55 gallon tank with oscar and green terror
- Thread starter dolo
- Start date
This.
People think I'm crazy when they find out I have a 240 gallon with 1 fish in it. But they are ignorant of fishkeeping.
Why is it a "TERRIBLE advice" ??? I believe the OP's question was if he can keep a small Oscar and GT in a 55g and the answer to that question is YES you can. Plus not everyone keeps a fish for life, alot of people have perfectly good setups and then decide to switch to smth else and keep different kinds of fish. Some ppl here on MFK really exaggarate when it comes to tank space. I mean seriously do u really need a 100g just to keep a single GT? And then what? You buy 1 GT 1.5" and have it in 100G for 2 years or more before it grows big enough to be even noticed in that tank. Yea THATS a really good advice for a newbee in the hobby, I bet he'll get bored in the first 3 months and drop the whole thing cuz it's just not pleasing nor satisfying.
Speaking of exaggerating, 100g for a single GT? And your growth rate is a little bit off...
I can understand the point you are trying to make, but again i think you're blinded by your own point of view. If this is someone starting out in the hobby you also don't want their tank to be over crowded causing unnecessary conflicts between the fish and potential disease. Two Cichlids that can reach lengths in excess of 10" (14" in the case of the Oscar) in a 55 Gallon is setting yourself up for HITH, descaled fish, and failure... Which will also turn someone away from the hobby.
If your intentions are to get a bigger tank down the road, then sure, start them in the 55. Throw some other fish in the mix as well while you're at it as long as you understand that in about a years time you will either need to trade the fish in or get a larger tank.
This is the OP saying he did his research and he knows that 55 is too small for and O and specially for and O and GT and asking if he could keep small ones for about a year or less till he gets an upgrade. My sugesstion was since he wants to kep a Oscar he can do it instead of skipping the whole idea and even if he can't upgrade later he can get rid of it, but at least he would've kept it for a while opposed to skipping the whole idea from the start since he likes that fish.
So I believe that my advice was correct according to the question and there is nothing wrong with keeping small oscar and GT in a 55, cuz even though Oscars r fast growers GT's r not and he won't even need additional filters nor increased water changes for at least the first 6 months or maybe even more.
100g for a single GT is not what I'm saying it's an example of some of the ridiculous advices ppl give on this forum, just look at the guy that posted above me: 240G for 1 fish, I know it depends on what he's keeping but we're talking about 10-13" fish here.
So I believe that my advice was correct according to the question and there is nothing wrong with keeping small oscar and GT in a 55, cuz even though Oscars r fast growers GT's r not and he won't even need additional filters nor increased water changes for at least the first 6 months or maybe even more.
100g for a single GT is not what I'm saying it's an example of some of the ridiculous advices ppl give on this forum, just look at the guy that posted above me: 240G for 1 fish, I know it depends on what he's keeping but we're talking about 10-13" fish here.
It's a Dovii. That's what they need. And you are taking my post out of context. What was meant was that a 55 gallon is not very big at all, and that should be taken into consideration. Just because it looks big to someone just starting out does not mean that they should overstock it. And as you get more into fish keeping (especially CA/SA cichlids), you'll gain an appreciation for tank space, and what gallonage it really takes to keep some of the monsters.
I'm also the guy that said to just go for the single GT in the 55 gal, and skip the Oscar. I have raised GT's, and know what their growth rate is. They will not make it a full year before one of them will have to be removed if they are cared for and growing properly.
I've had my current GT from 1", and he's now 4.5", and I've only had him for 5 months. An Oscar will grow even faster. By the end of a full year, you should have two fish that are 8" or more, and putting on bulk. That is not OK for a single 55 gallon tank. I say you have 6 months at best.
Or better yet, since you are planning on getting a 75 gallon down the road, why not just have the 55 gallon as a tank for hte GT, and only have a GT for now. Oscars are super common, so once you pick up a 75 gallon, you will have no problem getting an Oscar to put in there.....If you still want one after reading about other types of more interesting cichlids, which I doubt.
