mandy2802

hi
i have just bought a tank which holds 212.26 litre it is for my 2 oscars
please tell me it is big enough or i may need to rehome them please give me your advice i was told 200 litre would be fine but not so sure now as i have been reading the thread thanks

purple_phoenix

212 litres is about 56 gallons, and it's recommended that you have 75 gallons for each adult oscar. They get very aggressive when they grow (and they grow very quickly!), and you'll find that two will end up fighting. Especially with other fish in there, you'll find that it will get a lot harder to keep the water steady, and keep aggression down.

Before you do anything else, I suggest you read up on the Nitrogen cycle and water parameters. They are very important in keep your tank and fish healthy. As you have fish which will grow quite large in a tank of that size, I expect your parameters will be fairly high.

It's a good idea to research things for yourself before you buy. Don't always listen to pet store employees' advice, as it's not necessarily right.

You will eventually need to rehome some of your fish, but I don't know the size of them at the moment, or your water parameters. Let us know once you've read up on it.

Neville

Yeah, 2 Oscars will need a 75G but as you have already bought your tank,so......... You can try keeping 2 Os in a 56g, i will suggest u to buy baby oscars; max 3" in size, they will grow 1" per month and will eventually reach the size of 12" or more. if u raise 2 Os from babyhood they may adjust with each other and may fight less often but there's no guarantee.
You have to feed them enough protein like shrimps, small fish, worms along with pellets and frozen food, and keep the water clean; they r sensitive to a disease called Hole in the Head so watch out for that.

crabbyabby

I had an oscar for six years. he started off in a 30 gallon tank and was around 3" when I got him. By the time he died he was 14" and very agressive to the point that he would not let anything live in the tank with him for more than a day. needless to say I could only supply him with no more than 15 small or medium goldfish a month. any more than that and they do develop a protien deficency and as a result a hole in the top of thier head. He did nip at the fingers of two of my boys when they were each about two years old. they do not stick their hands in fishtanks any more. Oscars grow very fast so you may end up with one slightly larger than the other which results in a king of the tank and he could force the other into a sort of starvation without proper places for them to be king of. start small and add some sort of protection for the smaller of the two. these guys have caves http://www.kavatica.com/products.html I beleive they can offer just stones so you can set it up and rearrange as they get bigger. hope this helps and good luck. start saving now for that 75+ tank.

Shawnie

Hi mandy...a few things to consider...how big are your oscars now? they will be ok in a 56 gallon for few months...if they are babies, maybe a bit longer...if they are indeed babies, they will get along and grow up being friends...or even mates...the thing is, you need to read on the nitrogen cycle... otherwise, any fish you have probably wont survive the ammonia and nitrite poisioning...heres the link http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm which no matter if you choose to keep the oscars or not, all fish need the tank to be cycled..eventually, you will need at least 125 gallons for two oscars...so if thats not something you can do within a few months, maybe returning them would be a good idea...you can get some great schooling fish for 56 gallons which im sure many would help you with...oscars cant have caves or many decorations because they will either destroy them, or keep tearing them up ...ours seemd to rearrange the tank weekly..they are great fish that eat out of our hands and beg just like dogs...but they deffinately need a huge tank for two...goodluck!