Can I house an oscar in a 29 gallon tank ?

hello everyone I wanted to see if you can house a oscar in a 29 gallon fish tank with just the oscar and the gravel with a 500 gph power filter from aquaclear , I read from about said you could with weekly water changes please let me know thanks

 

The answer is no because really an oscar usually gets a foot or larger and considering a 29 gallon is only 30" long and 13" deep it doesn't give it adequate room to turn around. So no, bare-minimum is 55 gallon and larger is perfered. sorry

 

I say go for it man, Half the stuff Fish people tell you is a lie to get you to buy more stuff, Ive broke pretty much every ruel you can think of that has to do with fish, and all my fish are alive and nice active. Just do what you want and if you need to upgrade up from the 29 once it gets larger do so and get a new fish in the old tank.

 

Adamzieger, that's not true, why would we care if your spending more money or not, all it would be doing is a waste of our time to type it since nobody on here is in the fish buisness. Unless the 29 has weird dimensions I have one and it is actually only a foot deep and 30" long not giving a 12"+ oscar enough room to swim around in. Sure you might meet the filtration requirments but it's for the fish why you need a larger tank. I'm not sure how you'd like living in a foot deep closet and 30" long, that's a good way to look at it. But if you don't believe fish get stunted and it's ok for them to be in cramped spaces then that's good for you, sure you can break rules, but putting an oscar in a 29 isn't really a rule per say but more of a stupid thing to do to most knowledgable fish keepers. If your ok with that than ok, go ahead and do it, nobodys gona stop you and nobodys gona care whether you spend less money, I just think it's a good idea to let a person know all the pros and cons. So sure you can do it, but the fish may not be happy once full grown if it's not stunted with the lack of room.

Glad to know your fish are all ok though

 

I was implying that the Oscar If it is small "baby" can grow up in the 29 till he outgrows it and then just get it a new tank He can live full grown in. and use the old tank for a nice community tank.

 

Regardless of what size the Oscar is they are huge waste producers. The smaller the tank the more and larger water changes are required. For the time being if it is a small fish a 29G may suffice but remember to do the water changes religiously.
Here is an article that might interest you. It speaks about overcrowding but having a large fish in a tank that is too small will have the same result.
We don't want to tell you that you have to do things the way we say but we do want to give you the best advice we have available. That way you have the tools to make good decisions. Good luck!
Carol

 

I say go for it man, Half the stuff Fish people tell you is a lie to get you to buy more stuff, Ive broke pretty much every ruel you can think of that has to do with fish, and all my fish are alive and nice active.  Just do what you want and if you need to upgrade up from the 29 once it gets larger do so and get a new fish in the old tank.

I strongly disagree with this comment. Never put an Oscar in a 30 gallon tank, unless you have no feelings for the creature and don't mind its suffering. Adamzieger, actually if you first buy a 30 gallon tank, and then a 55 gallon tank ... you're spending more money than you should. Because if you buy a 55 gallon tank in the first place, you do not waste your money. Besides, it's not just about the money. Think about the health and happiness of the creature which you're intending to keep in too small a tank for it.

As for my personal opinion on Oscars and tank sizes in which they should be kept - I know that at least a 55 gallon tank is OK, but I personally would not put an Oscar in anything smaller than 100 gallons. But that's me.

 

We only want what's best for your fish, so if we tell you putting an oscar in a 29 gallon tank is not a good idea, you are certainly within your rights to do so, but you're not going to hear that it's okay on FishLore if it isn't, and if anyone says it is, then there will be debate. I will tell you why I think it's a bad idea, and will leave it at that. I currently have 2 oscars about 3 years old in a 100 gallon tank along with a common pleco, and I sometimes feel that they need a bigger tank. They are both near a foot long and are still growing. The pleco is over a foot long. Yes, they can swim back and forth in the tank, but they only have 5 feet in length to swim. They are also enormous waste producers along with my pleco, and can mess up a tank in no time! Good tank maintenance is vital in their health. I do at least a 50% water change in my tank every week, or the nitrates go sky high. Mine seem pretty content, but I wonder sometimes if I should get a bigger tank.

I'm sure you've heard that a fish will only grow to the size of the tank. That is a myth. His body on the outside might stop growing, but his insides continue to grow. This is a very slow and cruel death for a fish. Stunting a fish's growth is not something we advocate here on FishLore just because we don't want anyone mad at us. You will see us recommend that buy fish that are suitable for the tank they will live in as adults. You can certainly keep healthy fish and move them to bigger tanks as they grow, but we don't recommend it here, because there is a chance that you will not get that future tank because something not planned on happens, and then you have a fish in too small of a tank.

Oscars can also live 10 years if taken care of. That's a big responsibility and committment on your part. Plan on buying fish to keep for their lifetimes, just like you would a dog or a cat. They are also quite grumpy, and as they get older and bigger, they tolerate less and less. My two fight contantly, and sometimes I'm just about ready to move one of them because I don't want serious injury. The one that picks the fights is always the loser, and has had plugs taken out of him more than once. You will have a hard time putting any other fish in the tank with your oscar, so keep that in mind also that you will probably resign yourself to that one fish in your tank. They also like to rearrange their tanks to their liking, so you will probably not be able to have any live plants in your tank, and any decorations should be very sturdy because they will be attacked and moved around.

