CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

I currently have 2 blue acaras, 4 juv. firemouths, 1 baby parrot, 1 reticulated hillstream loach(3 inches), and 2 turquoise rainbowfish.  This is in a 55 gallon tank with a undergravel filter(which I hate) and a Penguin 350.  I will be able to move the oscar to a 75 gallln soon with 2 penguins and everything.  Will this set-up last for about 6 months?

Maybe.  Depends on the size of the fish now.  As they grow that's just going to be too  much biomass for you filters to deal with, to say nothing of the conflicts that are likely to arise as they grow and try to establish territories.  Once the cichlids are big enough to start seriously digging, that undergravel filter will be rendered useless.  Again, current size and timing is going to matter.  In the meantime, plan on frequent, large water changes.

Well, the Oscar related question ...  The Oscar will LOVE the 75 by itself for the rest of its life, and it is recommended comfortable size.  55 is considered bare minimum and I personally have one in a 55, but looking into bigger before he grows up (the bigger the tank, the easier to keep nitrates down) ...  and if you happen to have one that grows to a max size, a 55 he/she will barely be able to turn around (the fish will be longer than the tanks width).  The two Penguins if 300 series or bigger should be sufficient filtration.  Eventually you could pick up a AquaClear 110 (500 gph) or a Emperor 400 (400 gph) to add bio-wheels.  You might get away with one tankmate if your Oscar tolerates it and doesn't decide to make it a snack.  Would have to be big enough not to fit in the Oscars mouth when they are full grown and right now as well.  The size/age of the Oscar can determine that more, even a peaceful one can go through an aggression period during its adolescence or change and wish to be alone.

I don't know anything about the other fish, but, I would recommend removing the UGF, the Penguin should filter more adequately alone.  Unless you clean under your UGF frequently, it builds up waste and decaying food and causes nitrates to creep.  Picking up a cheap second HOB filter would be much more effective, and at a flow rate of only 200 gph would get you the 10x flow rate.  Actually, if you picked up a second bigger filter for the Oscar tank and moved one of the Penguins back, you would have good rates on both tanks (assuming all your Penguins are the same) and that would help a lot.  If your Penguins don't have Bio-Wheels, see if they have slots for them (rather sure they do).  You can buy the wheels and the bearings cheap and upgrade those filters to help eliminate the ammonia and nitrites quicker.  Again, I don't know about those fish, but it sounds like a moderate bio-load, so extra room for bacteria to colonize won't hurt.

I hope that helps the best it can for this section ...  you might want to copy and paste to the general freshwater section to get more accurate help on the community you have.

I got a cute little tiger oscar but as soon as I was finished acclimating him, the male acara side-swiped him and lip-locked w/ him and was shakin him like a dog with a tug rope.  I was stupid and thought that if I rearranged the decorations it might stop the aggression.  And it worked for a while, he even ate that first night with all the others.  But the next morning I found him hiding behind the overflow of my HOB.  And then the male acara swam up and deliberately tore a proportionatly large section of his tail clean off. So I take him out and i out him in a 20L with a penguin that houses some danios and guppies. I put him in a salt bath, following the instructions on the box, and took him out after about 10 minutes.  While I was letting him soak, I cleaned the gravel in the 20L thoroughly and did about a 25% water change.  This morning, when i went to check up on him his tail was even worse, fraying at the already torn edges, and losing the black coloration.  Then I discovered the small white spots on his pectorals and around his dorsal fin.  When I came back to check on him after school his tail was about completely gone and the spots had gotten more numerous.  I had some of Formalin 3 and after checking the label, put him in a Formalin 3 bath today for about 30 minutes because he seemed more alert today even though his tail is gone. 

Am I doing too much medicating bcuz I think I am but I fear that if I don't medicate him that the illness will do him in.  I also put about half strength of aquarium salt into the tank itself and not a bath bcuz I was told that it helps the gills and speeds healing.  PLEASE HELP LITTLE LEOPARD, I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would say put these last two posts in the 911 section right away.  I have no experience with it and it doesn't sound pleasant for your little leopard ...  I am hoping for the best ...

The short answer is yes, you're over-medicating a bit.  Your O definitely needs to be separated from the Acara till he puts on more size.  I'm not sure what kind of salt bath you're using, but I don't suggest using that and the formalin at the same time.  I think you're original instinct with the salt was good, but I'm not clear on how exactly you used it.  It Keep in in that 20 L until you get the ich under control.  Do about 50% water changes every couple of days to clear out that medication cocktail.  Deal with the ich first, but keep your eye on his wounds from the Acara, as a secondary infection is possible.  If you do the salt treatment right, it will help with both situations.  Here is a set of links I suggest reading through to give you some background:

http://oscarsfishtank.com/discuss/index ... ic=23013.0

Let us know how things are going!

ive got 2 blue ocaras that i breed...they are a beautiful fish, and they are so easy to look after.....oscars on the other hand are also beautiful but a bit more fussy when it comes to water conditions

......my blue acaras could survive in a bucket of toxic waste 

he definatly seeme more alert today and even swam up to greet me when I wentot check on him today.  and it looks like the outer rays that stretch the skin of his fin out to swim look like they are growing back, they were completely not there yesterday.  And when i was medicating him today he was calmly exploring the limits of the bucket I had him in.  I think he may be recovering but I'm not sure.  I really hope that he will rebound and be a healthy cichlid that will get to be a tank-busting size of 14 inches and eat like a starved dog and bite filter uptakes and all that jazz!!

Maybe he will become one of those 16" SL monsters!!!  Biting off fingers from strange hands entering his tank.

I will be hoping for a 3 1/2 lb beast for you. 

THANX!!!!

hedied
i thought he was getting better but today he was gasping on the gravel and tonight when i checked on him again he was dead. 

my condolences ... 

did you check your conditions today?  I feel for you.  I worry all the time about my own, I hope this doesn't keep you from eventually getting another one.

:hug:

I did get another oscar, though it's not the same.  I got a larger one this time, anticipating the acara's response to the last. when i put that 4/5 inche albino beauty in the acaras were like, "mm, fresh meat" and they set in on him but they had barely bit him once when he whirled around and stared them down. he healed up right away and I discovered another sign of good health, I had left a pair of half-grown turquiose rainbows in there and the male was there this morning and later he was gone!  I have no sympathy, the oscar was hungry and the rainbow was there.  The carnivore's full name is, "Just A Spot of Chaos" because he has bright orange spots, like freckles on his tail, around his single ocelli.  I'll post a picture of him as soon as I can get one, he's so fast!

yeah, getting a picture of an energetic O can be quite a hassle