Oscar Aquarium Size

[Chopper]

Hi Guys,
 
My friend is selling his 2 Oscars. I would love to take them off his hands so have considered setting up my old tank again to accommodate them. However, my only concern is the depth (height) of my tank.
 
Its a 4ft 50Gal tank. Obviously the length is not a problem, i am just concerned the water would not be quite deep enough. Its aprox a foot deep, but obviously have to take out an inch for gravel etc...
 
Was just looking to see if you guys thought this would be OK, or whether im best of getting something a little deeper.
 
thanks guys,
 
Kev B 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Oscars can grow pretty big. From young they can be expected to get to 7-8 inches in the first year, potentially growing an inch per month at some stages of their early life. They will probably grow to about 12-16 inches in size by the time they're fully grown so you'll ideally need a 75 gallon tank as a minimum. I'd say a depth of 1 foot is not enough as the fish could have out grown it in 18 months, if not sooner.
 
A 130 gallon tank would be a reasonable size for a pair of Oscars and you probably wouldn't want to keep any more than that anyway in case they started fighting when mature, unless you can guarantee you know the sex of the fishes!
 
How big/old are your friend's Oscars?