alral1988

So far i havent had any problems but from reading these forums im starting to think im crazy. i own 2 oscars in my 55 gallon which i know is not a good thing to start with but theyre very small right now. both are about 5 inches or less. i also have 2 very small dempseys, 2 plecos, 2 raphel cats, and a rainbow shark. am i severely overstocked right now? im saving money right now for a bigger tank hoping to upgrade to maybe 125. my filter is rated for up to 100 gallons so im almost doubling the filtration. what do you guys think? im new here and this is my first post. any help advice or comments would be appreciated. thanks

Butterfly

When filtering a tank the Gallons Per Hour(GPH) filtration rate recommended is 10 times the gallons of the tank. For instance- 55g x 10 = 550GPH
The Dempseys, Plecos and Oscars are all big waste producers which means they need the filtration as well as careful substrate vacuums and large water changes. If not overstocked the tank will be soon. These three fish are really tough and seem to survive in most any conditions but to thrive and be all they can be they need lots of clean water and excellent filtration along with appropriate food. Hope that helps.
Got any pics Would love to see some.
Carol

MissMTS

It sounds like you have a nice mix of fish For the long term, yes your tank is to small. I would say that you'll probably be fine with a 55 gallon tank for a few more months, but you'll need to upgrade soon. For the time being, keep an eye on your nitrate levels and do extra water changes if necessary to keep them from getting to high. I would check craigslist for great deals on big tanks. Right now with the economy the way it is, it seems like people are selling tanks for cheap left and right. I would love to see pics of your fish and tank as well

alral1988

Right now im doing about 10 gallon water changes every week and cleaning out my filter every second week. i was going to post some photos but i just found out my camera battery is dead. ill get them up later tonight hopefully. thanks guys

alral1988

its kind of barren right now because its a slow work in progress because im short on expendable cash but its coming along so far

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suemvb

Your tank looks great. It's good you're thinking about getting a bigger tank for them. they're lucky to have an owner who cares about what's really best for them.

I would suggest 50% water changes weekly.

aquarist48

Good morning. Your tank looks VERY nice!