What kind of environment do Oscar's thrive in??

Question

I have a 40 gallon aquarium. I did have 5 Bala sharks that lived for about 3 years but now my tank is empty. They died when we moved. I couldnt get the water back right. It's different here than where we used to live. The Ph in the tank stays at about 6.4 - 6.6. Ive tried everything to get it up some but nothing worked.
Ive always thought that Oscar's were interesting characters. I would like to have 2 of them. Do they like plants, rocks, etc.....
thanks !!

Answer 1

Unfortunately even one oscar is too big for a 40 gallon tank. Oscars can grow to 8-10", more sometimes, and they need at least 60 gallons of water because aside from being big, they produce a lot of waste.

Bring the pH up should not be difficult. Try adding 1 tbsp of baking soda per 10 gallons to the water, and see how that goes. You can also use crushed coral sand for substrate, put in pieces of coral or limestone or texas holey rock as decor to keep up the pH. If you can get your pH up, I suggest you get a group of peacock cichlids. They are STUNNING and you could have 4 or 5 if your tank.
http://cjexotics.com/images/alunarubadmale.jpg
http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/peacock_yellow.jpg
http://zenandjuice.com/word/images/Aul_eureka_01.jpg
mix it up with some haps
http://cichlidpress.pair.com/photos/hap-nyererei.jpg
http://www.african-cichlid.com/ThickskinM350.jpg

If you cannot get your pH up (but you should be able to! it's nearly impossible to bring pH down, but bringing it up should be a matter of a few tbsps of baking soda) consider going with some south american cichlids. They prefer salt water.
Say, a school of 4 angelfish
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Freshwater_angelfish_biodome.jpg
http://www.bbayaquariums.com/angelfish.jpg
with a school of 6 glass catfish
http://www.aquascape.co.uk/Glass_Cat.jpg
and a school of 12 cardinal tetras
http://filer.case.edu/~jjw2/cardinal.jpg

As for plant decor, a lot of it is dependant on you and what you like - but certain fish require certain 'hiding' material such as caves or plants. Many african cichlids, however, can not be with plants, and they will dig them up! They prefer intricate rockwork with lots of caves.
Angelfish and community fish, however, do wonderfully with lots of plants, and driftwood always spruces up a tank!

Answer 2

Oscars need a much larger tank than a 40 gallon. They look cute when they're babies, but they get very big quickly. They need 55+ gallons to be healthy, and that's for a single oscar.

The pH you have is actually good for many south american fish. They like low pH and soft water. You could do smaller south american cichlids like rams or angels with your tank. You can also add some tetras and cories in with these fish.

Answer 3

40 gallons is too small for an Oscar, so Angels will be a significantly better decision. they prefer non violent settings (so purely having angels contained in the tank will be good) they don't like a good type of quick swimming fish, or effectual currents. They sense extra shelter with various of places they could be able to cover. also, attempt to get angels round an same length and at the same time. you do not favor to get one massive one and then upload a pair small ones. possibility is, the large guy will be a touch egocentric about his area, even even with the reality that they don't look to be somewhat aggressive (they do nip from time to time even with the reality that)