180 gallon Predator tank
- Thread starter Lazybum34
- Start date
I'd say you're done; in fact, I'd probably say you're done just with the Oscars. They will grow like wildfire; check out posts by
FINWIN
or
DawnMichele
to get an idea of what a big Oscar looks like, rather than looking at little guys like the ones you just bought. A truly big Oscar is a whole 'nother critter.
I have no experience with that species of cat, but various online sources have stated that it isn't very fast-growing. You may be faced with a possible problem, in that either of the species you want are very capable of eating the other, depending upon their relative sizes...and varying rates of growth mean that you'd need to watch them carefully if they grow at different rates.
Personally, I think you will be forced to feed the Oscars too much just to get enough food down to the catfish. That kind of powerfeeding won't do them any good in the long run, but will cause them to grow even faster than normal, exacerbating any size differences between them and the cat.
I'm sure this combination can be made to work with diligence...but I'm equally sure it can go real bad, real fast if you aren't consistently on top of it in terms of water changes, general maintenance and a level of "fish-sympathy" that lets you understand what may be motivating their actions and interactions.
FINWIN
or
DawnMichele
to get an idea of what a big Oscar looks like, rather than looking at little guys like the ones you just bought. A truly big Oscar is a whole 'nother critter.I have no experience with that species of cat, but various online sources have stated that it isn't very fast-growing. You may be faced with a possible problem, in that either of the species you want are very capable of eating the other, depending upon their relative sizes...and varying rates of growth mean that you'd need to watch them carefully if they grow at different rates.
Personally, I think you will be forced to feed the Oscars too much just to get enough food down to the catfish. That kind of powerfeeding won't do them any good in the long run, but will cause them to grow even faster than normal, exacerbating any size differences between them and the cat.
I'm sure this combination can be made to work with diligence...but I'm equally sure it can go real bad, real fast if you aren't consistently on top of it in terms of water changes, general maintenance and a level of "fish-sympathy" that lets you understand what may be motivating their actions and interactions.
Right now the catfish is like an inch bigger than the oscars and he had bot problem eating he comes tight up to the surfaceI'd say you're done. The Oscars will grow like wildfire; check out posts by
I have no experience with that species of cat, but various online sources have stated that it isn't very fast-growing. You may be faced with a possible problem, in that either of the species you want are very capable of eating the other, depending upon their relative sizes...and varying rates of growth mean that you'd need to watch them carefully if they grow at different rates.
Personally, I think you will be forced to feed the Oscars too much just to get enough food down to the catfish. That kind of powerfeeding won't do them any good in the long run, but will cause them to grow even faster than normal, exacerbating any size differences between them and the cat.
I'm sure this combination can be made to work with diligence...but I'm equally sure it can go real bad, real fast if you aren't consistently on top of it in terms of water changes, general maintenance and a level of "fish-sympathy" that lets you understand what may be motivating their actions and interactions.
And the catfish really does not need apace on old forums I read they only need 40 gallons minimumI'd say you're done; in fact, I'd probably say you're done just with the Oscars. They will grow like wildfire; check out posts by
I have no experience with that species of cat, but various online sources have stated that it isn't very fast-growing. You may be faced with a possible problem, in that either of the species you want are very capable of eating the other, depending upon their relative sizes...and varying rates of growth mean that you'd need to watch them carefully if they grow at different rates.
Personally, I think you will be forced to feed the Oscars too much just to get enough food down to the catfish. That kind of powerfeeding won't do them any good in the long run, but will cause them to grow even faster than normal, exacerbating any size differences between them and the cat.
I'm sure this combination can be made to work with diligence...but I'm equally sure it can go real bad, real fast if you aren't consistently on top of it in terms of water changes, general maintenance and a level of "fish-sympathy" that lets you understand what may be motivating their actions and interactions.
Agree with what was said here. Nothing at all. I don't know the size of your oscars but you'll be doing some serious water changes down the road. A big oscar is a sight to behold with big bioload to go along with their mass. Plus they need space...and they hate being crowded, so be warned! Mine used a 10 inch syno catfish as a punch toy.
You could try a school of giant danios. No threat, small bioload and fast enough to avoid fate (at least for a while). Although my oscar never ate fish, even small ones...he tried but by the time he showed interest he was too big and slow to catch, lol. Had to hit the brakes to turn around.
Sounds like your oscars are at best , juvies, so what you perceive as available space at the moment, will soon not be.
As the other reality based aquarists have said above, 180 is about minimal for the just the two oscrs.
And the kind of sites that say a 40 gal tank is adiquate, or acceptable for that size cat are at best delusional.
A 40 gal tank, is a mere puddle compared to the type habitat s, even the tiniest and most dwarf versions of these cats would be caught dead in.
As the other reality based aquarists have said above, 180 is about minimal for the just the two oscrs.
And the kind of sites that say a 40 gal tank is adiquate, or acceptable for that size cat are at best delusional.
A 40 gal tank, is a mere puddle compared to the type habitat s, even the tiniest and most dwarf versions of these cats would be caught dead in.
While I've never kept Oscars myself before due to space limitations, from what I've heard and seen on this forum, Oscars get big in the X, Y, and Z dimensions. In essence, they're like American footballs (I have to keep in mind the non-Americans in this forum lol) in your tank which may serve as a good metric to seeing what size tank is adequate for an Oscar or 2.
