Filtration For Oscar

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Roger Mcfish

Roger Mcfish

Dovii
MFK Member
Dec 2, 2023
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As title says, I'm setting up a temporary 75 gallon for my 2 inch tiger Oscar to house him/her for the next 6-8 months max then he'll get his own 6ft tank. I have seeded media ready to that's been seeded for 5 months along 2 100 gallon rated sponge filters.
For filtration on this tank, would a tidal 110 and one of the sponges be ok for filtration?

Also would he/she be ok with pfs?

I use a tidal 110 on my Honduran red point tank and an AC110 on my other 75 gallon, and the AC110 has too much flow, even when adjusted at lowest setting so I don't want something to pin the little guy down. I do understand they are messy little buggers.
 
One of the best ways to determine if your filtration, and water changes are adequate, is to regularly test you water parameters.
If ammonia and nitrite are 0, then your bio filtration is adequate. If pH remains level you are good.
If you test a couple weeks later, and ammonia and nitrite are starting to show readings, then you need to upgrade your bio filtration, and may need to do again and again, if they continue to creep up as the oscar grows, and produces more and more waste.

If when you start the tank and your nitrate is neligible (between 0 and 5ppm) and pH remains level, your water change schedule is right.
If as the oscar grows, and nitrate rises, and pH sinks between water changes, you will need to up your water change frequency and volume to maintain low nitrate and stable pH levels.
One of the reasons we see so many HITH posts in the disease section for oscars, is that aquarists allow nitrate to elevate into the 10-20 ppm range, and pH levels to fluctuate wildly.
 
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tlindsey said:
Those two will be fine along with proper water changes.

I suggest placing a pre-filter on the intake of the Tidal 110.

That's for sure 😆
Click to expand...
All my filters get pre sponges on the intakes lmao plus I have 6 tanks now and every week they get 50-75% water changes. Thx
 
duanes said:
One of the best ways to determine if your filtration, and water changes are adequate, is to regularly test you water parameters.
If ammonia and nitrite are 0, then your bio filtration is adequate. If pH remains level you are good.
If you test a couple weeks later, and ammonia and nitrite are starting to show readings, then you need to upgrade your bio filtration, and may need to do again and again, if they continue to creep up as the oscar grows, and produces more and more waste.

If when you start the tank and your nitrate is neligible (between 0 and 5ppm) and pH remains level, your water change schedule is right.
If as the oscar grows, and nitrate rises, and pH sinks between water changes, you will need to up your water change frequency and volume to maintain low nitrate and stable pH levels.
One of the reasons we see so many HITH posts in the disease section for oscars, is that aquarists allow nitrate to elevate into the 10-20 ppm range, and pH levels to fluctuate wildly.
Click to expand...
Got ya and thx. He'll be in a 6ft tank before he reaches 12-14 inches for sure lol
 
Here's the schedule I used for my O, Brick. Depending on tank size and tankmates your mileage may vary.

Tank is 225
4 jumbo sponges rated at 125 gl each attached to powerheads. Sponges are stacked
3 Aquaclear 110s
4 jumbo airstones

water movement helps keep poop moving to the filters. My oscar loves sitting in the blast of the powerheads with his tail flapping. When he was small he'd swim against the flow. Good exercise while he was growing. Oxygenation good for growth.

Here's the schedule I had

2"-5"
w/c schedule 20% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 6-7 meals a day

6"-9"
w/c schedule 50% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 4 meals a day

10"-12"
w/c schedule 75% per week. Filter cleanings 2x per week.
feeding schedule 2 meals per day

13"-15" (currently 15" )
w/c schedule 90-95% per week. Filter cleanings 3x-4x per week.
feeding schedule 1 meal per day, skip one day

Mechanical sponge clean only, I never touch the biomedia stuff. If that's full of mulm I rise it in tank water.
 
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FINWIN said:
Here's the schedule I used for my O, Brick. Depending on tank size and tankmates your mileage may vary.

Tank is 225
4 jumbo sponges rated at 125 gl each attached to powerheads. Sponges are stacked
3 Aquaclear 110s
4 jumbo airstones

water movement helps keep poop moving to the filters. My oscar loves sitting in the blast of the powerheads with his tail flapping. When he was small he'd swim against the flow. Good exercise while he was growing. Oxygenation good for growth.

Here's the schedule I had

2"-5"
w/c schedule 20% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 6-7 meals a day

6"-9"
w/c schedule 50% per week. Filter cleanings 1x per week.
feeding schedule 4 meals a day

10"-12"
w/c schedule 75% per week. Filter cleanings 2x per week.
feeding schedule 2 meals per day

13"-15" (currently 15" )
w/c schedule 90-95% per week. Filter cleanings 3x-4x per week.
feeding schedule 1 meal per day, skip one day

Mechanical sponge clean only, I never touch the biomedia stuff. If that's full of mulm I rise it in tank water.
Click to expand...
I do minimum 50% every week on all my tanks. It's not only nitrates, but I like keeping my TDS levels at a certain level also.
 
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I use nitrate as an indicator of all the parameters I don't have the capacity to measure, at the moment..
I figure if nitrate is up, that indicates the possibility that the other parameters like TDS, chlorates, and other chemical species parameters are also elevated.
When I worked as a chemist/microbiologist in a water facility, as opposed to doing 20 different tests, we used chemical and bacterial indicator species to determine trends, in the same manner that Coliform bacteria are indicators of fecal contamination.
 
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duanes said:
I use nitrate as an indicator of all the parameters I don't have the capacity to measure, at the moment..
I figure if nitrate is up, that indicates the possibility that the other parameters like TDS, chlorates, and other chemical species parameters are also elevated.
When I worked as a chemist/microbiologist in a water facility, as opposed to doing 20 different tests, we used chemical and bacterial indicator species to determine trends, in the same manner that Coliform bacteria are indicators of fecal contamination.
Click to expand...
Oh I do also on both nitrates and TDS. I've learned the hard way the havoc of having very high levels of TDS can cause, constant bacteria blooms after water changes and nitrite spikes. That's why I make sure all my tanks get minimum 50% water changes. Rather do it safe at 50% weekly rather than 20%
 
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