And with the single GT in the 55 gallon, you can get some pictus cats or clown loaches, and some tiger barbs and/or giant danios. That'll keep the tank very active, and it won't look like 4 feet of tank with only 1 little juvie GT in it. BTW, this is one of my favorite tanks that I currently have (GT, 2 pictus cats, 3 giant danios, and 3 tiger barbs). It's super active, lots of different colors and things to look at as well.
Yea a GT will fit in a 55 for life, but that still doesn't mean he can't get a baby Oscar while they're still small. In 6 to 8 months the O will get close to 8" and GT close to 5" which will be the time either to upgrade or get rid of the O, which is what I originally suggested. So is 2 fish of 8 and 5 inch overstocking a 55? My point is if someone is not gonna keep a fish in his tank for life, he can keep virtually any kind while they're small and trade it or sell it when they get too big. Also lesser feeding will result in slower growth allowing them to keep it for longer (NOTE: I'm NOT sugesting to starve the fish here)
P.S. I presumed u were taking about a Dovii, but tell me were u keeping it alone in a 240 when it was 3-4" or did u have other fish with it?
P.S. I presumed u were taking about a Dovii, but tell me were u keeping it alone in a 240 when it was 3-4" or did u have other fish with it?
Wow, this is going no where fast.
To summarize the gist of what is being said, growing out an O and a GT in a 55 is fine, but at some point you're going to need to look at alternate living arrangements because both fish will not be able to live in the tank for life. The GT can live in there for life, but a 75 would be better. The Oscar can grow out in a 55 and then be moved to a larger tank or taken back to the store. 75 for life is the minimum of an O and 90 would be better.
Unless you're going to be able to get a larger tank within 6 months (in my mind plenty of time to find a good used deal if you have the funds) skip on the Oscar or plan on returning him.
It's obvious everyone isn't going to agree on this topic, but hopefully everyone can understand what points are being made and feel more informed in the end.
To summarize the gist of what is being said, growing out an O and a GT in a 55 is fine, but at some point you're going to need to look at alternate living arrangements because both fish will not be able to live in the tank for life. The GT can live in there for life, but a 75 would be better. The Oscar can grow out in a 55 and then be moved to a larger tank or taken back to the store. 75 for life is the minimum of an O and 90 would be better.
Unless you're going to be able to get a larger tank within 6 months (in my mind plenty of time to find a good used deal if you have the funds) skip on the Oscar or plan on returning him.
It's obvious everyone isn't going to agree on this topic, but hopefully everyone can understand what points are being made and feel more informed in the end.
I would have if I'd have bought it that small. Purchase size was 6", and yes. Alone in the 240 gallon. They grow much faster when they have more space. I wouldn't have bought 5 other fish to put in that tank just so the tank would "look pretty" while knowing the fish would have to be moved when I didn't have a tank ready for them (kind of like putting a GT and an Oscar in a 55 gallon and not having another tank ready to go because they will outgrow it fairly quickly).
If you just don't want to do a single GT in a 55 gallon, you can have some nice looking dithers and scavengers that will liven up the tank as I have stated before.
And your statement about feeding it less so it grows slower so that you can keep it longer is asinine. It results in unhealthy fish. Feed your fish the appropriate amount. Be responsible, and don't get a fish if you don't have the means to supply it with an adequate home.
Any way you look at it, I don't see how you can recommend him to put an Oscar in a 55 with a GT when he doesn't have another tank ready to go. A lot can happen with CA/SA cichlids even as Juvies. One could get beat up if they don't tollerate eachother in which case he'd need another tank quickly. And being that he's obviously new to this, I say it's pretty evident that he shouldn't risk it because he probably won't notice the signs quick enough.
But by all means.....Keep recommending people to overstock their tanks when they don't have back up tanks ready to go.
