55 gallon tank?

Question

hi im starting a 55 gallon cichlid tank with a red tiger oscar and a jack dempsey how long will it take for each of them to get to there full size and what color gravel should i get im thinking black and blue

and i dont want to hear anybody telling me to get a bigger tank i cant aford to get a bigger tank and im not asking if they will go good in that tank i already asked a cichlid expert about thaty and he said theyed go perfect together all im asking is how big theyll get and how long it will take

Answer 1

i had 2 oscars and a JD in a 75 gal and my JD grew to about 6 inches and then just stopped but the oscars grew to like the size of doormats. Ive seen JD's grow really big but mine never really got there and i had them all for like 10 years. as far as gravel i liked using river rocks for the oscars cause they are pretty dirty fish and the larger gravel it just easier to clean and maintain especially for fish that get that big. hope this helps and good luck. JD's are awesome fish they are by far my favorite freshwater fish i ever kept.

Addition: id reccomend what betta chris said as far as tank size mine got way to big for the 75 gal but didnt have the cash to upgrade to a larger tank. And as far as doing live plant in the tank dont even bother. the oscars like to rip plants up and move your decor around so fake plant just make it a lot easier to decorate with.

Answer 2

Well, if you are going to ask the question, we will properly answer it. You need a bigger tank. The Oscar will get about 18 inches and the Jack Dempsey gets about 10 inches. This would require a 75 gallon tank minimum with dozens of hiding spots and rock piles. The Oscar grows about an inch per month, so it will be almost fully grown in a year (they are about 2-3 inches when you buy them). By keeping two big, aggressive fish in such a small tank, you are going to see many battles between the two, and many injuries. If you want your fish to be miserable, go ahead. Also, why couldn't this so called "Cichlid Expert" tell you how large each fish gets? If you can't afford a bigger tank, don't get fish that will outgrow the tank you can afford. Do an African Cichlid tank instead with Electric Yellows and Electric Blues (they stay about 6 inches each).

Nosoop4u

Answer 3

Gravel color should be fine, from what I've read, darker gravel is generally better for fish in terms of stress, it makes them more comfortable, not sure how accurate that is, but I've seen at least three articles in the past saying that.

Time for growth is going to vary though. Oscars should probably grow more rapid I'd think, not 100% sure. I'd expect your Oscar if feeding properly, to grow about 1-2 inches a month. Dempsey's, I've not kept them but I'd imagine they grow around the same rate, maybe slightly slower. The thing is, you can't really say it'll be this or that, much like a baby, they have charts and averages. Some grow faster, some slower, alot has to do with genetics. Fish the same basically. You'll always find some exceptions.

I have a suspicion though, that Dempsey and Oscar are going to be bound for a fight when they get older and more territorial though. Growing up togeather should help, but I think it's just a matter of time before they have it out for the tank.

JV

FOLLOW UP 2:

Rubble, in all fairness, chris soup and craig are right in what they are telling you. Even the breeders aren't Gods and they do make mistakes from time to time. THe guy who's bred chichlids for 20 years and more sold me a Dubosi knowing what I had in stock, and he's gone and killed off two of my Lavendar Gourami I've had for months. Had he told me the aggressiveness of the Dubosi, I'd have housed him different.

Tank size really does matter to be honest. I love my Arowana's and I bought a 180 gallon tank, spent close to 2000 on everything to give them thier best care. Seriously, even if you can't afford it, if you want these fish to thirve and grow and last for years, you really would need a bigger set up, I just didn't stress it because I figured you have your mind set on doing this anyways, and if your mind is set, nothing we say is going to really matter I suppose. Just trying to give you the best help out there is all we are doing.

FOLLOW UP:

Here's one excerpt on gravel color. I'm still not sure if it actually matters or not, but there are a few more out there supporting the same line of though. I've used some lighter ones myself and haven't noticed any significant differences though

http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/gravel.html

Answer 4

How long will it take to get big? About two years for the Oscar, 4 or 5 for the JD, which grows much slower.

How long will it take to get to 'full size' - most of their lives. These fish keep growing most of their lives, albeit at a very slow pace as they get larger. The longer you can keep them alive, the bigger you'll see them get.

They'll start killing each other long before this, but naturally you don't believe it and will wait until it's too late to find out how cichlid behaviour works.

Answer 5

gravel doesnt matter, it what ever you like.

But that is alot of fish for a 55 gallon, oscars realy should have 75 gallons to itself, so 55 gallons is really pushing it for one oscar, let alone a JD.

When they get bigger watch out for aggression.



Edit: if you can afford fish, then why are you getting them? its kinda like forcing to fishes that wont usually fit in a smaller to be in one. a 75 gallon isnt that much money its about 90-120 dollars at the petstore, that is very reasonable.

Frankly when they get larger and in a small 55 gallon their will be fights. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION it will take about one year to a year and a half

Remember my quote "owning fish isnt a right, it is a previlge" if you cant afford to get them a tank that will be the best thing for them, then you should get those fish and get othersmaller fish. Just because you can go to a petstore and get them, doesnt grant you the right.

Sorry to be harsh, but thats the truth.