Help me stock a 700L Oscar tank!

[ol.]

Hi.

I'm new here, but been keeping fish most of my life. I've just got a new 5ftx2x2 tank (around 500L) with a 4 foot, 200L sump tank underneath. Total volume 700L. The sump pump is a 7000L/Hr pond pump, so filtration should be decent.

I've had it running for around a week, after getting it home and seeding it from my current Malawi tank, (it had been running anyway, and I kept the filter media wet on the journey home), so it should be about ready for fish.

Years ago I had an Oscar which I only had for about 6 months, but it was a great fish, so I'm planning to have an Oscar set up in this new tank.

I have a group of around 10 large clown loaches, 2 XL Pictus catfish, and a few places that came with the tank, which have been in quarantine, and will be going into the tank tomorrow.

The plan is to get a group of around 6 juvenile oscars, grow them on, and then move a few on as they get bigger so I am left with 4 Oscars (hopefully as 2 pairs).

I don't want to overstock, so what would my options be for other fish to go in there?

So far, I like the look of:

- Group of silver dollars
- Jaguar Cichlid
- Jack Dempsey
- Severum

Has anybody got any advice on stocking levels, or other fish that do well with Oscars? I like lots of colour in the tank, as I will be getting rid of the Mbuna tank we currently have, and my kids love the colours of them!

Thanks in advance

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

4 oscars in tank that size is over stocked imo I would keep one pair with some SD and maybe the pictus cats my oscars get along great with my pictus. The jaguar and Javk Dempsey are from central america not south america like the oscars so water parameters will be different also a full grown jag with easily kill aoscar without a second thought. Hope that helps oh and by the way that tank and wood stove are sweet!!

 

[altums85]

I like that fireplace

 

[ol.]

4 oscars in tank that size is over stocked imo I would keep one pair with some SD and maybe the pictus cats my oscars get along great with my pictus. The jaguar and Javk Dempsey are from central america not south america like the oscars so water parameters will be different also a full grown jag with easily kill aoscar without a second thought. Hope that helps oh and by the way that tank and wood stove are sweet!!

Thanks for the advice. I had read that jaguars worked well with Oscars, but maybe I need to read more into this. I would have thought 4 oscars would have worked in this size, but maybe I need to re-think that too....

...and thanks r/e the fire! It pumps out a LOT of heat when it's going.

 

[ol.]

I like that fireplace

Thanks!

 

[Gunfleet]

Sounds a little crowded in that tank in the long run, but it might work for a few months. You could try the Silver Dollars, the Severum, and maybe a pair of Oscars (realizing that a pair would probably team up to beat the snot out of the other fish if they actually reproduce) and pass on the Dempsey and Jag. The pictus and 10 clown loaches would max out the tank.

If it was me, I'd go six silver dollars, one Oscar, the clown loaches, the pictus and call it a day.

 

[ol.]

Sounds a little crowded in that tank in the long run, but it might work for a few months. You could try the Silver Dollars, the Severum, and maybe a pair of Oscars (realizing that a pair would probably team up to beat the snot out of the other fish if they actually reproduce) and pass on the Dempsey and Jag. The pictus and 10 clown loaches would max out the tank.

If it was me, I'd go six silver dollars, one Oscar, the clown loaches, the pictus and call it a day.

Thanks - I definitely want to try and get a pair of Oscars, so might go with 4 juveniles and then if 2 pair up, I'll sell on the 2 others. Appreciate the advice

 

[Rocksor]

I would just stick with a pair of oscars in the long run, nothing else. Silver dollars should be in a group of 8+, anything less and they start to act differently. I've tried them, but they made my oscar too skittish, always bolting when someone walked by the tank or a water change was done. The increase in nitrates was dramatically down and the oscar was relatively calm, once I removed them. You could try them in the beginning as you attempt to get bonded pair of oscars and rehome the SD's along with the other 2 oscars.

Also, just so you know that even though your sump has a 200L capacity, you won't be able to fill it close to 200L, so your total water volume is dramatically less than 700L

 

[ol.]

I would just stick with a pair of oscars in the long run, nothing else. Silver dollars should be in a group of 8+, anything less and they start to act differently. I've tried them, but they made my oscar too skittish, always bolting when someone walked by the tank or a water change was done. The increase in nitrates was dramatically down and the oscar was relatively calm, once I removed them. You could try them in the beginning as you attempt to get bonded pair of oscars and rehome the SD's along with the other 2 oscars.

Also, just so you know that even though your sump has a 200L capacity, you won't be able to fill it close to 200L, so your total water volume is dramatically less than 700L

Thanks - I put the 200L as that's the actual volume of the water in there - the physical tank holds much more, but is only 1/2 full.

 

[tlindsey]

Hi.

I'm new here, but been keeping fish most of my life. I've just got a new 5ftx2x2 tank (around 500L) with a 4 foot, 200L sump tank underneath. Total volume 700L. The sump pump is a 7000L/Hr pond pump, so filtration should be decent.

I've had it running for around a week, after getting it home and seeding it from my current Malawi tank, (it had been running anyway, and I kept the filter media wet on the journey home), so it should be about ready for fish.

Years ago I had an Oscar which I only had for about 6 months, but it was a great fish, so I'm planning to have an Oscar set up in this new tank.

I have a group of around 10 large clown loaches, 2 XL Pictus catfish, and a few places that came with the tank, which have been in quarantine, and will be going into the tank tomorrow.

The plan is to get a group of around 6 juvenile oscars, grow them on, and then move a few on as they get bigger so I am left with 4 Oscars (hopefully as 2 pairs).

I don't want to overstock, so what would my options be for other fish to go in there?

So far, I like the look of:

- Group of silver dollars
- Jaguar Cichlid
- Jack Dempsey
- Severum

Has anybody got any advice on stocking levels, or other fish that do well with Oscars? I like lots of colour in the tank, as I will be getting rid of the Mbuna tank we currently have, and my kids love the colours of them!

Thanks in advance

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