CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

A couple of months ago my son wanted to get some Piranhas and I finally gave in and got him a 48 gallon bow aquarium with 3 piranhas with the idea that if things went well in 6 months he would work off a 150 gallon and increase his shoal. After the first month he talked me into getting a red oscar and told me that they can get aong together. What the hell did I know so like an idiot I went and got one. Well the 3 piranha immediately began to harrass this guy and I am not one to just watch something get slowly eaten. We rushed to our lfs and got a 10 gallon got it set up in double time and we saved him. He reads Piranha-Fury.com and has gotten pretty knowledgeable with his fish and now has a nice set of 3 reds and 2 supers which are doing great in the 150.

Well "Lucky" MY Red, is now in the 48 gallon with a 10 inch pleco and they are getting along great. No problems at all and lucky is not the least bit shy ...only occassionally ...almost seems like he knows me. This species of fish is amazing to me because it seems to actually have some smarts about it and call me crazy but I think he recognizes me.

My problem now is I thought I was doing great with him but now everything I'm reading says 70 gallon should be the minimum. I'm done spending money on aquariums for awhile as you can imagine ...he is about 4 inches now and I was wanting some thoughts on how long the 48 will work. I'm getting attached to the little guy.

Thanks ... and keep in mind I'm not a cruel person just a complete newb. Also im feeding him large cichlids pellets every other day and 1-2 feeders every other day ...alternating. water temp is 78, some small hard buried live plants and a small rock ...get pics soon.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If your done on tanks, then thats is ok. For the time being, as lucky grows, remove the tank deco's, if doesn't start to do that himself. A tanks foot print is the biggest issue when your in the samler tanks for Oscars. When you have a fish that can reach 14" to 16", then swimming space is more critical. Since you only have one oscar ,territory and, the water volume, is not as critical. You will have to do a lot of water work. High volume filtering too, will help keep his water clean and free of TDS (total disolved solids) and DOC's ( disolved organic compounds). I keep 2 O's in a 60 gallon tank, belive me, its a lot of work. It would be much easier to have them in a larger tank. (I have a 130 gallon) just no place to set it up in at the moment.
Read around on the forum, old post's etc, there is a lot of advice stored here on both problems that can happen, and means of preventing problems before they start.

hey and glad to hear that lucky's well.......lucky:D . the nice thing about the bow front aqum. is that they aren't square, which actualy gives your fish a little bit more room to turn and swim then a regular rectangular aqum. and like fuzzy said you can pull it off for a while in the 48, look into great fliters. talk around here is that emperors are the best for oscars. ppl i call and talk to also suggest the emperor 400 filter. and don't feel bad about being a newb and asking questions, i had my o's in a ten gallon for seven months(cruel it seems) but you buy what you can afford, i now proudly own a 90 gal. but ask and you will get an answer, read older post too.....you will find a lot of vuable info.

caboose

Great Info ... I dont feel so bad now. On the issue of food, Cichlid Pellets one day then 1-2 small feeders the next. This is presently his diet. Although watching the speed of his attacks on the feeders is somewhat exciting I'm willing to cut that out for the sake of health. I have been reading tuna is good? Any type of tuna??? I mean there are 50 varieties of canned tuna, guessing I should rinse it first too. I just did a 33% water change and he's pouting about it so I turned off the light and now he seems fine. I fed him 2 feeders before the change.

Thanks a ton for the great replies!

yea.... i cut down on the feeders that i feed my oscar once i heard all the info on them

ill feed him feeders once a week maybe... but i stick with shrip pellets, tropical flakes, and krill


ive started with cadadian night crawlers but ive never heard of tuna....

oh yeah tuna is GREAT:D and man do o's love it. fresh fish that they don't have to put forth an effort in chashing to get. i feed my o's tuna about once a month as a treat and you can give it to them straight out of the can, no need to rinse it. i usely give them starkist, but if i don't have it i will use any old kind. you can also give them a varitey of veggies too!!! you can give them lettuce, peas, just remember to take the shell off of them they can't digeust it all that well( kinda like humans and corn:D ) but there is a whole list around here some where(someone give me alittle help here i'm haveing a brain fart):confused: and you can also make beefheart for them as well as freeze dried shrimp.

when we get fresh fish and grill we always give the o's some. i have even heard of ppl frying hamberger meat and draining all the fat off but i dno't trust ham. meat all that much. but look around the site and PM us if you have any q's you will find everyone has a diet that works well for thier fish and you will soon find one that works really well with yur fish and their own appatite.

Caboose

Hi...congrats on your Oscar....glad he's ok. Just a little info, from one Oscar owner to another. We have 2, a Lutino Oscar, Topaz, and a Red Tiger, Jingles. I bought Jingles 2 days before Christmas for my husband. He was 2.5", he is now 4.5"....that's in a month and a half's time. They grow very quickly, and eat alot. Topaz is 7.5" and growing bigger every day. Right now they are in a 55 gallon. We have a 150 gallon that is causing us some problems, so for the time being they are together. They seem to be doing fine, but the swimming room is an issue. The rule of thumb with Oscars is 55 gallon per fish. Now, I've read on other sites that this can be altered with good filtration, meal spacing, water changes, etc. If you keep your water clean, and spread out your meals, it should be ok for awhile. Keep a close eye on him. Oscars will let you know when they are not enjoying themselves. You are right to say they are smart. They are very smart, and they know their owners. I hand feed mine, Topaz likes to have her dorsal fin rubbed, and she will swim with my hand when I'm cleaning the tank. If he is unhappy he will let you know. He will pout, sit at the bottom of the tank and act like a spoiled toddler....LOL. Good luck with him, and I'm glad you saved them from the big mean fish. Very impressed with your son keeping his fish. Reading and gaining knowledge is the best for this hobby. We were all newbies at one time....dont worry, you'll figure it out.