i'll buy an oscar, NEED HELP!! HAVE QUESTIONS

[89must]

yo jo3olous he may only be going on the what some worker from petsmart told him
he,s new to site and may not have been keeping fish let long i,m new to the site to but have had fish for years and a great privatly owned fish shop 5 min from me this site is to educate people not jump down there throat because of some miss information they got and didnt know any better

 

[emmanuelchavez]

missdixie 3 75% water changes a week? a little much dont you think? and 1 oscar only in a 55 gal? sounds like you think 2 oscars only in a 100 gal? hey i know they get good size and are messy but arnt you getting a little extreme? and by over doing water changes like you say you are thats just as bad as doing no water changes. in my opinion 2 oscars in a 55 will do just fine

I'll ignore the Oscar parts of this convo, as I have no experience with them, other than just seeing how big those monsters can get...

How is over-doing water changes the same as no water changes? In nature, there are continual water changes 24/7... I know I have to do at least 1 50% water change a week in my planted tank....

 

[jo3olous]

yo jo3olous he may only be going on the what some worker from petsmart told him
he,s new to site and may not have been keeping fish let long i,m new to the site to but have had fish for years and a great privatly owned fish shop 5 min from me this site is to educate people not jump down there throat because of some miss information they got and didnt know any better

oh sorry, no not trying to jump down his throat at all. I just thought the last statement was kind of funny. I mean I was trying to be constructive with a bit of sarcasm, but I mean it is hard to translate via text (emotions and emphasis has to be fabricated since it cannot be seen). SORRY! IN NO WAY TRYING TO BASH, just wanted to make an interesting story and something to consider

and yeah I don't get the wrong in doing excess water changes, unless there is something funky with the water or you can't generate similar temperatures. I mean > 75% water change would change the dynamics of your tank quite a bit if you did it a lot, but not in a bad way. Unless your fish became so acclimated to mediocre perameters that relieving the tank of all the ammonia and other junk would put them into some kind of shock?

 

[89must]

"On my 55g I do 3 75% water changes a week!" this is the coment i was reffering to if she must do this many water changes a week then she should not be giving any advice as to the stocking of someones tank because she is way over stocked. water changes are very important but if you are refilling your tank 3 times a week thats like cycling your tank 3 times a week and thats not good for your fish

 

[emmanuelchavez]

"On my 55g I do 3 75% water changes a week!" this is the coment i was reffering to if she must do this many water changes a week then she should not be giving any advice as to the stocking of someones tank because she is way over stocked. water changes are very important but if you are refilling your tank 3 times a week thats like cycling your tank 3 times a week and thats not good for your fish

She didn't say she has to do that many water changes a week. She simply does it to ensure the water is pristine for her oscar. The better water quality, the better life the fish will have. I've heard from Discus owners on other forums who do big water changes on a daily basis because they require pristine water.

Anyway, what works for one person, isn't going to necessarily work for everyone. Some people prefer to understock, over filter, and do large water changes to ensure their fish live like kings... while others do the complete opposite. I would definitely take her advice if I ever chose to get Oscars.

 

[Orion]

It's not uncommon for Discus owners to do 50% or greater water changes every day depending on the situation.

Changing the water is not going to affect the cycle of a tank as long as common precautions are used (ie: use a good water conditioner and get the temp close of the new water). As long as those simple actions are taken, the bacteria responsible for the cycle will not be harmed. So much of the bacteria is on the surface of things in the tank like the filter media, the tank walls itself, any surface really that the little that's in the water isn't enough to bother anything most of the time. If it does then the tank is probably unstable and just waiting to crash anyway.

 

[brian1973]

OK ..first sorry MOD's I cant keep my mouth shut anymore.

89Must, I do not conform to most stocking recommendations but I have learned from experience 2 large oscars in a 90G, with a 10in Pleco, and two 5in Raphael catfish is to much, after the tank had been established the water conditions after 1 week would be over 60 on nitrates, this lead to the beginning of HITH, I took care of that, I still lost my largest Oscar to some other infection 2 months ago. I trust Miss dixie and I know her info is correct.

I will say that since I lost my larger Oscar the smaller one as gone to fighting with inanimate objects in the tank for amusement, so there may be some truth to the have 2 oscar statement, but NOT in a 55G.

The other comments from Jo3 is based on the fact the original poster here did in fact ask these questions BEFORE buying a fish, then disregarded the recommendations of every response, which is fine, but then to have someone come along and say small tanks are fine, go for it, is adding to the problem of irresponsible fishkeeping, which most of us are here to try to wipe out, yes it is a forum and it is up to you on how to take the recommendations provided but I doubt you will find any knowledgable oscar keeper recommending to oscars in a 55G tank.

