most people will leave it in the small tank for too long (or for life) as they just hear the, its ok part and ignore the rest as it doesnt suit them to listen to something they dont want to hear.
I like to give people the benefit out the doubt.
I'm with minx on this - I don't like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I don't want doubt to be involved - as someone who regularly both gives and receives advice, I want information thats clear and basically idiotproof. Thats something this forum has shown me - advice needs to be idiot proof, because if its not entirely clear people who are new to the hobby and don't realise how much thought needs to go into most tanks won't always ask, and will often believe what they want to. Then either leave the hobby or come on here trying to fix avoidable mistakes. I was a newbie once, I've been there, killed fish and learned to clarify everything or accept that I'll end up with alot of dead fish. I'd quite like others to learn from my mistakes so I believe in clarity.
And minx is right, people are inclined to judge what they can see. What do people see when they've got an adult oscar in a 45G tank? A live fish in a tank they're happy with. If the fish is alive and isn't in apparent discomfort, they don't see a problem. As slightly more knowledgeable fishkeepers we know this isn't the case, but we can't correct this because people don't post up to say, 'I've got this tank, I'm happy with it, can someone else tell me its good too please' very often - they generally say, 'I've got 300 neon's in a 28L but I want a centrepiece fish, how about an angel?' And get suitably corrected by whoevers on hand (often not in the most polite of terms, and I suspect you feel the same way I do about the elitism that is apparent at times among some members.)
Okay, that examples a slight exagerration - but the points a valid one.
My point is no one even asked or suggested to the OP that with a little forward planning they could keep an Oscar.
Unfortunately people on here dont ask or even entertain the notion that people may be "forward planning" to upgrade their tanks.
Perhaps I'm being a bit pernickity here but in every thread I've read the OP posts the facts and states their intentions. In this case the OP has stated she has a 45G tank with 3 canister filters, and intends to turn it into an SA cichlid tank. No mention of any intention to buy a bigger tank. I have seen threads where people have said, 'I've got a 45G tank but plan to upgrade to a 75G tank in 3 months once Christmas is out of the way, what can I put in there?' and in those threads people have done as you suggested and said a juvi oscar would be fine in there for a few months, but that the 75G is whats needed long term. But thats not what the OP has stated. If she had, there would have been other responses like yours.
To me the onus here is on the OP to provide the correct information, and whilst I'm happy to throw in a wildcard (i.e why not try tangiyikan cichlids in a 45G, even though you've stated you want SA) I'm not going to assume that every person who requests stocking advice intends to buy a bigger tank. It should be quite clear to the OP anyway that if she's got her heart set on an oscar she can buy a bigger tank and that doesn't need to be pointed out to her.
Sorry about the counter rant, as stated by others no offence is intended and I'm quite happy to participate in a bit of healthy debate.
