fishlover78

what kind of power filter (other than a canister) is best for Oscar fish, parrot fish and Jack Dempsey fish? I know they can be very messy fish that is why I wanted to know. I wasn't sure if an aqua clear, a emperor, a Petco or Aqueon power filter could handle they bioload they put in the tank. please respond, it would be greatly appreciated. thank you -fishlover78

capekate

Hi Fishlover78,
I would first ask what size tank do you plan on using? That would determine what size filter you need.

fishlover78

a 55 gallon.

capekate

I have two filters running in my 55g community tank. I love the Hagen Aqua Clear hang on back filters the best. For me, they are the quietest ones that I have run and I have used a few different types. You can probably use two 110's that are rated for up to 100g each. Hook them up on opposite ends of the tank. With two filters you can always have one running with lots of biological media/ while you rinse out the other.
But there are a lot of different types you can use. A lot of folks like the penguin filters as well. Im sure you will get a lot of advice based on other members experience with their filters.

pepetj

Hi fishlover78.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but 55gal is the minimum tank size for one single Oscar and no tankmates. Your Jack Dempsey will likely co-exist with the Oscar, but the parrot will most likely become a snack once they achieve full-grown size. The problem is not just the lack of swimming room for such big fishes but the huge bio-load they produce will likely over-ride most biological filtration.

Same as Kate, I use AquaClear HOB filters in most of my tanks. One AC model 110 or two model 70 will handle the bio-load of one Oscar in a 55gal ( I rather use two for contingencies).

I keep 2 Tiger Oscars, 2 Severums (1 Green, 1 Gold), 4 Convicts (2 pairs) -and for the time being 6 Kenyi (2 young adults, 4 juveniles) in 145gal with Three AquaClear 110.

I recently added one DIY submersible powerhead (370GPH) with a Marineland canister attached as prefilter to aid in mechanical filtration. That can be easily done with AquaClear powerhead (model 50 or 70) and attach an AC prefilter (lot of waste of food, even fish-poo is picked up this way, making substrate cleaning very easy).

Good luck with this fabulous fish!

Pepe
Santo Domingo