GoldfishAttentionSpan
Fishaholic
Hi all. It's been awhile- not sure how many of you will remember me!
Quite awhile ago (end of last year, ish?) I was going to buy a friend's full setup 55 gallon tank for 75 dollars, but my interest in fishkeeping waned when my BN died. I don't know why, but I really wasn't into it anymore and I am at the tailend of getting rid of all of my tanks (my 26 gallon is going to my uncle as a housewarming gift). However, my friend called me up the other day and offered me the 55 gallon again, this time for 40 dollars! Though I wasn't even thinking about getting another tank, I couldn't pass up the deal, and I now have an empty 55 gallon tank in front of me- everything is there, other than one of the panels of glass broke, and I need to get a new piece cut (one of the panels of the lid, not on the actual tank!).
My dielma(sp?) comes because I am planning on moving out (to another town) at the end of this summer, or during the midwinter school break. I am having enough trouble finding a place that will allow my current herd (3 dogs, 2 cats, 7 rats), much less adding the additional hassle of a 55 gallon tank.
I don't really want to set up the tank right now, but my dad says that as soon as I turn around, he will get his pair of bala sharks like he has always wanted. 
He fought me for months over putting them in his 30 gallon, and eventually I won by talking him into a school of red tetras. I know that if I leave the 55 gallon long enough, he WILL get bala sharks. 
So, I am rather tempted to set the tank up for myself. I have always planned to have a single albino tiger oscar with a black background, black sand, perhaps a couple large black rocks and a large piece of driftwood, but I have read conflicting opinions over 55 gallons being enough for a single oscar. I know I don't want a bunch of little fish because if I do take it with me when I move out, I don't want to have to catch a ton of little fish. However, I don't know if I would take the tank with me, or if perhaps my dad would want to takeover it until I am in a more stable situation where I feel comfortable bringing the big tank with me. I know my dad well enough that I know he wouldn't get rid of my oscar to get balas, but if the oscar died, I'm not sure. I think by that point, the tank is 'mine' enough that he wouldn't do anything to it without my permission. I will certainly talk all of this over with my dad and I won't plan on leaving the tank with him unless he is totally ok with it beforehand.
Thoughts? Should I set it up for an oscar, set it aside for a couple years, or what?
ETA, I measured the tank and put it in an online gallon measuring thing, and it is actually slightly over 68 gallons! Surely this is large enough for a single oscar...?
Quite awhile ago (end of last year, ish?) I was going to buy a friend's full setup 55 gallon tank for 75 dollars, but my interest in fishkeeping waned when my BN died. I don't know why, but I really wasn't into it anymore and I am at the tailend of getting rid of all of my tanks (my 26 gallon is going to my uncle as a housewarming gift). However, my friend called me up the other day and offered me the 55 gallon again, this time for 40 dollars! Though I wasn't even thinking about getting another tank, I couldn't pass up the deal, and I now have an empty 55 gallon tank in front of me- everything is there, other than one of the panels of glass broke, and I need to get a new piece cut (one of the panels of the lid, not on the actual tank!).
My dielma(sp?) comes because I am planning on moving out (to another town) at the end of this summer, or during the midwinter school break. I am having enough trouble finding a place that will allow my current herd (3 dogs, 2 cats, 7 rats), much less adding the additional hassle of a 55 gallon tank.
I don't really want to set up the tank right now, but my dad says that as soon as I turn around, he will get his pair of bala sharks like he has always wanted. He fought me for months over putting them in his 30 gallon, and eventually I won by talking him into a school of red tetras. I know that if I leave the 55 gallon long enough, he WILL get bala sharks. So, I am rather tempted to set the tank up for myself. I have always planned to have a single albino tiger oscar with a black background, black sand, perhaps a couple large black rocks and a large piece of driftwood, but I have read conflicting opinions over 55 gallons being enough for a single oscar. I know I don't want a bunch of little fish because if I do take it with me when I move out, I don't want to have to catch a ton of little fish. However, I don't know if I would take the tank with me, or if perhaps my dad would want to takeover it until I am in a more stable situation where I feel comfortable bringing the big tank with me. I know my dad well enough that I know he wouldn't get rid of my oscar to get balas, but if the oscar died, I'm not sure. I think by that point, the tank is 'mine' enough that he wouldn't do anything to it without my permission. I will certainly talk all of this over with my dad and I won't plan on leaving the tank with him unless he is totally ok with it beforehand.
Thoughts? Should I set it up for an oscar, set it aside for a couple years, or what?
ETA, I measured the tank and put it in an online gallon measuring thing, and it is actually slightly over 68 gallons! Surely this is large enough for a single oscar...?
