CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Hello everyone, i have a 10" oscar in a 75 gallon Long tank right now. Is this big enough for him???? what size tank would be the best for the rest of his life?? i  was thinking of getting a 125 gallon for him, how long can i wait to get that??? we do water  changes once a week about 40%. . . .is this ok for him?? thanks for any info!!

Hi, Lindsay!  "How big a tank?" is a question that can stir up quite a bit of controversy!  So much of the answer depends on variables, such as what other fish are sharing the tank, what kind of filtration and how do you maintain it; how much water do you change, and how often, how much do you feed, and what.  My opinion is that the 75g should be just fine for him, assuming you keep up with the water quality issues.

hi Dan, well my Oscar is the only fish in the tank, i do weekly water changes (about 50%) i feed a veriaty of food, pellets, crickets, night crawlers, frozen fish, beef heart, blood worm, mesquito larve, i feed him about every other day.  I am planning on getting him like a 180 gallon so he has more room, i just feel so bad keeping him in IMO such a small environment, in the wild  they have like whole ponds!! But i probably wont be able to afford a new tank until the new year.  Thanks for your help!!

in the wild  they have like whole ponds!!

Hi Lindsey! An interesting fact about large territorial Cichlids is that in a home aquarium they often extend their "territory" out into the room. So even though your 10 inch Oscar is in a "small" 75 gallon, if you place the tank in the correct spot in the room and refrain from blocking the front of it with furniture, etc., then the Oscar thinks he's in the room, not merely the aquarium. Lowers a lot of stress. Poor thing has no idea there's a pane of glass between him and the far wall --Mark

LOL!!! Ya thats for sure!! He is right in our living room with nothing blocking him, he follows us when we  get up to go to the kitchen and then follows us back!! Its funny he gets aggresssive when we have company!!
He also likes to get our attention by slamming his ping pong ball into the lid, he has a never ending appetite!!! Do you think that feeding him every other day is enough?? He is just so dirty i dont want to add to it!! thanks

Sounds like your O is in a palace 

My O has to share his 180g with an Acara, 2 firemouths & a variety of others including a shoal of 9 rainbowfish.

Your O has plenty of room to himself and your water changes sound OK, one word of advice though don't feed him just 'cos he says he's hungry.  Stick to strict feeding regime.  Every other day at his size will also do him no harm, mine is 9 inches and gets fed 5 times a week (although he has to compete for food) and he does sulk on the non feed days !!

GL tho, they are great fun.