Maxing out Oscars in a 125

[twhittle]

So I am thinking about having an Oscar only 125 tank. Given the following conditions, what is the max number of Oscars I could do in a 6 ft 125 gallon, not taking aggression issues into account?

Filtration-2 AC 110's, 1 whisper 60, and 1 fluval 305= 1,600 GPH

Water changes-every 5-7 days, 75%

 

[ikevi]

May I ask why you don't want to take aggression into account... Honestly just go with 2 at most it will make your life a lot easier down the road.

 

[twhittle]

My question concerns bioload, not aggression at this point.

 

[ikevi]

Yes I know it does, I was just wondering why. I honestly can't tell you the answer. I just know that I have 2 with mbuna (a lot in fact I don't know how many) and that is with an Fx5, AC 110, xp3, and an internal AC70?? powerhead with filter on it. Even with all that I have to do a crazy amount of water changes though levels stay fine, just I get a dang algae bloom.

And honestly when they get to the size you start caring about how much crud them make, you get to the aggression problems too.

But maybe someone knows, I just know 3 is a crowd for them.

 

[twhittle]

I currently am overstocked in my 125 with:

14 inch FH
8 inch GT
10 JD
11 inch jag
7 inch Tex
4 inch Oscar
2 Cons

My water is crystal clear and my parameters are in check. Tank maintanence is not a worry for me. I am just curious about what the max would be in a 125 with how I manage my tanks. If your answer is 2, then I will take that into consideration.

 

[Snake_Eyes]

I have a 9" oscar and a roughly 9" jag in a 125 with 2 XP3's an 1 AC110 and I'm doing 50-60% WC a week just to keep my nitrates below 20ppm.

 

[TLkmDN]

i saw a friend keep 8 oscars in a 4ft tank. things were pretty cramp but the oscars were huge and healthy. in ure tank i would have a max of 6 oscars not including wat u already have inside...

 

[Mystix212]

i saw a friend keep 8 oscars in a 4ft tank. things were pretty cramp but the oscars were huge and healthy. in ure tank i would have a max of 6 oscars not including wat u already have inside...

Your nuts. Max of 2 for the 125G. Your friend obviously didnt know how to correctly keep oscars then.

Both oscars should get past the 12" range with now worries, providing thier water isnt bad.

 

[TLkmDN]

nah but the thing is that oscars are meant to be schooling fish. keeping just two might make them tempermental or lack confidence. i always feel that oscars thrive in groups of 6 or more. just my personal opinion. i never suggested keeping 8 in a 4 foot tank. im just saying that its possible. besides, my friend's oscars were all over a foot long so sumthing must have worked right?

 

[Steve p]

IMO it all depends on how you maintain the tank, If your going to stick with 5-7 day water changes then go with 2. However if your going to keep an eye on the parameters and do water changes as required to keep nitrates around 20ppm even if this takes 3 pwc a week, Then i would say 3 or even 4 may be possible. At the end of the day it all depends on your love of fish, If you spent your entire life locked in a room would you like to share it with someone to talk to or a few people to argue with.

Steve