2007-07-23 09:56:40 · 9 answers · asked by redcar 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
my oscar is about 6-7 inches long and im planning to keep him there for as long as he lives
i do 40% water change every 5 days would that be enough to keep him if no should i just stick with my 20 gallon and just trade my oscar for a smaller fish like a electric yello chiclids
2007-07-23 10:07:03 · update #1
Hey Redcar
Even if you can technically squeeze in an Oscar, and keep the tank clean by being really good at maintenance, one must still question the point of stuffing a huge fish into a small tank, where it will do nothing but float around all of its life, lacking the space to do anything at all. Sounds like a miserable life to me - kind of like a goldfish or Betta in a bowl.
On the other hand, that 40 gallon that I just called small can be huge if you went with a smaller type fish.
If the choice is either 20 gallon or an Oscar and a 40 gallon, stick to the 20 gallon. But be careful what you put in the 20 gallon. Even Electric yellows are active and get to 5 inches long, and really need a bigger tank. If you really want to try your hand with Malawi cichlids, you certainly should upgrade to that 40 gallon at least.
If you want to make your 20 gallon a nice home for cichlids, strongly consider Dwarf species - either Apistogramma, Kribensis, Rams, or Shell dwellers. Suddenly this tank becomes a lot bigger with these little fish, and these are all fish that would actually have room to live and thrive in your tank, and have just as much character and charm as their larger cousins.
2007-07-23 10:15:59 · answer #1 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
No, if you keep the fish on the aquarium, he'll die. Ideally, you would put the fish in the aquarium.
All joking aside, a 40 gallon is kind of small. Oscars get to be very large, and you need to consider his adult size, which will probably be around 12 inches. I'd get a 55 gallon at least.
2007-07-23 10:05:23 · answer #2 · answered by MJ 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Usually they can live in a 40 gallon for about a year and a half. If your Oscar gets to see adulthood you will end up having to purchase a 70+ gallon tank. If you'd like to save yourself money get the larger tank first and be patient for a few years until he/she grows into it.
You are also going to need massive amounts of filtration. Oscars excrete toxic amounts of ammonia. If you decide to try and keep him/her in a 40 gallon tank (while you can) you must get a filter which is meant for at least 80 gallons. When they get larger experienced aquarists will tell you to have 4x filtration which usually means two to four separate filter units.
2007-07-23 10:09:39 · answer #3 · answered by Alison B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
While it is still young and not full-grown, yes you could keep it in a 40 gallon aquarium, however, a full-grown adult oscar requires about 70 gallons of water for a healthy environment.
2007-07-23 10:03:35 · answer #4 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Only until it is about 7 inches long, then you would want to move it to a 55 gallon minimum to prevent permanent stunting. Stunting causes internal organ failure and a disgusting premature death.
Nosoop4u
2007-07-23 10:05:28 · answer #5 · answered by nosoop4u246 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It would probably better to keep him IN the aquarium ;). How big is he? If he is a baby, you can keep him in it for a little while but he will eventually need a bigger tank.
2007-07-23 09:59:46 · answer #6 · answered by Tina N 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
yes i have a baby one in a 10 gallon
2007-07-23 10:00:10 · answer #7 · answered by Michael B 1 · 0⤊ 5⤋
In a 15 gallon tank, if you like... just make sure the water is not too acidic (7.2+), in my humble opinion!!! Growth depends a lot on how much you feed it...
2007-07-23 10:00:17 · answer #8 · answered by waynebudd 6 · 0⤊ 7⤋
Yes. Probably as many as 4.
2007-07-23 10:01:28 · answer #9 · answered by jeopardy 2 · 0⤊ 7⤋