I wanna get an Oscar (or some big personable fish)

[duanes]

So the 1st thing usually asked is.....
what's the minimum size tank? i.e. (what's the least I can get away with?)
But this is not the appropriate question, the real question should be...
What's the proper size tank that will keep this Oscar healthy for a long time.

Next question might be....what are the least amount of water changes I need to do?
But this does depend on tank size.
If you want to put it in a 55gal (the size many aquarium advisors will say is minimum)
By the time it reaches 5" you may need to be doing 50% daily water changes to keep it healthy.
In a 75, when it hits 7", maybe 50 gallons every other day.
And as the oscar grows, those water changes will need to be increased
If you've bought a 100 gal, you could cut that by 2/3rds., at 5"

But then you may ask, What about all the filtration the store insisted I get.
That filtration helps with ammonia nitrite, and particulate, but doesn't effect things like nitrate and other invisible chemicals that eventually lead to chronic, scarring diseases like HITH.
That's where the water changes come in.

These ramblings also apply to any other similar size cichlid, or fish in general.
I usually figure, a tank should have 10 gallons of water/space per inch of adult cichlid.
But not just the cichlids length, you also need to add in, its height and its width for any large cichlids to be realistic.
So to me, a 12" oscar, that is 6" tall, and 3" wide, needs minimum
About 210 gallons
but bigger is better

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

it doesn't feel right to put an Oscar in a 55gal because an Oscar gets longer than the length of the tank.

 

[tlindsey]

So the 1st thing usually asked is.....
what's the minimum size tank? i.e. (what's the least I can get away with?)
But this is not the appropriate question, the real question should be...
What's the proper size tank that will keep this Oscar healthy for a long time.

Next question might be....what are the least amount of water changes I need to do?
But this does depend on tank size.
If you want to put it in a 55gal (the size many aquarium advisors will say is minimum)
By the time it reaches 5" you may need to be doing 50% daily water changes to keep it healthy.
In a 75, when it hits 7", maybe 50 gallons every other day.
And as the oscar grows, those water changes will need to be increased
If you've bought a 100 gal, you could cut that by 2/3rds., at 5"

But then you may ask, What about all the filtration the store insisted I get.
That filtration helps with ammonia nitrite, and particulate, but doesn't effect things like nitrate and other invisible chemicals that eventually lead to chronic, scarring diseases like HITH.
That's where the water changes come in.

These ramblings also apply to any other similar size cichlid, or fish in general.
I usually figure, a tank should have 10 gallons of water/space per inch of adult cichlid.
But not just the cichlids length, you also need to add in, its height and its width for any large cichlids to be realistic.
So to me, a 12" oscar, that is 6" tall, and 3" wide, needs minimum
About 210 gallons
but bigger is better

it doesn't feel right to put an Oscar in a 55gal because an Oscar gets longer than the length of the tank.

Most do it anyway because like stated other sources says 55 gallon is minimum for a Oscar. This trend has been going on for years but hopefully people read this thread before deciding to purchase a Oscar. This is why I personally don't have a Oscar.

 

[Lepisosteus]

it doesn't feel right to put an Oscar in a 55gal because an Oscar gets longer than the length of the tank.

Haven’t seen that many 4ft Oscar’s personally.

 

[fishdance]

The 4 foot Oscar keepers post here on MFK. The normal sized Oscar keepers post on Aquarium Central (or whatever that other sister forum is called).

 

[FINWIN]

So the 1st thing usually asked is.....
what's the minimum size tank? i.e. (what's the least I can get away with?)
But this is not the appropriate question, the real question should be...
What's the proper size tank that will keep this Oscar healthy for a long time.

Next question might be....what are the least amount of water changes I need to do?
But this does depend on tank size.
If you want to put it in a 55gal (the size many aquarium advisors will say is minimum)
By the time it reaches 5" you may need to be doing 50% daily water changes to keep it healthy.
In a 75, when it hits 7", maybe 50 gallons every other day.
And as the oscar grows, those water changes will need to be increased
If you've bought a 100 gal, you could cut that by 2/3rds., at 5"

But then you may ask, What about all the filtration the store insisted I get.
That filtration helps with ammonia nitrite, and particulate, but doesn't effect things like nitrate and other invisible chemicals that eventually lead to chronic, scarring diseases like HITH.
That's where the water changes come in.

