Oscar tank

[Jason_S]

tank raised oscars can achieve sizes of 14-16" as well if kept in large enough tanks. not all oscars will reach those sizes, but some will be they wild caught or tank raised.

a 12" fish is ok in a 50 gallon wide, not great but ok,

well, that is a matter of opinion and in my opinion a 12" fish in a 50 gallon is unacceptable. if you're going to keep a large fish then have a tank large enough to accomodate the large fish and to keep it as happy as possible. if you don't have the resources to buy a large enough tank, then pick another, more suitable fish to buy that will be happy in your tank. keeping a fish in a tank that merely allows it to stay alive is not acceptable, again in my opinion.

 

[Fry]

yup, it is a matter of opinion, i don't really think it is fine to keep a 12" fish in a 50 gallon wide but i would and i would never put one in a 55 gallon because it cannot turn comfortably - that's another level of cruelty, it isn't in any way acceptable to keep a 12" fish in a 75 gallon either, believe me the fish is not truly happy even in a 75, it's a jail cell, just like a 50 gallon wide, it's like putting a person in a 12'x12' box or a 15'x15' box, practical, yes, good for the thing living in it? no, that's my reasoning for a 50 wide being very similar to a 75, they're both unacceptable but of course bigger is better and it all depends on how cruel you can be, i guess i can be a little more cruel than you but not as cruel as to put a 12" fish in a 12/13" wide tank, we all keep these animals like this for our enjoyment, not theirs, you seem to think a 75 is a lot better for a 12" fish than a 50 wide, it is better, but not by much, not by a long shot

tank raised oscars do not typically get larger than 12", even in the 15,000 gallon tank by arapaimag, the few oscars in there maxed out at 12"

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=734/stock-2-800.jpg

 

[jbjmed]

well is it a 50 gallon wide or a 50 gallon long. a 50 gallon long is a 48"x18" only its 13" tall. so its actually the same footprint as a 75 gallon just not as tall.

 

[Jason_S]

i don't really think it is fine to keep a 12" fish in a 50 gallon wide

if you don't think it's fine, then why would you recommend to someone else that they should do it?

75 is a lot better for a 12" fish than a 50 wide, it is better, but not by much, not by a long shot

no, I never said it was a lot better, I said it was better. if you look back I also said that I, personally would only keep an oscar in a 125 or larger just because I like to give my fish as much room as possible.

tank raised oscars do not typically get larger than 12", even in the 15,000 gallon tank by arapaimag, the few oscars in there maxed out at 12"

you can't judge the hundreds of thousands of oscars commercially available by the 3 that arapaimag kept in that 15,000 gallon tank. I'd be willing to bet if you put a hundred or more oscars in that tank that a good number of them would grow much larger than 12". the ~14-15" oscar I saw was "tank raised" and lived its entire life in a 55 gallon tank. I've seen many other oscars in larger lfs tanks that ranged from 12-14".

anyway, if people want to keep their large fish in a tank where the fish has little to no room at all to move then that is their perogative. I can't stop them as much as I wish I could. I also wish I could stop the rampant selling of Pacus, irridescent sharks, TSN's, RTC's, and many other monster fish that shouldn't be as readily available as they are but I can't. All I can do is my best to educate people like Bobz who come asking for advice about how to properly care for their fish. That's what I'm trying to do here.

Bobz, if you want to keep an oscar, you can grow it up in a smaller tank, but as it reaches adulthood you will really need to go with no less than a 75 gallon tank like almost everyone else in this thread has recommended. However in the fish world as far as tank size is concerned, bigger is always better.

 

[Fry]

if you don't think it's fine, then why would you recommend to someone else that they should do it?

you missed my point, reread the post please

i agree with you on the Pacus, irridescent sharks, TSN's, RTC's and others, arowanas that get 3ft are kept in 2ft wide tanks if they're lucky, as are clown knifes, compared to how these monsters are kept, a 50 wide for an oscar is a palace

if the 3 didn't get over 12" in a 15,000 gallon tank, i doubt very many would in a smaller aquarium, of course there are exceptions but i reckon they are few and far between, or maybe they have great water where you live cause i haven't seen any in NY over 11-12" TL, not even SL

 

[Adema]

Tank size does not determine the size of your fish, unless your keeping a 12in. fish in a 10g tank. Genetics, water quality, and diet will determine your fishes size. The fish would grow to the same size as long as you kept the water quality and diet the same if you kept it in a 100g tank or a 10,000g tank. The reason large fish stay small in a little tank is usually because of the horrible water they are forced to live in.

PS. I'm an advocate for the bigger the tank the better.

 

[bobz]

Hey guys, i've decided i would definently not put oscars in the tank. If i got an oscar i would probably go for the next size up which is 240 litres.

When i get the 180 litre tank i will probably start with a tropical community but after that i would possibly like a type of predatory cichlid (mabey before )

What would you guys suggest?

Thanks a lot for all the help, its really apreciated

 

[scottv]

I think a really cool one for that size tank is a Salvini...they are highly predatory and aggressive..and are "ambush predators"...

You could also go with a Jack Dempsey....they average around 8"....everynow and then you get a 9-10 incher...but I think 180 would be okay for one. Most JD's like to hide...just give it some gravel and a nice big cave so It can stick it's head out of it...would look neat in the tank.

there's also Convicts, Honduran red Points, Sajicas etc.

You could do a dwarf cichlid community. Small african community...

 

[bobz]

The Salvini's look good. How many could i keep in a 180 litre and what would their behaviour be like? How to they feed, what conditions do they like etc...

Also are they widely avalible (I'm in England)

Thank you very much for the info, its greatly apreciated

 

[DJ BIG T]

i have seen oscars get 16" when they grow a foot there growth slows down but they get 16"....