Oscar or Jack Dempsey..

[FreshyFresh]

I'm thinking about setting up another tank with a single, large fish with some personality. I'd prefer a tank no larger than a 55g, but might consider something like a used 75g if the deal was right. I'd like to stick with a 55g, given I don't use python type water changers due to being on an old septic system. It's 5gal pails tossed outdoors for me.

I've got some experience with oscars given a good buddy of mine kept them. They always cracked me up and acted as if they be perfectly happy to flop out of the tank and into your lap if they could. Problem is, I understand a 55 is the BARE minimum for a single oscar. I'm OK with that.. but just not sure it's best.

Another fish that comes to mind would be a jack dempsey. Another friend had one of those for years in a 20H (ugh..) I wouldn't do more than one and possibly another tank-mate if possible.

Any thoughts, experiences? I'm wide open here!

 

[MdngtRain]

I like the dempseys, but I don't know much about them, just that I like their colors. Oscars are cool too, but I'm not a fan of "bare minimum" set-ups for anything. If you could handle a 75g and you prefer them, then Oscars are good too

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yeah, I see max size of JD's is more like 10". That might be a better option for a 55g.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I think with an oscar you'd want a 75g, just for the added width to turn comfortably.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Thanks CL. Good thought. I know you have to keep the decor to a minimum with them because they're clumsy and can be destructive. Of the recent research I've done, "oscar people" will say 75g, with 55 being the minimum for a single fish. I know decades ago, my room mate had 2 in a smaller tank IIRC.. Things were a little fuzzy back then.. *ehem*..

75's are hard to find on CL and they're so darn expensive, as are the stands compared to a 55g. I *think* Petsmart sells a 75g with a basic lighted hood for ~$250. That's too much for me given I need other hardware too.

Still researching other viable options for a big fun cichlid...

 

[OrangeCones]

I had an Oscar named Felix LOL

 

[FishDad]

Electric Blue Jack Dempsey in a 55 gallon.

...that's my vote.

 

[FishDad]

BTW my 55g and 30g are on the second floor and nowhere near a sink, so for WCs I bought a 50' line of 1/2" clear hose and fastened one end to a 200gph powerhead. I drop the power head in the 55 and the other end goes out the window in a gutter. The for refill I use one of those self retracting hoses, real light weight - the neon green ones at the depot. One end hooked up to the bathroom sink and one end in the tank. I can change both tanks in less than 10 minutes. No buckets. Been doing that for a year and never had any issues. Just make sure your kids are nowhere to be found or they'll tug on the hoses.

 

[exhumed07]

I have a similar setup fishdad. to fill i have a standard garden hose hooked up to a y to connect to the hot water and cold water since they are separate lines that used to be hooked up to the washer. I also took a round hob filter intake and put it on the other end of the hose. I can just hang the hose on the tank. then to empty the tank i leave the hose hanging on the tank and unhook it at the y. then place the loose end into the sump pump. it just pumps the water over the hill behind the house. What i need to do is put a shut off valve on the hose too so i can shut the water off between tanks instead of kinking the hose. but it all works for me.

as for the post topic i'd say the dempsy. oscars can be very expensive to feed. and i'm not talking about live food cause i know u can train them to eat pellets. but once they get big they need to eat more. it's kinda like my green sunfish. when he was 2 inches long he was fine. now he is 8 inches long or so and eating a TON.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Great suggestions so far!

FD, my only upstairs tank is the 20 long. I vac out two full 5gal pails and toss it off the 2nd story porch/deck and onto the lawn. No way to route a hose to a gutter or downspout there and still keep things 'downhill'. 20's the biggest I would ever go upstairs again after my 29g tsunami.

My 55 and 10 are in the first-floor mud/laundry room and right near the utility sink and a door that goes to the backyard. The 10g I siphon right down the sink. The 55g I toss buckets right out the door. A hose and pump would be ideal there.

A new tank would potentially go in the living room, 12ft or so from the front door. I could move my planted, community 55g tank to the living room and put a ~75g in the laundry room for ease of maintenance.

