75 Gallon Tank looking to stock my 75 gallon aquarium

[Hypeir]

Hi,
I'm looking to stock my aquarium
I'm definitely interested in owning a tiger oscar.
I also saw a needle-gar at my LFS and I was wondering if they would make good tank mates?
Anyways here's my stocking idea:
3 pictus catfish
1 tiger oscar
1 needle gar

I'd like some imput, thanks!

 

[Dom90]

Pictus catfish are schooling fish and need to be in a group of six or more. Oscars are aggressive and they need to be with other semi-aggressive fish.

 

[Hypeir]

ok? Is a gar not an aggressive fish?
what would you reccomend as a replacement for the pictus catfish, or can my tank handle 6?

 

[Dom90]

Yes your tank can easily handle 6 pictus. But I wouldnt get an oscar, they are African cichlids that have different pH requirements than most other fish. Gars I'm not too sure of, Anders247 or hampalong may be able to help you.

 

[Hypeir]

Having oscars is the main reason I purchased the aquarium. My PH is around 7.8 from the tap and about 8 in the tank

 

[Dom90]

Ok then you're looking at an all-African cichlid tank. You really can't have any community fish in there. LeoDiaz Chris99 and hampalong are the go-to guys for that. Even I'm still learning from them regarding African cichlids lol.

 

[LeoDiaz]

If you want a african cichlid tank I can tell you how to make it but its up to you.

 

[Hypeir]

Ok, thankyou!

 

[Dom90]

If you want a african cichlid tank I can tell you how to make it but its up to you.

His primary focus are oscars, he mentioned this before.

 

[LeoDiaz]

His primary focus are oscars, he mentioned this before.

Oscars are not africans so I can't help there.

 

[Hypeir]

Yeah, i'd definitely be interested in a cichlid tank.
I have driftwood and limestone in the tank with a couple fake plants and 2 bubblers. Fluval 406 canister filter. The substrate is pea gravel.

as long as I can have an oscar in the tank?

 

[Anders247]

I'm pretty sure gars are too big for a 75, and oscars are definitely too big for a 75.

 

[Dom90]

Oscars are not africans so I can't help there.

Sorry I was confusing them with mbuna lol...

 

[Dom90]

Yeah, i'd definitely be interested in a cichlid tank.
I have driftwood and limestone in the tank with a couple fake plants and 2 bubblers. Fluval 406 canister filter. The substrate is pea gravel.

as long as I can have an oscar in the tank?

Pea Gravel will not work with any cichlids.. they prefer fine sand or aragonite.

 

[Hypeir]

Ok, then it's back to the drawing board lol

 

[junebug]

In a 75 gallon tank, an Oscar can't really have any tankmates. A single tiger oscar will fully stock the tank.

 

[Chris99]

I'm not familiar with needle nose gar. Oscars are actually South American and tend to do well if not overcrowded. They will typically eat any fish that will fit in their mouth though. Pictus cats may not be safe with and oscar. In a 75 the oscar should be fine but you are limited on tank mates. Anything large enough to not eventually become lunch would probably overload the tank. Maybe a small school of silver dollars or single catfish that gets to the 10-12" range.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Pea Gravel will not work with any cichlids.. they prefer fine sand or aragonite.

What kind cichlid are you talking about cause many ppl use gravel for bigger SA cichlids but for some cichlid sand is a must. Like africans eartheater etc.

 

[Hypeir]

Ok so maybe an oscar and a pleco?

 

[Anders247]

In a 75 gallon tank, an Oscar can't really have any tankmates. A single tiger oscar will fully stock the tank.

I'm not familiar with needle nose gar. Oscars are actually South American and tend to do well if not overcrowded. They will typically eat any fish that will fit in their mouth though. Pictus cats may not be safe with and oscar. In a 75 the oscar should be fine but you are limited on tank mates. Anything large enough to not eventually become lunch would probably overload the tank. Maybe a small school of silver dollars or single catfish that gets to the 10-12" range.

