Help, huge Tank!!!

HI there, ive got a 300 USgallon tank and don't know what to put in it, I'm cycling my thank without fish, ive been told it can take up to 8 weeks for such a large tank to cycle. Ive decided on a few fish that I would like to have, namely 4 oscars, 3 silver dollars, 2 bala sharks and one Pleco, I would also love to add a few discus to the tank too but am sceptical because of their water requirements and don't know if they will get along well with the oscars. can anyone help???

 

Wow!

How long have you been cycling so far?

 

Just google your fish and find out their requirements. Oscars have quite bold personalities, and eventhough your tank size is large, 4 may not get along with each other. I have 2 in a 100 gal. tank, and they fight a lot. The silver dollars may not be compatible with the oscars, and their dietary requirements are different. They are mainly veggie eaters, and the oscars are mainlycarnovores. Also, these 2 types of fish will pretty much eliminate the option of live plants in your tank. The oscars will uproot and destroy the plants, and the silver dollars will most likely eat them. I think the balas would also not survive very long with oscars in the tank. I'm not sure, but the balas and silver dollars might get along okay. There are pretty much a million options for you on the pleco with that size tank. Go to planet catfish to do your research on your pleco. You will be there drooling for quite awhile.

Don't stress too much about all of this. This is the fun part - picking out fish. It sounds like you pretty much want a community tank, so just check out the profiles on the forums you frequent, and post what you are interested in. If it's color you want, cichlids are quite colorful. African cichlids might be right up your ally. You will just have to research who's compatible since they are aggressive. I'm not so much into color, but more into personality. My oscars are a trip, and my angels are quite interesting. They are all like my kids. Oscars would kill any discus you put in your tank, and discus require water changes almost daily. A planted discus tank would be awesome with other fish like rummy nose tetras or neons, but it would also be high maintenance and expensive with all those water changes and the cost of each fish.

 

300 gallon tank ... you're in heaven! LOL GOOD FOR YOU! Gunnie is right: there are so many possibilities of what you can have in there. But I personally wouldn't put discus together with oscars. It's either this or that. But with discus you could have many other peaceful species, that you wouldn't be able to keep with oscars. Though it's totally up to you, of course. You just have to do your research. Don't rush.

What I would do in such a huge tank, is put in there an enormous school/shoal of some small grouping fish. Like a 100 neons or zebra danios, or something like that. Imagine what a huge school like this would look like. When they swim they look like synchronized swimmers. Nature is truly amazing.

 

300 gallon? goodness that's a monster. Post some pics when you have it set up.

 

Ive been cycling for 2 weeks now, and everything seems to be going well, In south Africa there aren't specialised stores for the fish, theyve always got a bit of this and that and their knowledge of fish is the same. So thanks for all the great advice! I think ill set up a species tank for some discus and ill put oscars in my big tank my husband seems keen on a hifin shark, they get really big, but I'm scared of putting too many big and messy fish in my tank, but like you said I definitely don't need to rush! There really are so many beautiful and colourfull fish out there!

Thanks Guys!!!

 

the discus will not stand a chance with anything else except other discus. Oscars will eat them flat out. Put 100 gold fish in your tank immediately to get the cycling going. Get as many large ones as you can. Feed them and get them to in the tank. Get your Ph adjusted before you get the good fish in. With a 300 gallon tank I would get fich that grow big and require a lot of space. Oscars are good arrowannas are good, jack dempseys are good. BY NO MEANS SHOULD ANYONE PUT A DISCUS FISH IN WITH THESE SAVAGE KILLERS. NO WAY! Discus babies cost up to 40 dollars and you can get 4 huge oscars for 40 dollars because they are mean and unruly and nobody wants them. I love oscars though. It was my frst fish and a great pet. Sad when they die. A 300 gallon tank will house any huge fish that y ou could imagine

Keep Discus with Discus -they are an extemely high quality fish where as an Oscar is as common as fishing bait

 

katfishjak, their are other methods of cycleing than with fish

 

Ya and what are you going to do with all those goldfish. Honestly with a tank that big I would get some really cool fish. Like an arowana, bichir, ray, African Tiger Fish, knife fish, an eel, target fish, that's just what I would do. I like what Isabella said to except I'd do it to a 125 though, it's pretty cool the one lfs that I like has one like this and a few discus and cories too and it looks amazing and it's planted it's sweet isabella, the fish just swim in and out of the plants and everywhere and one big mass it's so cool. I want a huge tank like that someday and get big fish. It's your tank so you get to do what you want, though if you need help Gunnie's a good person to ask and the best person is goole.

Austin

 

yeah with about 100 feeder fish that would cycle your tank pretty fast and the plus with feeders after you introduce your Oscars your set for food for a week ( pending size of your Oscars and appitite ) but I have 3 Oscars all rare coloring 1's a teal color 1's pale pale green almost albino and my 3rds a calico red green and blueish and I also have them in a 200 gal with lots of other fish like my betta, a school of giant danios, common pleco, albino cory cat, green cory and a marble cory and 4 lmassive black skirts and 4 massive white skirt tetras and I have 0 problems with my oscars being aggerssive to my other fish and my oscars are about 8inches long rest are half the size if that. i've found with Oscars its all a game of chance putting them in with other fish even for multipul Oscars to get along.... but I wish you luck man and they'll be in heaven in your tank!! ;D

 

I picked out two Oscars the other day, I asked my pet store to quarantine them for me cos my Q tank isn't big enough for them, ill keep them there until my tank has cycled completely. Ive watched them, they seem to peck at eachother quite a lot, they are quite aggressive, they came out of the same tank but I think its just cos they are on new territory and are establishing some sort of hierarchy. but they are beautiful, set me back R75, app $12 each, not much for you but loads here! so Oscars are definitely going into my tank, I just need to find some tank mates for them, cos they seem quite aggressive.

Thanks!

 

Sounds cool. You'l need some aggresive tank mates to defend for themselves probably, I'l see if I can find some suggestions for you.

 

PM sent

 

Tested Last Night, Ammonia 0.0 Nitrite 0.5 Nitrate 5.0 and pH 7.2! Yey! Tank almost cycled!!! Ill be visiting my Oscars soon!!! I can't believe how much they have grown in two weeks!!! theyre already 6inches! I picked out a Pleco too, hes about 5inches, Cant wait to bring them home!!! I found the shark I was looking for, a Pangasius Hifin shark, gets about 16inches, and theyre compatable with all the other fish I have waiting for me. I will post some pics of the setup as soon as ive got all my fish - depending on the nitrites, could be about a week... I really can't wait!

 

I bought my Hifin Shark - Ouch!!! $83!!! OWwwwweeeee, I won't be feeding them - ever again!!! Hehe, Hes In Q at the pet store at the moment. Be a waste if he has some sort of disease that I don't know about, my LFS gives a quarantee that they have no diseases if they quarantine them for you... I'm Soooo excited!!!

 

I can't wait to see your setup

 

Ill be posting some pics as soon as I can...

 

kewl can't wait

 

What I would do in such a huge tank, is put in there an enormous school/shoal of some small grouping fish. Like a 100 neons or zebra danios, or something like that. Imagine what a huge school like this would look like. When they swim they look like synchronized swimmers. Nature is truly amazing.

To add to your earlier reply, I'm thinking of getting a second 100G tank that a friend can no longer maintain and I thought this was such a lovely Idea, Ill put loads of Neon tetras in there, I think it really will be beautiful! Thanks for the idea!

kerry