to Oscars

[waldorfsalad]

I have a lot of experience with community tanks, but I have never owned an oscar. My coworkers want me to set up an oscar tank at work.

One of the guys says he has a 70 gallon tank, but I haven't seen it yet. It may be a 50. I was also looking for a hex tank if I can find one. Will this be enough room for an oscar to swim? I never seen one darting around a tank.

We are going to get a small tiger oscar to start.

Can I put any of these other fish with him? Tinfoil barbs (the did fine with my pacus), Jack Dempsey (my dad told me that his Jack and Oscar had a fight to the death, but it was in a small tank), large sun cat or red tail cat, any other suggestions?

Besides feeder fish, what else do they like. My large bala sharks, tinfoils and pacus loved shrimp pellets.

[mizzoutank]

75 is the bare-scraping by minimum for 1 oscar.

if you want a good home w/ the barbs/JD, then I would say a 125 is the minimum.

Your friend has a poor set up if it is a 70gallon tank.
Hex's generally don't support a good home for any fish-especially one this size.
Oscars grow big and they grow fast.

red tail cat's need about 500gallons full grown. they belong in big ponds/mini lakes.

[Aeonflame]

A 70 can work as the minimum for a lone oscar as long as it has a 4' footprint and is well filtered.

[Goes to 11!]

IMO 75 is the smallest tank you could consider for an O to be an adult in.

Get the measurements of the 50/70 in question - a 55 footprint is [48x12 and a 75 is 48x18 btw]

No octagon tank IMO.

A 'small oscar' will be a HUGE oscar in a short period of time & I mean not very long at all. IE: my 'baby Oscar' was under three inches last july and is over 8" atm.

Store bought feeders are not a consistently safe food source due to the conditions they are kept in. A safer alternative occasional treat are bait earthworms. Either way live food is not a requirement by any means as Oscars will happily have all their nutritional needs met with a high quality pellet food and treats of veggies [Mine love frozen peas].

Unless you get a significantly larger tank than a 75 you will not have room for an adult JD & Oscar or an O and a suitable sized school of TF barbs.

I love my Oscars, They have MAS personality but they do have space/water care requirements that are not optional.

[waldorfsalad]

Thanks for all the info. I didn't realize oscars grew so fast! I know tinfoils go from 1 inch to 8 in no time, but I have never had anything else grow that quickly.

I am not sure if a 125 will fit in our space, so it looks like I will be looking for something around 75 gallons if I can get it to fit.

Since I am limited on tank size, are there any other fish that do well with oscars? Tinfoil barbs need a lot of room, and if the oscar does too, then that's probably not the best tankmate.

Also, there won't be any issues keeping up on the water chemistry and changes, and there is a large fish store 1 minute away, and another 5 minutes away from work.

I also have a pond, or rather a racoon feeder, that I have put my red tails in once they get too big for my 120 at home. However, a sun cat only gets about a foot. Will they be okay with an oscar?

[imma24]

Also, there won't be any issues keeping up on the water chemistry and changes, and there is a large fish store 1 minute away, and another 5 minutes away from work.

While I am unable to answer your questions regarding sizes & compatability, I'm curious as to how local fish stores are related to keeping up water chemistry & maintenance ( water changes)? Is there intent to have someone else keep this tank up other than yourself or the people you work with?

[waldorfsalad]

In my experience, keeping a good watch on your chemistry provides for a less stressful environment for your fish, as well as giving you room for an overstocked tank.

As for nearby stores, if there is a problem, or someone decides to help without asking, there is a store nearby I can direct my coworkers to, if I am not nearby. (We work 4-12s rotating between days and nights.)

[Goes to 11!]

As for nearby stores, if there is a problem, or someone decides to help without asking, there is a store nearby I can direct my coworkers to, if I am not nearby. (We work 4-12s rotating between days and nights.)

[I am reading this as the coworkers have little to no exp with keeping fish] Unless you are extremely familiar with all the employees at those LFS I would be very cautious with that approach.
[Personally, I would tell the coworkers to stay out of the tank altogether]

A read to consider: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...=not+to+expect.

.. Just saying

[waldorfsalad]

[I am reading this as the coworkers have little to no exp with keeping fish]
[Personally, I would tell the coworkers to stay out of the tank altogether]

Yes.

And...

That is the plan. However, people are stupid.





So everyone, quit getting hung up on that one statement, and please help me with my question.

Any suggestions for oscar tankmates in a 50 or 75 gallon tank?

[mizzoutank]

There are none.

because an oscar can't fit into a 50gallon tank.

and in a 75, it can only survive on it's own. you do realize it is a 10+ inch fish that is very aggressive?

If you want tank mates for your oscar, you need a 125gallon minimum size.