Quarantine/hospital tank size for Oscars, etc

[THQ]

Hey all, as I bought all my cichlids as babies, my 10G was enough for a QT. However, as they are growing, I want to invest in a decent size one that can hold a fully grown adult oscar (the largest cichlid in my tank) for a few weeks as a hospital tank in case it gets sick. It will also be a much bigger and thus less stressful QT for any new juvenile cichlids I am looking to get. In particular I have my eye on a 4" polleni that wouldn't appreciate a 10G

What is the minimum size for this? Although I have heard of 18" oscars they are rare and the average I think would be 12-14" fully grown. So therefore I'm thinking a 40G breeder (30x18x17) would be sufficient. I have a platform trolley that can fit no bigger than that and it would be perfect as a mobile tank stand.

In terms of filtration I will just use one of my AC110 HOBs off my main tank (has sponges, purigen and seachem matrix in it). I'll keep it barebottom.

Thanks.

 

[dan518]

Sounds OK as a hospital tank.

 

[cprings]

I've used a 40 gallon breeder as a QT /hospital tank before and it worked well. Both major aquarium manufacturers also sell 30 gallon breeders I believe that will still give you that 18" width. They are only 12" high though I think. The 40 gallon gives you the extra height if you have a really tall fish.