Oscars with newly introduced marble needlenose fish...

[VRWC]

I have a 55 gallon hexagon tank, with two oscars and i just put in a marble needle nose fish. My oscars are approximately 6 inches in length and the needle nose is about 7.

Did anyone notice this is a 55 hex tank?

Tipwitchaboy...if you want to have healthy fish, you need a larger tank for these guys, like yesterday. One thats longer, more depth from front to back as well. Oscars get 12" in captivity easily. As everyone else stated, that tank is not sufficient and fish dont "grow" to their tank size. If you had a standard 55 youd be ok for a few months more IF you did 50% water changes every other day, but you dont.

 

[Gruff Master]

I felt the flames getting warmer when I read this thread yesterday. Everyone is telling you the right things. Though, I don't think that resorting to insults and swears is helpful at all. But basically you have no choice but to upgrade your tank size if you wish to keep your fish for any long duration. The picture posted by VRWC makes it very clear and simple. Those are not proper dimensions for large fish that need to swim and turn around. I hope you do the right thing.

 

[mofisher]

wow well this thread has really heated up

 

[cichlid_starter]

Yeah a 12in fish needs about 50gal (depending on the fish but this applies to yours) so you have 6+6+7 inches of fish in a tank with the wrong dimensions. you'll need and even bigger footprint for the marble if it dosn't get eaten first. Like bigger than a 125.

 

[Chrisplosion]

A normal healthy oscar will grow 1 inch a month until it gets to 8-11 inches and then its growth slows down. If your are growing slower than that then you are not properly caring for them. I normal 4ft long 55 gallon isn't very suitable for 1 let alone 2.

The 2 big lies the petstores tell you are: 1 inch per gallon and fish grow to the size of the tank. They fish is body may stop growing but the internal organs keep growing eventually killing the fish.

 

[WarrendaFish]

I felt the flames getting warmer when I read this thread yesterday. Everyone is telling you the right things. Though, I don't think that resorting to insults and swears is helpful at all. But basically you have no choice but to upgrade your tank size if you wish to keep your fish for any long duration. The picture posted by VRWC makes it very clear and simple. Those are not proper dimensions for large fish that need to swim and turn around. I hope you do the right thing.

Some people just need to be yelled at.....

Entertaining thread... Awesome..

Poor fish though..

I hope you do the right thing.. Otherwise....

 

[Kyle_91]

If only people on here could possibly post nicer remarks towards other people than everyone would have such damn argument. Everyone obviously got their rude point across one way or another...
he's obviously happy with the tank and his setup or he wouldn't feel comfortable doing this.
I remember when his oscars were 2-3 inches; its not like hes gonna get a 100 gallon tank tomorrow for christ's sake. If he's happy and the fish are interacting well and eating well then IMO, he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Oh, and everyone that needs this....

Welcome to MFK Tipwitchaboy

 

[capefeartarheel]

If he's happy and the fish are interacting well and eating well then IMO, he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Oh, and everyone that needs this....

Welcome to MFK Tipwitchaboy

Gee willikers, thanks Dr. Phil!

But in all seriousness, you dont know seem to understand basic fish keeping and are being emotional & defending your friend who is confused on the basics of fish keeping as well.

Your tank setup:

30 gal tall aquarium. 3 live plants, 1 fake sea grass plant, driftwood, and rocks. Stocked with: - 2 kissing gouramis - 1 blue gourami - 1 gold gourami - 2 zebra danios - 2 sucking loaches - 1 clown loach - 2 red belly pacu


So you have a 30g stocked with 11 fish, all of which pretty much outgrow a 30g by themselves, some WAY larger.

kissing gouramis get up to 12 inches

blue gourami get up to 6 inches

gold gourami get up to 6 inches

sucking loaches get up to 10 inches

clown loach get up to 12+ inches

red belly pacu get up to 12+ inches, but upwards of double that in good conditions


So your incorrect response is to be expected if you think 11 fish such as those you have in a 30g are ok.

A 60 hex (they dont make 55 hexs that I can find) is too small for one Oscar. The OP should get a different tank pronto or switch over to angels. Hex tanks arent really made for cichlids such as Oscars and dont have a large enough footprint to maintain such large growing and active fish.

No offense to the OP, but hes been bamboozled with myth from his LFS or corporate fish store.

Its ok though, he'll learn (as will you) if he can stick around MFK and deal with the painful truths/realities that come with it.

 

[Gruff Master]

If only people on here could possibly post nicer remarks towards other people than everyone would have such damn argument. Everyone obviously got their rude point across one way or another...
he's obviously happy with the tank and his setup or he wouldn't feel comfortable doing this.
I remember when his oscars were 2-3 inches; its not like hes gonna get a 100 gallon tank tomorrow for christ's sake. If he's happy and the fish are interacting well and eating well then IMO, he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Oh, and everyone that needs this....

Welcome to MFK Tipwitchaboy

The OP requested feedback on his tank and stock and he received it. If everybody told him that his stock was fine, they would be lying. I think everyone was just telling him the proper way to keep his fish. There is no way that two Oscars and a Needle Nose can live long healthy lives in that kind of set up. Telling him that everything is okay is just helping him to continue with wrong practices and thinking. He said that they were already fighting. One reason for this is the size of the tank. Imagine how bad things will be in three more months when they are bigger. He also thinks that they will only grow to the size of their tank. This is also untrue. Some fish seem that way because they have become stunted and deformed from being forced to live out their brief lives in inadequate housing. I agree that there's a way to state these things without being rude, but still it has to be said. He asked for everyone's input and he got it. Simply put, he needs to upgrade or get different fish. He may not need to run out and get a bigger tank today, but he should be planning to purchase one in the near future. I'm sure that you will hear the same thing about your listed stock too. No one wants to see any of you lose your fish to unhealthy conditions. I'm getting a bigger tank myself, so I'm not just talking.

 

[Tipwitchaboy]

Both mine and kyle_91's fish are happy and in excellent health. So you may continue to spur out your negative ass comments and put them in another forum. For those who listed valuable info in a decent manner i appreciate it. And for those who think they are the god of fish, thank you for wasting my time. You talk as if i don't have any compassion for my own fish. I got them very young and have watched them grow. And in doing so i have and plan on continuing to provide the proper surroundings for them. I started with a 30g then upgraded to the 55g, and will upgrade again in the future.
So if you remember correctly, my original question was,I have a 55 gallon hexagon tank, with two oscars and i just put in a marble needle nose fish. My oscars are approximately 6 inches in length and the needle nose is about 7. Any input on the situation would be appreciated. The oscars kind of chased the needle nose around the tank for a day or two. BUt now they seem to have become acquainted..

And no one commented on interaction of the fish, feeding habbits, water conditions, nothing... I asked for a few pointers on the fish not for you to assume that I wasn't going to take into consideration the tank.