can i????????

[Rayne]

Right now i have a 55 gal tank with 4 tiger barbs and 1 rainbow shark in it.
It looks really bare. I had more barbs but they died. I want a big fish or two for the tank. i was thinking about getting a oscar. now before anyone flips out, i'm asking for advice form expirenced individuals, now if i get two small ones now how fast do they grow? when will i need a bigger tank? If they will be fine for a year or so that would make me really happy.

my local pet store has a shipment of baby oscaars about 2" or so big. how long can they live in a 55 gal at that size. I will get a bigger tank when it is needed.

also can i keep my barbs in the tank or is it better to move them to another tank? what about my shark?

what other kinds of fish can i add to the tank (wether it be this 55 or a bigger one) to go with oscars?

i really want to make a statement with my tank which right now looks empty.

please any help or suggestions are welcome

 

[rixy]

the oscars will eat the barbs sooner or later and will grow to approx 12".they are messy fish and produce a lot of waste.if you do decide on oscars,2 or at a guess 3 would be all you could put in a 55.you would need to upgrade your filtration to an external filter(ideally)as most internal filters would'nt cope with the waste.i would think about other fish.i have odessa barbs and denisonii barbs(both stunning)look in my sig for other ideas.i'm not,for one minute suggesting dont have oscars,i'm just saying,think very carefully.

 

[Barracuda518]

Oscars do best by themselves...

 

[Fella]

I imagine oscars would make short work of tiger barbs, and, I think buying the correct size tank for the fish, before you buy them, is more responsible then try to attempt to predict the future and buy the tank then...

Good luck!

 

[modernhamlet]

Oscars can grow pretty darn fast, upwards of 1/2" per month in the first year. You can count on it being at least 6" and obliterating the barbs within the year.

Besides that, 55g is the absolute minimum tank size for a single oscar with no tankmates whatsoever. Having spent a fair amount of time at a family friend's house that had a full sized oscar housed in a 55g, I honestly consider it cruelty. This was obviously a very intelligent fish, trapped in a space it could barely turn around in, stewing in it's own prolific wastes. It was very very sad to see...

Anyway, that's my $0.02. YMMV.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Ya, you would need at least a 75gallon for 1 oscar all by himself. Upwards of 100gallons for the 2, and upwards of 125 for the oscars, and maybe one other fish (pleco, JD).

The oscar will eat the barbs as was stated before. Most likely you won't be fine for a year because of territorial disputes in the 55. Basically, i would just buy a bigger tank and leave you current tank alone. Maybe buy some more tiger barbs and a few more rainbow sharks. Some good news is that your tank right now is fairly understocked, and you can add quite a bit more fish. Just don't go over your head

 

[Barracuda518]

One thing I might add....If you add more sharks, then you might want to get more then 6 in the tank total and I dont think your tank is big enough for that. Rainbow sharks and also red tail sharks are best when by themselves in the tank. If you have 2 or 3, the biggest one will torment the smaller ones. The end result is 2 very unhappy sharks who will probably fade in color to try to hide from the bigger shark. These sharks are very territorial. I wouldn't have but one, as the one in there now will grow to 9", maybe even bigger, and the 55 gallon will be his...

Good Luck B)

 

[Rayne]

right now i have a plan in place for a new 150 gal within the next 8 months to a year. i'm waiting to move before i set up such a big tank. I want to start thinking ahead.

I want to buy th oscars small and raise them form babies esentially. I treat all my fish like kids and would like to have the fish for as long as possible. the new stock at the local fish store are extremely healthy and come from a reputable breeder. i have been waiting for months for the breeder to send in new oscars ike this.

the barbs don't bother me i can move them to a smaller community tank i have that can still take more fish

what about the rainbow shark?? will he be alright??

Don't worry i will think long and hard before i buy. the fish will last a while at the store because people around here don't usually buy big fish, their rare and the store gives good advice and won't sell to unprepared people. i have delt with them for years and they have the 150 gal tank i want despretly adn the store employees know i'm going to buy it!!!

 

[GSD]

you might have problems with the rainbow shark
in afew months when he gets bigger he will attack and/or eat the tigr barbs

 

[GirlinWayside]

sounds to me like you had already made up your mind before you posted this..

If you get one Oscar - he will need to be moved to a bigger tank in about 6 months. 2 Oscars - even less time than that. Unless you want them to have barbs for breakfast - move them.

 

[yvez9]

1 oscar alone would be all right, nothing more maybe a pleco or soemthing similar

 

[Fish_Mike]

Yvez - Well, just the oscar could be fine, but an additional 1-foot-waste-machine pleco is just over the top!

 

[Rayne]

girlinwayside i haven't already made up my mind. i'm asking for opinions and giving you all the facts about my set up and plans!!!!

if an oscar isn't right fofr my tank does anyone have any other suggestions for my tank?

i want bigger fish i think.

for the past year i've had small fish like barbs, guppies, gourmies, etc... adn i find that it dosn't make an impact that i want. i have a 10 gal and 20 gal for small setups

i used to have huge goldfih in the 55 tank and like how the big fish looked now i find myself wanting big fish again. but i want tropical fish not cold water fish.

any suggestions welcome, also i would like colorful or interesting fish not too plain

 

[Fish_Mike]

Well, in that 55 you could keep one Jack Dempsey happily. Unfortunately all by iteself. Maybe you're looking for some medium-sized fish? You could keep a small group of angels in there 4-6. They get only 6 inches long, but 10inches tall!

Edit: The jack Dempsey is more colorful, but angels come in some interesting colours as well!

 

[Rayne]

tried angels, i didn't have much luck. within two months i lost 7 angels (not all in tank at same time) due to HITH. there were no other fish affected, i treated the tank, and they kept dieing.