Oscars, I've read, get 14-18 inches, which is way too big to be in a 18 inch wide tank (which is what a 75 is), imo.

That would depend on the type of pleco.

 

[Dom90]

Ok so maybe an oscar and a pleco?

Yes, try a Trinidad pleco, they get about 10". LeoDiaz, forget what I said, I don't know much about cichlids still.

 

[Hypeir]

Everywhere i've researched claims that tiger oscars have a maximum size of 12 inches, you might want to do some fact checking or something, 18 seems unreal.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Everywhere i've researched claims that tiger oscars have a maximum size of 12 inches, you might want to do some fact checking or something, 18 seems unreal.

Anders247 is correct is rarely seen in the hobby but oscar can get huge with proper care and a big tank. Dom90 all forgotten lol

 

[Dom90]

To the OP, what about a Jack Dempsey if you're looking for a fairly big cichlid.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Or severums those are nice too.

 

[Hypeir]

I'm looking at those now! They look great, Oscar, JD, Pleco?

 

[Chris99]

To the OP, what about a Jack Dempsey if you're looking for a fairly big cichlid.

I had an Oscar and JD in a 90 (just a taller 75) and it started to seem crowded. Mine did have an overflow though that took up some swimming space. If you go this route make sure you over filter and do large weekly water changes.

 

[LeoDiaz]

I'm looking at those now! They look great, Oscar, JD, Pleco?

75 is pretty small for a fish that big I would just do pleco and oscar or JD.

 

[Hypeir]

Ok, I will be purchasing these fish rather small. So I figure I'll have up to a year until I need to upgrade their dwelling

 

[Hypeir]

As for weekly water changes.. what would I be looking at?

 

[Dom90]

I'm thinking at least 40-50%.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Oscar grow pretty fast so I would just get one oscar for now cause ur unsure if your upgrading tanks.

 

[MtnTiger]

As for weekly water changes.. what would I be looking at?

With the proper filtration and assuming your water parameters are in line no more than 20-30%.

 

[Anders247]

Or severums those are nice too.

Not the H. efasciatus or H. notatus, which are more common than the ones that would work, H. spurius and H. severus.

 

[BDpups]

A single Oscar with some pictus, even 6 pictus will be ok in a 75. Leave the gar out. The tank is too small for one thing. And if the Oscar spooks it, it could easily jump out of the tank. They are also prone to broken backs in tanks that are too small.

In a 75, a Oscar and six pictus is pushing the limits of the tank.
Personally, if you like oscars and you have 75 gallon, I would just keep an Oscar by itself.

Some of the members need to remember that most fish, especially common fish like oscars, will adapt to the PH in the water that you have. Just keep the PH stable and an Oscar should be fine in your water.

 

[Hypeir]

The driving factor in upgrading the tank would be if the fish weren't happy or sustainable in the 75 gallon.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Not the H. efasciatus or H. notatus, which are more common than the ones that would work, H. spurius and H. severus.

Looks like he interested in an oscar more so lets not get to techinical lol.

 

[Anders247]

Everywhere i've researched claims that tiger oscars have a maximum size of 12 inches, you might want to do some fact checking or something, 18 seems unreal.

Both fishbase and wikipedia say 18 inches, and FB is one of the most accurate sites.....

 

[Dom90]

There is no way an 18" fish will be comfortable with an 18" wide tank.. you'll need something with a bigger footprint than a 75.

 

[BDpups]

Both fishbase and wikipedia say 18 inches, and FB is one of the most accurate sites.....

I would love to see an 18 inch Oscar. 12 inches is pretty standard for them. And 14inches would be a big one. Maybe there are 18 inch oscars on occasion, but I would not hesitate to keep one in 75 on the off chance that I might end up with a 1 in million fish.

 

[Anders247]

I would love to see an 18 inch Oscar. 12 inches is pretty standard for them. And 14inches would be a big one. Maybe there are 18 inch oscars on occasion, but I would not hesitate to keep one in 75 on the off chance that I might end up with a 1 in million fish.

