What is the minimum tank size for these four fish

[Ajno]

UGH!!! I swear....there should be some sort of LITMUS TEST for people to give advice on here. For the past 6 months, I have seen the WORST advice posts & Thread questions on here (USE GOOGLE & THE SEARCH FUNCTION TO LOOK FOR AN ANSWER BEFORE YOU POST A QUESTION THATS BEEN ASKED 4000 TIMES ~not directed at the original poster~ just speaking in general!) and Ive been off and on since 2006.

MFK is getting STUCK ON STUPID!

There is an influx of kids and instead of not saying anything they say whatever, even if its bad advice. Seems kids today think they are right no matter what. Just be patient

 

[Kyle_91]

Look on craigslist. Everyone is always posting up aquariums for sale at dirt cheap!
I got an excellent deal: 55 gallon tank with iron base stand for $75 bucks!

I've seen some deals on 75+ gallon tanks and stands for the same price.

 

[jiant2520]

Again, IMO, go as big as you can, but not less than 75g. The fish will thank you for it and you will not need to upgrade as most of us end up doing anyway. The bigger you go the more of the fish you asked about you can keep!!!

 

[shamrock]

Do you ever feel like nobody listens or reads any threads on these subjects. It's the same thing over and over. I'll say it again please do not consider a 55 gallon tank a viable option for housing an Oscar. There's no aggression in a Sardine can either, just saying.

OMG here we go again. Yes you can house a single Oscar in a 55 gallon they are not submarines that cant turn, they are fish! To the OPs question I would go with a 125 gallon.

 

[shamrock]

What I mean is if you want to house them in the same tank 125 gallon.

 

[muffywrx]

Actually, if you think about it. A 40 Breeder is 18 inches wide and 3 feet long. Not sure about the height, but at least your those fish can turn comfortably.

@VRWC: You want people to google what should be the minimum? I just googled it and I got a ton of hits saying a 40 Gallon or 55 Gallon. The OP asked whats the minimum, I gave it to him. He didn't ask for the ideal.

Gee What would the fish do all day? Swim over a foot and a half and then be able to turn to swim over another foot and a half? Seems pretty cruel to me.

Not to mention if you spooked a full grown one? It would probably break the tank.

 

[Gruff Master]

OMG here we go again. Yes you can house a single Oscar in a 55 gallon they are not submarines that cant turn, they are fish! To the OPs question I would go with a 125 gallon.

For every person that thinks that a 55 is adequate for an adult HEALTHY Oscar, there will be about ten more that will say that it's not true. So as long as this subject continues to come up, there will always be more people that will disagree with you. There's no way around it. It's also another reason why more people with these types of threads are finding it harder to get responses. It ends up turning into a senseless debate about "Who do you believe more". Even though I already expect that someone else will come along and disagree with me too, I still believe that a full grown Oscar has no place in a 55 gallon.

 

[Jc1119]

OMG here we go again. Yes you can house a single Oscar in a 55 gallon they are not submarines that cant turn, they are fish! To the OPs question I would go with a 125 gallon.

Then technically you could house one in a 20 as well since the depth of the tank is almost the same? 24" long so it would fit right?

Look, years ago folks thought water changes were harmful to their fish as well. Lots of folks back in the day said you could go as far as keeping two oscars in a 55. Technically, yes they will fit, but the more we learn about keeping fish as large and messy as oscars can be, the more we realize the old way of thinking is not humane to the fish. It's not about what they can " fit " in, it's about what they can live in and the quality of life they will have once housed. IMO a 55 is too small to keep this fish. Quality of life is not the same as what it will fit in. And yes there are lots of people keeping oscars in 55's. Just because they do doesn't make it right.

 

[Aquanero]

OMG here we go again. Yes you can house a single Oscar in a 55 gallon they are not submarines that cant turn, they are fish! To the OPs question I would go with a 125 gallon.

There is a big differance between a fish surviving in an environment and thriving in an enviornment. Yes, they are fish not submarines and should be treated as living creatures and provided with the best environmet and care possible, not shoehorned into a tank far too small, why would you put a fish that can grow to 16" in a tank 13" wide? At some point common sense needs to guide our decisions.

A 55 GALLON TANK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR AN OSCAR!

OP, Sorry for the derail but it had to be said.

 

[sherman]

Hit the nail on the head.When people tell me you cant keep a O in a 55. I know it will fit. fifteen years ago I didnt hav the luxury of fish forums.So a 55 was a huge tank to me.Stuffed two Os in and did a w/c once a month.They lived for yrs in there.But it dosent mean it was right.Its a difference between fish living and just existing.