75 Gallon Tank With an Oscar and a Bullhead Catfish

[Dennis Kraemer]

Since you don't already have the Oscar, I would recommend a different fish for your 75 gallon. Oscar's get really bulky and up to 15", a little big for a 75.
I would recommend a tetracanthus. They are more aggressive than the Oscar, stay a bit smaller, and have very nice patterns. A big male would definitely fill up a 75 gallon with a catfish.

Is this the one your talking about?
Nandopsis tetracanthus)

 

[Dennis Kraemer]

Since you don't already have the Oscar, I would recommend a different fish for your 75 gallon. Oscar's get really bulky and up to 15", a little big for a 75.
I would recommend a tetracanthus. They are more aggressive than the Oscar, stay a bit smaller, and have very nice patterns. A big male would definitely fill up a 75 gallon with a catfish.

Is this the one your talking about?
Nandopsis tetracanthus)

 

[Dennis Kraemer]

Since you don't already have the Oscar, I would recommend a different fish for your 75 gallon. Oscar's get really bulky and up to 15", a little big for a 75.
I would recommend a tetracanthus. They are more aggressive than the Oscar, stay a bit smaller, and have very nice patterns. A big male would definitely fill up a 75 gallon with a catfish.

I have been looking up the amount of space a Oscar needs and it says that they only need a 55g is this wrong?

 

[Dennis Kraemer]

Since you don't already have the Oscar, I would recommend a different fish for your 75 gallon. Oscar's get really bulky and up to 15", a little big for a 75.
I would recommend a tetracanthus. They are more aggressive than the Oscar, stay a bit smaller, and have very nice patterns. A big male would definitely fill up a 75 gallon with a catfish.

I have been looking up the amount of space a Oscar needs and it says that they only need a 55g is this wrong?

 

[Gourami Swami]

I have been looking up the amount of space a Oscar needs and it says that they only need a 55g is this wrong?

Yes I would say so, a standard 55 gallon is only 12" wide, but an Oscar can grow to 15", some say larger. So a large adult would not have enough room in there. Even a 75 gallon is skimpy for one, I would recommend another cichlid like the tetracanthus or similar that grows around 10". Or another option would be a group of firemouths, 6 or so. Depending on the species that bullhead might outgrow a 75 eventually too.

 

[Joshomaru]

Consider fish that coexist with a bullhead in the wild. Maybe two sunfish (a lot of variety), a white bass, and minnow species can coexist with a bullhead.
In my opinion, pumkinseed bluegill rival almost any african or sa cichlid for looks!

 

[Dennis Kraemer]

Yes I would say so, a standard 55 gallon is only 12" wide, but an Oscar can grow to 15", some say larger. So a large adult would not have enough room in there. Even a 75 gallon is skimpy for one, I would recommend another cichlid like the tetracanthus or similar that grows around 10". Or another option would be a group of firemouths, 6 or so. Depending on the species that bullhead might outgrow a 75 eventually too.

The bullhead that I fish for average about 3 pounds but I wanted a fish that I could hand feed. Are there any small aggressive fish that I could hand feed, I was thinking about spotted bass but they got too big

 

[Dennis Kraemer]

Consider fish that coexist with a bullhead in the wild. Maybe two sunfish (a lot of variety), a white bass, and minnow species can coexist with a bullhead.
In my opinion, pumkinseed bluegill rival almost any african or sa cichlid for looks!

Do you think I could keep a white bass for life in a 75g?

 

[Joshomaru]

Possibly maybe but probably not? Same with the bullhead, though....

 

[Backfromthedead]

Agree with joshamaru, consider a north american native theme for your tank. You wouldnt have to heat it either.