From what I read, they don't often get that big because their tanks are not big enough for them to do so.

 

[LeoDiaz]

Both fishbase and wikipedia say 18 inches, and FB is one of the most accurate sites.....

Very true but is very hard to find one that big in the hobby. Your more likely to find that big in the wild. The biggest I seen is 14incher. 5 year old in a 125gallon.

 

[Anders247]

Very true but is very hard to find one that big in the hobby. Your more likely to find that big in the wild. The biggest I seen is 14incher. 5 year old in a 125gallon.

How wide is a 125? What I see is that they are only 18 inches wide, so not enough space for them....

 

[Dom90]

According to this website, , both Aqueon and Marineland make 120 gallon tanks that are 48x24x24

 

[Hypeir]

Anders247
I just checked fishbase, and you're right! Oscars CAN get to 18 inches. Actually 17.99 inches if you convert from cm. As for wikipedia.. I won't go into how inaccurate that is.

You did fail to mention that fish base listed the common size to be right under 10 inches though.

 

[ricmcc]

I am afraid that Andesr247 is quite right; a 75 gallon tank is simply too small for even a single oscar, and will stress the fish, and result in behaviors see in oscars thus limited; heater destruction, filter tube displacement, excessive gravel movement.
Dr. P.V. Loiselle has written an excellent book about why cichlids behave as they do, and cichlid tank mangement in order to eliminate most of the destructive or aggressive behaviours.. Oddly enough, the book is called, The Cichlid Aquarium .
You might do better to maintain a tank of some of the smaller C.A. or S.A. cichlids; the first group preferring hardish water, say 7.5 to 8 pH and around 275-300 ppm TDS. A Jack Dempsey, SalvinI , Firemouth and Convict make a nice display, on will get on well providing that you maintain just one individual of each species to negate aggression associated with pair forming and spawning.; they can be kept in a 75 gallon tank, but do provide lots of hides.
Or, if you wish to keep Rift Valley lake cichids, I would go with some of the less aggressive mbuna from Lake Malawi, as they are normally kept in overstocked conditions with plenty of hides to reduce aggression, so that a 75 gallon can allow for a nice display.
These are just suggestions, but I have been into cichlids for a long time now, and find the above very workable.
Btw, you mention having a Fuval FX6; you might with to baffle the outlet a little (turning it toward a tank wall will do), as in your tank, it will produce quite a current. All the best, rick.

 

[LeoDiaz]

According to this website, , both Aqueon and Marineland make 120 gallon tanks that are 48x24x24

My bad he has a 120 I remember cause he said is 2feet deep.

 

[BDpups]

From what I read, they don't often get that big because their tanks are not big enough for them to do so.

Your getting bad info then. Oscars are truly the big fish tale of the aquarium hobby. 14 inches is a big Oscar. And an 18 inch Oscar is nothing but a tall tale. It is known by people who keep them that a 75 is fine for a single Oscar. Older people in the hobby will tell you that a 55 is fine for them. I wouldn't do that myself, but in the 70's and 80's and 90's it was very common.

120 gallons come in 5 foot and 4 foot sizes. The depth is different on the 5 foot tanks obviously.

 

[Chris99]

I would say 99.9% of oscars in the hobby are kept in 18" tanks or less.

 

[Anders247]

Your getting bad info then. Oscars are truly the big fish tale of the aquarium hobby. 14 inches is a big Oscar. And an 18 inch Oscar is nothing but a tall tale. It is known by people who keep them that a 75 is fine for a single Oscar. Older people in the hobby will tell you that a 55 is fine for them. I wouldn't do that myself, but in the 70's and 80's and 90's it was very common.

120 gallons come in 5 foot and 4 foot sizes. The depth is different on the 5 foot tanks obviously.

"Older people in the hobby" are often outdated, and "older people in the hobby" also will tell you that fish will only grow to the size of their tank, which is a myth.

I would say 99.9% of oscars in the hobby are kept in 18" tanks or less.

Yeah, which is why I'd bet that they can get larger than they are said to.