Oscar In A 180Ltr Tank ?

[Fatpants]

Hi There. I am trying to decide if an Oscar will be ok in my 180ltr Juwel Rio Tank. I have a Tetra tec ex 700 mature filter on it. Problem is there is a lot of contradictory information coming my way. 2 friends say it will be fine. Both have had Oscars before in similar size tanks. Also both my local fish shops say no problem. Most info on net is saying 55gal min for one Oscar. I cant decide. I am always regular with my water changes 20ltr a week and have not had any real problems. I know Oscars are big and messy though. I want to start with a small Oscar but if it means changing for a bigger tank in a couple of years I might as well wait and save up for a bigger tank first.
Any advice would be greatly received.

Thanks Stuart.

 

[bae1994]

no sorry mate but 75gallon minimum for a oscar in a 55g they wont be very happy

 

[Curiosity101]

Plus I don't think you'd be looking at a couple of years before the upgrade. More like 6months.

 

[Fatpants]

Ha. I thought they where talking crap. Just wanted to be sure. Could you recommend any other Cichlids that would suit my current tank. Thanks..

 

[Curiosity101]

Blue acara
Firemouths
Angelfish
Keyholes
And poss Discus, not 100% on them though.

There are many more, but those were the first I could think of.

 

[shelaghfishface]

i recently had a 180 tank and i can tell you for a fact that its not big enough.. i would go with your instincts and save for the tank first then get the oscar.. they can live up to 10 yrs and spending 10 yrs ( or even 10 mins) looking at an unhappy oscar isnt nice...cos they have a habit of riddling you with guilt!!
ive never kept any of my oscars in anything less than 300L ( even thats not ideal) unless it was for quarantine- the oscar that i currently have has spent most of his life in cramped conditions and it shows.. hes got awful problems with his fins,scaring from HTH ( caused my crap water and diet) but to me hes gorgeous

shelagh xxx

 

[Fatpants]

Hi Again. Thanks for the great advise so far. So the Oscar is out of the question for me at the mo. Been researching the other suggestions and the Firemouths look like a good option. My tank is currently stocked with -
1 Bristlenose catfish
4 Pepper Corys
2 Clown Loaches
8 Harlequin Rasboras

So I have decided the Clown Loaches are going to my friend and he is also having my Bristlenose as he has a male and wants to breed with my female. Will my Corys and Rasboras be ok with a couple of small Firemouths ? I think they should be. Also whats the best Plec to get ? I might go with another Bristlenose although I never see my current one lol !!

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Bluetooth]

WIth that size tank you could get a nice group of discus if you were willing to push the financial boat out that far and make an effort with your water.

I stayed away from discus till i got upset with my setup and totally bottomed it out and everything so far has been pretty easy, the water was easy to do as the water in my area is medium soft and acidity is easy to gain with a couple of nice peices of bogwood so i suppose its down to you.

Id seriously suggest discus as im loving every moment of keeping them

 

[Wills]

Cool okay so you will be left with 4 cories and 8 harlequins, I would up both of these to 12 of each. Then cichlid wise hmmm in a 180 I would probs look at 4 small/medium cichlids so around the 4/5 inches mark. What are the fish stores around you like? Do you have access to a few rarer things?

Wills

 

[Fatpants]

Hi. I have 5 good quality local fish stores to choose from but I have not checked them all out for what cichlids they have in. I to am fed up with my set up so I am going to bottom it and start again, this time with sand, bogwood and stone. Got some nice amazon swords in at the min that run wild at times. If I time things right I shouldnt loose my cycle as my tank has been established for over 12 months now. I really like the firemouths so will prob go with them. I am thinking if i can get young ones they may not eat my harlequins when they grow up. I like to get young fish and watch them grow. Thats where the fun is for me....
Stu

 

[Rust]

75gal - one oscar
100gal - 2 oscars
125gal - 3 oscars
150 gal - 4 oscars
180gal+ - 5+ oscars

Thats usually how it works, i have 2 oscars in a 150gal they are only 5" ATM but i will be getting a bigger tank just for them (oh and my arowana) just for peace of mind, and i have 2 little one inchers growing out to go in the tank....im looking for a 250gal+

But for your 50gal, if you want one main fish, and maybe a smallish plec, a nice male green terror in a planted tank always looks nice, or as said above:

Firemouths
Blue acaras
Pair of convicts
Keyholes
Apistogrammers?
Planted angel fish tank?