Lets talk about a hot topic "Appropriate tank size for ____"
- Thread starter philipraposo1982
- Start date
So are you telling me that it should not matter if someone has exp. on certain fish as compared to someone who hasn't? All I said was that Oscars are fine in a 110 gallon tank, people like Stannz thinks they need to be in an outdoor pond?
Yes because (and I am no expert) I have had Cichlids for years on top of years and have seen firsthand how big they get-not to say that exceptions don't exist. I have friends for 10+ years in the trade and for the most part have never heard of 17 inchs Oscars or 18 inch Buttikeforis. Like I said you come off as argumentative and you throw out random numbers IMHO
110 for a single Oscar? I'd say a 75 for one would be fine, but a 90 gallon would be a bit better because of the extra water volume. Even though it's only just a few inches or so taller than a 75. Although all of this is being said if you have sufficient filtration and keep up on them water changes.
I wouldn't keep them in a 75. I prefer my fish having lots of space
I see a 75 personally being my bare minimum for an Oscar. Of course bigger is always better lol. A 75 being minimum and a 110 being more ideal for one possibly with smaller tank mates. A 120 being bare minimum for a pair.
Yeah I agree 75 is pushing it a little, but 90 IMHO is also a suitable size. But I love your point on Filtration and Water Changes, I think not with all but a lot of fish owners this is very under rated, that and the type of food you feed your fish.
Back in the day when I had my Buttikefori in my 125 gallon (which is 6 feet long 18 wide and 18 high) he would bang the tank and beg for food. I say this because it brings me back to your point about filtration and water changes.
I just think that getting into the oscar argument is not beneficial to this thread. There are things that would make sense, for example "Oscars like to explore their tank and should have a tank 3x as wide as they are long and 8x as long." Fighting over whether oscars grow to 17" or if they need 136.896 gallons minimum is meaningless. I knew a pizza store that had a 10" blood parrot. Does that effect how you will plan for your parrot? No. Fish don't grow to an exact size or swim an exact amount. The things people tell you are just"here's what to expect", and after that everyone has to figure out what works for their fish.
A large fish in a 40 gallon with an owner who does daily 50% water changes may be better off than one that's in a 125 gallon with an owner who does water changes once a week. But, at the end of the day, neither enclosure would ever measure up to what they would have in the wild.
So yes, a 6' tank would be slightly better for a fish than a 4' tank because a larger body of water tends to make for a more stable environment, but the real difference maker will always be water quality and frequency of water changes/replacement of old water in the tank when you're talking about these glass cages.
You could pull off an oscar in a 40 breeder, they aren't open water fish, but it would require a lot more work than an oscar in a 125+ if you want to keep it in top shape. Bigger is always better in terms of maintenance but it's not absolutely necessary.
But if you're talking something like an Umbee or any fish that is in constant motion/an open water fish, you need to go as big as you can afford. So if you can't go 8' for a full grown umbee, don't get one. If you can't go 10' for a full grown arowana (you need extra space if they spook), don't get one if you care about keeping it healthy and as safely as you can.
So yes, a 6' tank would be slightly better for a fish than a 4' tank because a larger body of water tends to make for a more stable environment, but the real difference maker will always be water quality and frequency of water changes/replacement of old water in the tank when you're talking about these glass cages.
You could pull off an oscar in a 40 breeder, they aren't open water fish, but it would require a lot more work than an oscar in a 125+ if you want to keep it in top shape. Bigger is always better in terms of maintenance but it's not absolutely necessary.
But if you're talking something like an Umbee or any fish that is in constant motion/an open water fish, you need to go as big as you can afford. So if you can't go 8' for a full grown umbee, don't get one. If you can't go 10' for a full grown arowana (you need extra space if they spook), don't get one if you care about keeping it healthy and as safely as you can.
