You just joined yesterday and you’re already judging other fish keepers experience? Makes sense to me…
Multiple Oscars in Large Tank
- Thread starter pisanoal
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You just joined yesterday and you’re already judging other fish keepers experience? Makes sense to me…
Joined THIS site yesterday does not equal new to the hobby, or even new to the site.
And saying that someone who has been making quality content for a decade, travels doing instructional talks on aquarium husbandry, and currently has more tanks running than most avid fish keeers will in a lifetime probably has more experience than most on this site is far from a stretch.
Did not mean to insult your experience/knowledge level. I obviously don't know you or your experience level, other than what you have just said.
What I should have said is, "it's hard to imagine many people on here having more experience". Just based on his massive level of experience.
With an extremely experienced person doing something counter to thought and being successful, is that an exception or something to be considered as maybe changing a previous conception? Serious question, not being argumentative.
For me, I think it's worth looking at as maybe changing a previous thought.
Just to reiterate, not going this direction... just for the discussion point.
I was chatting to someone about him only the other day. By his own admission on his channel he has to change things around all the time, annoyingly so in fact. This is to stop his adoring public from getting bored and switching off! That's pretty sad in itself really.
So from a long term point of view on whatever species profile he's doing, his experience is somewhat blinkered and not necessarily a strategy to follow if someone decides to keep the same fish as him long term.
Those oscars he was keeping is a prime example. If he'd have kept all of them in that tank he had them in, he wouldn't have had time to make videos for his channel because he'd have been too busy maintaining his oscar set up all the time, lol.
I caught up with his channel only the other day. His latest build is a 16ft plywood tank. I thought, here we go again! I guarantee he'll build it, put fish in it, get bored, and rip it down and do something else within a few months.
It’s all good, I wasn’t offended or intending to show my experience, but show the level of experience many people here have. KDIY isn’t bad but he’s not on the level of many people here. That’s all I was trying to point out
While I respect some of Joey's comments and methods (I even borrowed an idea or two about filters) there's no way I can agree with this. He makes videos for viewership and education. I'm a fishkeeper that respects life and wants to get the maximum out of my fish. I also have a nose for bull turds too. 6 oscars long term in a 180? I've seen enough of that stuff on you tube and never long term and no follow ups.
Let's do some real world common sense math:
Oscars weigh from 2 - 3+ (or more) lbs each. multiply by six...so...
12 to 18+ lbs of fish...
Actual gallons of a "180" is 167. (tank dimensions are measured including the walls, not water inside)
This leaves ~22-28 gallons per fish (allowing for substrate/decor) which is pure insanity. If they don't die from stress, nitrate poisoning, being stunted or disease they might tear each other apart for lack of room. If my Brick were in a 29 gallon I'd have to pick him up out of the tank and turn him around so he could move.
Simplest answer would be to ge a 600 gallon for a small school (4) of oscars.
Oscars don't have to be in a group to show personality either, not sure where that came from. Oscars aren't feeder goldfish in lobster boxes. Just sayin'.
Joey the king of DIY is very well known and respected. I'm not sure how he was presenting the video you mentioned but I would be surprised if he is recommending six full grown Oscars in a 6-foot tank. If you're not sure, then I suggest that you might post your question in the video comments. See what his response is.
I have nothing against Joey, my thinking is more along the line of what esox posted. Joey's goal is NOT to keep set ups like his O tank long term (which it sounds like yours are, which I respect) so his take on a single year with a set up, doesn't impress me. Come back in 10 yrs and tell me all about successfully keeping that group of O's in the same tank, and I'll be all ears. One year with a group of young fish like that is indeed entry level. Not Joey - the set up that you described.