Brandon, I'd feed cichlid pellets. The reading I've done on oscars is a typical adult eats about a teaspoon full of pellets per day. Some keepers fast them one day a week. I fast my tanks typically on water change day.

So I dunno.. If I go 55, maybe I'll skip the oscar and go the EBJD or regular JD route. 75g and it will be Felix II (kidding on the name... possibly.).

 

[Thyra]

Hoses seem to have a mind of their own and I have always been more comfortable if I have someone on both ends. The end in the tank can flip out and I am amazed at the amount of water that pumps onto the floor in the time it takes to get to the sink to shut it off. Mopar (Kerry) who use to be here regularly,talked about how he pumped a bunch of water into his front room. Although I don't like using a bucket, it is still quicker than a water clean up.

 

[FishDad]

I agree. They do go wild. I forgot to mention that I use clamps on both ends.

 

[exhumed07]

If u use the filter intake like I do it hangs on the tank very securely. I also added about a 12 inch piece of hose onto that to reach past the canopy on on of my tanks. its very secure.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I can barely keep from making a mess doing a gravel vac into a 5gal pail. I'm getting pretty good at it though and usually roll out an old beach towel for the floor just in case.

I guess you've got to make a system that works for your specific setup, layout and physical ability. I've read of people using large wheeled plastic storage totes along with small 120VAC submersible pumps and hose. Pump or vac old tank water into the tote, wheel it to a door or window and pump it out. Wheel the tote to the sink, add dechlor, fill it, then use the pump to fill the tank.

Anyway.. I've got a lead on a used 75g tank, glass top(s) and an older wooden stand. The fella is asking $225 for it. To me, that's steep.

emailed my LFS for a price on a new 75g. It's $150. I honestly thought they were more than that.

I do have my heart set an an "O".

 

[FishDad]

225 is waaayyy to high for a used 75g. I could get another 125 tank and stand for 300 - 350 on CL.

 

[Thyra]

I am sure you know that you can make him an offer of what you can afford or what its worth to you and wait and see if he takes it. If you don't really have to have something, I would just make an offer and then wait. I once bought a beautiful registered horse for less than half the asking price. I wasn't really expecting the owner to take the offer, but it was all we could afford at the time. About a month later the phone rang and the owner said we would come and get our horse!

 

[FreshyFresh]

I hear you Thyra. He told me flat-out $125 is his bottom line for the tank and glass top and another $100 for the stand.

Oh yes, winding-up with a horse you didn't really expect to! I spent many years with quarter horses and paints. We had anywhere from 1-3 over the years. It was my dad's hobby he got into later in life. We had a barn and pasture that could accommodate 3. Dad got out of it in his late 60's when they downsized to a smaller, more maintenance free home/property. Dad's been gone 4yrs now (cancer ) . I miss him every day.

 

[FreshyFresh]

If u use the filter intake like I do it hangs on the tank very securely. I also added about a 12 inch piece of hose onto that to reach past the canopy on on of my tanks. its very secure.

That's a smart idea. You could even make a U or J shape with small PCV fittings if need be, with a garden hose fitting or hose-barb on the end. Hooked over the side of the tank, you'd need some SERIOUS pressure to blast it off the side of the tank.

 

[Rotaripsnoc]

My vote is with Fishdad, Electric Blue JD, they are very similar to an oscar, but have striking color, if it's going to be a single fish in the tank, it'll really look great by itself.

If you have a canister filter, you can splice the line very easily.

My Fluval uses 5/8" lines. which happen to be the same size as a garden hose ( Inner diameter ) so I purchased a 1:4 brass spout that has ball valves on each of the 4 outlets ( $12 at my local Lowes ) one is on the return from my filter, the next returns to the tank, the other 2 are used for water changes. one is connected to a hose that drains outside, or if I need to water the plants ... the last connector connects to my tank vacuum, once the pump gets the hose outside going, the vacuum has no choice but to work ( otherwise it would be a pain to get the siphon started ) I usually do 2 water changes a week, one 5 gal, and one 10 gal, the Oscar is messy now that he's gotten big. Both take less than 10 minutes to complete.

 

[FishDad]

My vote is with Fishdad

I'm counting on you in November.