I know you just asked a couple of questions, so please don't take my post as gettin on to you about the questions. We are all here to learn and share our experiences, and your questions are encouraged, and show a genuine concern on what fish you should have, and how to take care of them properly. I think a pair of angels in your 29 gallon tank would be much more suitable. They can be quite personable fish if you give them attention. Mine line up like good little soldiers when they think it's feeding time, and would probably eat out of my hand if I trained them. If you want more aggressive fish, I don't think it would be hard to find some that would do well in that tank. Convicts might be a species to consider. They are cheap, readily available, but breed like rabbits.

 

I deleted my other replies to this thread. I have evey reason to believe what Isabella and Gunnie say. They've been VERY helpful to me, and I hope I didn't steer you wrong. I do think a SMALL oscar would be ok, but what Isabellla said is VERY true, you'll be buying another, much bigger, tank before you know it, and unless that's you're planning to do anyway, it's a HUGE waste of money.

 

I deleted my other replies to this thread.  I have evey reason to believe what Isabella and Gunnie say.  They've been VERY helpful to me, and I hope I didn't steer you wrong.  I do think a SMALL oscar would be ok, but what Isabellla said is VERY true, you'll be buying another, much bigger, tank before you know it, and unless that's you're planning to do anyway, it's a HUGE waste of money.

Jim, that was uneccessary. We are all entitled to our opinions even if we disagree. I have found that there is not much absolute on how to keep fish, but I do try and help those new in the hobby to learn from my experiences so they don't make the same mistakes.

 

Gunnie, I know, but after I read what you wrote, I realized my replies might be taken wrong, that's all.

 

i've always known that fish can only grow as big as to establish their tank size, but I didn't know that their inside still grow...interesting..where you learn that, just curious

 

i've always known that fish can only grow as big as to establish their tank size, but I didn't know that their inside still grow...interesting..where you learn that, just curious

I have read that over and over on these tropical fish boards, and from friends I've met online that I trust completely with the health of my fish!

 

We only want what's best for your fish, so if we tell you putting an oscar in a 29 gallon tank is not a good idea, you are certainly within your rights to do so, but you're not going to hear that it's okay on FishLore if it isn't, and if anyone says it is, then there will be debate.  I will tell you why I think it's a bad idea, and will leave it at that.  I currently have 2 oscars about 3 years old in a 100 gallon tank along with a common pleco, and I sometimes feel that they need a bigger tank.  They are both near a foot long and are still growing.  The pleco is over a foot long.  Yes, they can swim back and forth in the tank, but they only have 5 feet in length to swim.  They are also enormous waste producers along with my pleco, and can mess up a tank in no time!  Good tank maintenance is vital in their health.  I do at least a 50% water change in my tank every week, or the nitrates go sky high.  Mine seem pretty content, but I wonder sometimes if I should get a bigger tank. 

I'm sure you've heard that a fish will only grow to the size of the tank.  That is a myth.  His body on the outside might stop growing, but his insides continue to grow.  This is a very slow and cruel death for a fish.  Stunting a fish's growth is not something we advocate here on FishLore just because we don't want anyone mad at us.  You will see us recommend that buy fish that are suitable for the tank they will live in as adults.  You can certainly keep healthy fish and move them to bigger tanks as they grow, but we don't recommend it here, because there is a chance that you will not get that future tank because something not planned on happens, and then you have a fish in too small of a tank.       

Oscars can also live 10 years if taken care of.  That's a big responsibility and committment on your part.  Plan on buying fish to keep for their lifetimes, just like you would a dog or a cat.  They are also quite grumpy, and as they get older and bigger, they tolerate less and less.  My two fight contantly, and sometimes I'm just about ready to move one of them because I don't want serious injury.  The one that picks the fights is always the loser, and has had plugs taken out of him more than once.  You will have a hard time putting any other fish in the tank with your oscar, so keep that in mind also that you will probably resign yourself to that one fish in your tank.  They also like to rearrange their tanks to their liking, so you will probably not be able to have any live plants in your tank, and any decorations should be very sturdy because they will be attacked and moved around. 

I know you just asked a couple of questions, so please don't take my post as gettin on to you about the questions.  We are all here to learn and share our experiences, and your questions are encouraged, and show a genuine concern on what fish you should have, and how to take care of them properly.  I think a pair of angels in your 29 gallon tank would be much more suitable.  They can be quite personable fish if you give them attention.  Mine line up like good little soldiers when they think it's feeding time, and would probably eat out of my hand if I trained them.  If you want more aggressive fish, I don't think it would be hard to find some that would do well in that tank.  Convicts might be a species to consider.  They are cheap, readily available, but breed like rabbits.   

AMEN ! ( lol )

 

I have 2 tiger oscars, currently about 4" long, and living very happily in a 55 gallon tank, along with a 7" pleco. I fully intend to move all three to a larger tank in a year or two. My boyfriend is adamant about a 200 gallon. when I bought my oscars, I knew nothing about them. I told the guy at petsmart that I wanted them for a 10 gallon, and he said OK! and sent me on my way. then I learned of their large growth and tank requirements. its a huge investment, but I love my oscars and want the best for them. when they move into their bigger tank, I'll have an awesome 55 gallon community tank. good luck to you, and whatever you decide!

 

IheartmyOscars,
Your oscars should be fine in a 55 gallon for now. But I agree, a 200 gallon would make an awesome home for them when they get bigger. I love your attitude about it... some people wouldn't want to make the investment... but like you said, look what a beautiful community tank you'll be able to build with the 55 gallon. ;D

 

maybe as time goes on, they might breed small size oscar that doesn't get really big its really a stupid thought but it'll be cool