We are all here to learn and I hope the newbies stick around and we can learn from each other.

 

[missdixie256]

Originally Posted by 89must
"On my 55g I do 3 75% water changes a week!" this is the coment i was reffering to if she must do this many water changes a week then she should not be giving any advice as to the stocking of someones tank because she is way over stocked. water changes are very important but if you are refilling your tank 3 times a week thats like cycling your tank 3 times a week and thats not good for your fish



I do 3 75% water changes so I have a nice healthy and safe tank. I DO NOT have to do this but I prefer to keep my numbers perfect. I take pride in my oscars and I am more than happy to do anything that keeps them safe!

Bacteria lost in water changes is slim to none. The BB (Beneficial bacteria) live on Ornaments, in the gravel, and in your filter media. Any other oscar owner will agree with me that 55G PER OSCAR is the minimum. If you want 2 a 110+ JUST for Oscars. If you want tank mates you must add their MINIMUM requirements to the existing requirements tot he fish you have/want. ALSO, JUST BECAUSE A 55G LOOKS BIG YOU HAVE TO USE COMMON SENSE. My 13.5 inch oscar was almost an inch thick and atleast 5 inches tall. their length, thickness, and general size means they excrete a HUGE amount of waste. The 55g MINIMUM means it takes that much water being maintained at GOOD quality to dissolve their waste and break down ammonia and other bi-products so it can be consumed by your good bacteria.

Oh and Brian Thanks... I find my oscars attack everything. LOL from a plant to their reflection in the tank. ( say OscarS because I have 2... In 2 different 55g tanks)

AND JUST FOR REFERENCES I have ONE 3 inch oscar and ONE 2 inch pleco (waiting on him to grow a bit) in a 55g tank. So by all means i am UNDERSTOCKED until the Oscar reaches 5 to 7 inches. By this time the Pleco will be LONG gone.

 

[jo3olous]

OK ..first sorry MOD's I cant keep my mouth shut anymore.

89Must, I do not conform to most stocking recommendations but I have learned from experience 2 large oscars in a 90G, with a 10in Pleco, and two 5in Raphael catfish is to much, after the tank had been established the water conditions after 1 week would be over 60 on nitrates, this lead to the beginning of HITH, I took care of that, I still lost my largest Oscar to some other infection 2 months ago. I trust Miss dixie and I know her info is correct.

I will say that since I lost my larger Oscar the smaller one as gone to fighting with inanimate objects in the tank for amusement, so there may be some truth to the have 2 oscar statement, but NOT in a 55G.

The other comments from Jo3 is based on the fact the original poster here did in fact ask these questions BEFORE buying a fish, then disregarded the recommendations of every response, which is fine, but then to have someone come along and say small tanks are fine, go for it, is adding to the problem of irresponsible fishkeeping, which most of us are here to try to wipe out, yes it is a forum and it is up to you on how to take the recommendations provided but I doubt you will find any knowledgable oscar keeper recommending to oscars in a 55G tank.

We are all here to learn and I hope the newbies stick around and we can learn from each other.

Thank you.

 

[m0on]

its been a long time that i almost forgot about this forum.. sowy
i put him with many fishes already in, some goldfishes(my little brother's) and two glass catfishes and a sucker
i dont know but.. he's 2-3 inches and my tank is 9galons.. it seems that it fits him.. ummm dont u guys think that a 55g is toooo big for him .. anyways

how do i measure a tank? i mean how do i know its size (gallon or litre)?
is there like any special formula to calculate the gallons by measuring length, width and height?
because its china here and i dont speak it fluently(nor english) and last time i visited the store i couldnt explain to her the word gallons or liters, i said i can measure all the tanks they have by a meter stick or anything then decide the perfect size by gallons

its weird, this oscar didnt eat any tetras in the tank
he's friendly with most of the goldfishes, except that one big goldfish irritates him
he didnt eat any fishes i cut, he liked the TitraBits Complete

today hopfully i'll buy some tiny fishes and convince my dad to buy a big tank

thank you guys for helping though no need to fight in a forum XD!

 

[unwritten law]

this post isnt going to go well....

 

[Orion]

We all know where this is headed. To prevent flame wars, I am going to lock this thread.

moon: if you wish to ask your question about tank measurements feel free to post the question in the general freshwater forum section. Your oscar is in a tank to small for it by itself, much less other fish. I urge you to research on your situation more, and then please come back and ask any specific questions you have.