Tropical Fish Forums

[eurataron]

fisrt off, I have a 55gallon tank. I currently have 1pleco,1 angelfish,1 gourami and 1 molly. I did have more fish but long story and I've lost 4 fish in 2 months. but I've been looking around for new fish and am thinking about getting an oscar. I have a friend that is setting up an aquarium of his own so I was thinking I can give him some of my fish to start with. was just wondering would an oscar or 2 be OK in a 55gallon, and which if any of my fish can I keep with them?
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Never Fear, I is here

[DJ-DON]

I'm not sure about tank size but I heard the limit is 75 gallons and all the fish u have in the 55, are not compatible.
hope this helps
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I belive fish hav longer memories than 3 seconds. I mean, who came up with this?????

[Maestro]

No, a 55 gallon would be too small for an Oscar that can reach lengths of at least a foot, which is the width of a standard 55 gallon.

Can you be more specific as to what species of Pleco and Gourami you have?
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2500 gallon (9,450 L) Koi Pond
6 gallon (23 L) low light planted with RCS

[Cliff Mayes]

Maestro is quite correct in thinking that a 55 is too small for an Oscar. Oscars do get large very quickly and are not worth much at the LFS. The only virtue that 55's have is that they are inexpensive. A lot of young folk buy the Oscar when the fish is young and very beautiful and the young people enjoy seeing a living creature eating another living creature. Feeder Goldfish are raised by the millions as bait fish and are usually doomed but it has always made me cringe when I see it; and I am not a wimp when it comes to seeing things killed or killing things, but putting something in a cage to be eaten does not set well with me.

Putting a very large fish in a tank just about fills any tank up even Oscars which are, usually, relatively docile.

A 75 is a better choice than a 55 for an Oscar but do not add any other fish just because it "needs company" or "looks better." I have often thought that fish such as Oscars get neurotic when kept in a cage 24/7 with nothing to do. They are a large fish that is being kept under very bizarre conditions so it is no wonder that they redecorate, rearrange decor and even break Heaters or anything else handy in the tank. And too I wuold be leery of putting any body parts in the tank with them. Oscars, as I said are usually very docile, can bite and will leave a welt on arms if they take exception to anything in their space.
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wirehair

[donnie]

the only fish that will go with the oscar is the pleco if it is a common pleco.get a 90g 2 oscar's and a common pleco and you will be set.

[Cliff Mayes]

Unless Oscars are brought up together they have a tendency to fight because they are in each others space and too even a 90 is kind of small for a couple of Oscars.

The "common" pleco are a few varieties of Plecostomus species and like Oscars get very large (18 and 24 Inches being common) and become a problem for LFS's so are usually not worth much money. Common plecos live a long time and need certain foods. By the way Oscars can be weaned off live Feeders. I have a friend who specializes in, what I laughingly call, "big ugly fish" and he feeds mostly frozen and flakes foods so he tries, usually successfully, to get the fish over to his type of food as soon as possible. But the diet of plecos is pretty much set in stone, for now, and even though they, normally, behave themselves, who knows what a starving fish will do.

Just because a very skilled fishkeeper can keep a couple of live creatures alive for many months does not mean that the inhabitants are buddies.
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wirehair