These ramblings also apply to any other similar size cichlid, or fish in general.
I usually figure, a tank should have 10 gallons of water/space per inch of adult cichlid.
But not just the cichlids length, you also need to add in, its height and its width for any large cichlids to be realistic.
So to me, a 12" oscar, that is 6" tall, and 3" wide, needs minimum
About 210 gallons
but bigger is better

And if your Oscar is a big one (like mine) like duanes said, bigger is better tank size. 24" depth is ideal (you can skate with 18" width but it will be tight if you end up with a big O).

 

[esoxlucius]

Usually cichlids are known for their quite unremarkable appearance as juveniles. But the oscar, more than any other cichlid totally kicks that trend. At the typical size of 2-3" at the store they are about as cute as you can get. I mean who can resist such a cute little fish to just finish off the stocking in your little com tank!

They are also more readily available in your bog standard LFS than any other cichlid. On top of that you have often extremely sketchy information on proper care guides at the stores, whether the info is written on a label attached to the tank, or out of the mouth of the inexperienced new store operative!

So, we have juvenile appearance, availability and poor care information. I believe it's these three factors that are the Oscars downfall. By a country mile it is arguably the most abused fish in the hobby.

Whilst those three factors are ongoing, how do you change it?

 

[aussieman57]

Usually cichlids are known for their quite unremarkable appearance as juveniles. But the oscar, more than any other cichlid totally kicks that trend. At the typical size of 2-3" at the store they are about as cute as you can get. I mean who can resist such a cute little fish to just finish off the stocking in your little com tank!

They are also more readily available in your bog standard LFS than any other cichlid. On top of that you have often extremely sketchy information on proper care guides at the stores, whether the info is written on a label attached to the tank, or out of the mouth of the inexperienced new store operative!

So, we have juvenile appearance, availability and poor care information. I believe it's these three factors that are the Oscars downfall. By a country mile it is arguably the most abused fish in the hobby.

Whilst those three factors are ongoing, how do you change it?

Talk to LFS's and you most likely find that their biggest sellers are guppies, angel fish & oscars. So..."Whilst those three factors are ongoing, how do you change it?" as Confuscious say...You Can't fix stupid.

 

[Omrit]

Usually cichlids are known for their quite unremarkable appearance as juveniles. But the oscar, more than any other cichlid totally kicks that trend. At the typical size of 2-3" at the store they are about as cute as you can get. I mean who can resist such a cute little fish to just finish off the stocking in your little com tank!

They are also more readily available in your bog standard LFS than any other cichlid. On top of that you have often extremely sketchy information on proper care guides at the stores, whether the info is written on a label attached to the tank, or out of the mouth of the inexperienced new store operative!

So, we have juvenile appearance, availability and poor care information. I believe it's these three factors that are the Oscars downfall. By a country mile it is arguably the most abused fish in the hobby.

Whilst those three factors are ongoing, how do you change it?

When you think about the way your actual average fishkeeper does fish the Oscar makes a lot more sense. They set up a tank, add fish, fish die, and they keep trying different fish until some stay alive. If the fish do stay alive then they will probably get rid of their fish after they get bored, sometimes the fish never do well then you get those people who say "I tried fish and they kept dying I hated it".

So then you have the Oscar. They are sturdy, interesting, and by the time their size is becoming unmanageable the keeper is already bored with the hobby. For that person the Oscar was a great fish. Not saying it was a good thing for them to do, but that sort of fish keeping is what makes the Oscar a best selling fish.

 

[jjohnwm]

So the 1st thing usually asked is.....
what's the minimum size tank? i.e. (what's the least I can get away with?)
But this is not the appropriate question, the real question should be...
What's the proper size tank that will keep this Oscar healthy for a long time.

That's it, definitely my number one pet peeve with so many keepers. They don't ask or care what their fish should have, or what would be optimal or at least appropriate for their Oscar (or any other fish species...). They always ask for the absolute minimum size of tank they can get away with, the absolute minimum amount of water they can change...i.e. the easiest, cheapest, fastest of everything. They've gotten cheap and lazy before even spending any money or time at all.

Many of them absolutely love their fish; they can't imagine life without them, they love them as though they were dogs or cats or children, they want them to be happy...but they want to keep them in the smallest tank possible, and do as little work as possible, to keep them alive. When the fish eventually (some sooner, others later) sicken and die, there are tears, wailing, heartache, gnashing of teeth and beating of breasts...and then the same afternoon they are off to the fish store for something new!