Riddle me this...

[Toby_H]

Aggression kills the flow of any “rule of thumb” equation as well…

1 Oscar needs 55 gal…
2 Oscars may do okay in a 75...
3 Oscars are very unlikely to work out in a 125 gal…

I have a 6’ round 300 gal that I wanted to make into an “Oscar Pond”… Well I started with a nice little group and they dwindled their own numbers down to 3... So this makes it pretty obvious that with the personalities of my fish… 3 is the max for a 300 gal…

My opinion is… if you have to ask then your overcrowded… Because if you aren’t experienced enough to evaluate your own tank then you shouldn’t be taking the higher risks of an overstocked tank…

 

[Onion01]

Aggression kills the flow of any “rule of thumb” equation as well…

1 Oscar needs 55 gal…
2 Oscars may do okay in a 75...
3 Oscars are very unlikely to work out in a 125 gal…

I have a 6’ round 300 gal that I wanted to make into an “Oscar Pond”… Well I started with a nice little group and they dwindled their own numbers down to 3... So this makes it pretty obvious that with the personalities of my fish… 3 is the max for a 300 gal…

My opinion is… if you have to ask then your overcrowded… Because if you aren’t experienced enough to evaluate your own tank then you shouldn’t be taking the higher risks of an overstocked tank…

you shouldn't generalize! Oscars are not aggressive fish. They aren't territorial either. Their only wish is to eat all the time! You seem to have a bad oscar in there, because I have seen 180g tanks with as much as 8 full grown oscars who never fight! In fact, mine are buddies, swimming next to each other all day despite both being males

 

[balton777]

I've read somewhere that with a big enough tank, a group of Oscars will shoal together. Has anyone else ever heard that?

 

[Onion01]

I've read somewhere that with a big enough tank, a group of Oscars will shoal together. Has anyone else ever heard that?

i am sure it is true. Maybe not because of a shoaling instinct, but they really seem to end up liking each other. I had up to 4 oscars, and they were inseperable. There would be at least 2 always swimming side by side. The funny thing is that it wasn't because they were breeding pairs either!

 

[Toby_H]

This just goes to prove that the individual fish makes a world of difference…

I started with 8 in my 6’ round 300 gal… As juvis the broke off into 2 separate groups and each group was inseparable (surprisingly they separated by color)…

The position of “toughest Oscar” changed hands many times and the new title holder usually killed the previous… several of these deaths were from fish jumping, not true murder… the thing is a pain to cover and I’ve used covers off and on…

So sure we can chalk up part of their deaths as my fault for not covering… but the fact the jumper was being bullied/chased still proves that per aggression the tank was overstocked at least as far as Oscars go…

Water parameters remained fine and the other species in the tank continued to do fine…

I agree Oscars aren’t aggressive in general… but most of the ones I’ve had have been toward other Oscars.

 

[balton777]

My opinion is… if you have to ask then your overcrowded… Because if you aren’t experienced enough to evaluate your own tank then you shouldn’t be taking the higher risks of an overstocked tank…

several of these deaths were from fish jumping, not true murder… the thing is a pain to cover and I’ve used covers off and on…

So sure we can chalk up part of their deaths as my fault for not covering… .

Wait a second, who's more irresponsible? The overstocker or the guy who knows their fish will jump but doesn't cover the tank because it's too much of a pain?

j/k

 

[twhittle]

My opinion is… if you have to ask then your overcrowded… Because if you aren’t experienced enough to evaluate your own tank then you shouldn’t be taking the higher risks of an overstocked tank…

I am not sure that was in reference to me, but I have kept cichlids for 23 years. Keep in mind two things. One, I was not asking if I was overcrowded. I was just sharing my tank. Secondly, I don't think I am overstocked for a few reasons. My aggression is in check, and I still am at 10 ppm after nearly 3 weeks. I get that the oscar, cuban, midas, pike, and jag are going to grow. The rest are at or close to full size. However the 18-20 inch pleco will be gone by then.

I think the point of my thread may have been misunderstood. I was curious as to the science of why my larger tank which is stocked to a greater degree had far less nitrate creep than any solo 55 gallon oscar tanks I have had. I never meant to get into a "is my tank overstocked" discussion. I will be the judge of that. Some of you have addressed the issue of stability in larger tanks. Any more input on the science behind it would be very interesting.

 

[twhittle]

Twhittle, I think there's good points to both sides of the story. On one hand, it's your money and it's only a hobby and we're supposed to enjoy our tanks. On the other hand, we're dealing with live animals. Whenever that's a factor, there will always be people who want to make sure the livestock is being treated humanely. A lot of your fish are small right now and I'm sure that when they start to grow, you'll make the right decisions if they should all stay or a few should need to be in another tank.

Exactly!

 

[bigspizz]

I am not sure that was in reference to me, but I have kept cichlids for 23 years. Keep in mind two things. One, I was not asking if I was overcrowded. I was just sharing my tank. Secondly, I don't think I am overstocked for a few reasons. My aggression is in check, and I still am at 10 ppm after nearly 3 weeks. I get that the oscar, cuban, midas, pike, and jag are going to grow. The rest are at or close to full size. However the 18-20 inch pleco will be gone by then.

I think the point of my thread may have been misunderstood. I was curious as to the science of why my larger tank which is stocked to a greater degree had far less nitrate creep than any solo 55 gallon oscar tanks I have had. I never meant to get into a "is my tank overstocked" discussion. I will be the judge of that. Some of you have addressed the issue of stability in larger tanks. Any more input on the science behind it would be very interesting.

Bio media. The difference of a 55's filter/bio media and a 210's filter(s)/bio media. An adult Oscar can be properly fed with a single massivore pellet per day. Most people exceed this terribly.

 

[ZCciVic22]

My philosophy on overstocking is this: do WHATEVER you want, it's YOUR tank. Who cares what other people think? If you ask a question, they will simply give advice. You can choose to take the advice and use it, or move on. At the end of the day, it's your hard-earned money and hard work that make the tank work. If you want to keep all of those fish in the same tank, DO IT! Just keep in mind, there can be consequences for your actions (stocking levels), so be preared to deal with them as (when) they arise. People need to remeber that this is a hobby, and the most important aspect of ANY HOBBY is fun and relaxation...Just my $0.02

I'm not sure I agree with this... It's YOUR tank, it's YOUR money, but it's THEIR lives. We are controlling their lives for our enjoyment. That makes their health and well being OUR responsibility. While I'm the first to agree PITA stands for Pain In The Ass, I'll also be the first to accept responsibility for my pets lives. Let the flame begin.