I may have gotten Nitrites and Nitrates mixed up. One was zero, the other looked a little more judging by the color scale. This is my first tank - 55 gal. So i am quite the newby. The aggression must be taking place at night. Nobody has ever seen any aggression during the time we are home and awake. This morning the smaller Oscar was near death, tore up bad. I don't have another tank. When I purchased them they were same exact size, bout an inch long.
Please help - sick Oscar.
- Thread starter Kingrugha
- Start date
See if you can get a tote, around 30 gallons as an emergency. Your little buddy will get killed...trust me, fish are gangster. They will do the deed when you aren't looking. Once you see a fish that looks tattered the warning signs are there.
A thin layer of sand. Condition the water with Prime. Add a couple of airstones and over the back filter. Put in a few fake plants so he can feel more secure. Give him as much food as he will take. If you have media from the 55 put some in the tub filter or set it in the tub at the bottom. Do small partial water changes every day. Good luck!!!
- Dec 2, 2018
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I consider a 55 gal, much too small for 2 oscars (it is IMO too small for even 1 adult oscar), being that small size tank, aggression is almost unavoidable, and trying to keep water quality healthy will also be difficult. And as they grow, aggression in such a small space will inevitably increase, and with even 1 adult you will need to do almost daily water changes to keep it healthy.
I understand 55 is to small for two. Plan was to upgrade to a larger one as they grow. I have additional space in my man cave for a 180 - 200 gal tank. The current space could hold a 110 as well. This 55 was a test run. I have over filtration on it and do water change(50%) and gravel cleaning once a week. Water is crystal clear. From my research I gathered that a 55 was ok for an adult Oscar. The larger one I have now is maybe 5 inches.
Those tank upgrades sound perfect. So as soon as the largest oscar hits 5.5" in the 55 gal, that's the time the larger tank should be cycled and up and running ready for it to be moved into.
The term, over filtration is not really applicable to oscars. The specs that filter companies give, are based on small community fish, like bettas, neons, or small angelfish, but not for fish like oscars (or any largish cichlid), so take any of the claims of adequate filtration with a grain of salt.
As an example, I run a 180 with mostly 5" cichlids, and use two, 20 gallon volume sumps for filtration, and still do every other day (sometimes daily ) water changes to keep parameters in line.
The term, over filtration is not really applicable to oscars. The specs that filter companies give, are based on small community fish, like bettas, neons, or small angelfish, but not for fish like oscars (or any largish cichlid), so take any of the claims of adequate filtration with a grain of salt.
As an example, I run a 180 with mostly 5" cichlids, and use two, 20 gallon volume sumps for filtration, and still do every other day (sometimes daily ) water changes to keep parameters in line.
I currently run a hob filter that is for up to a 110. I fogot the name of it but it is a well respected one. I also use a uv sterilizer. Water parameters seem to be good, although I do not check them weekly.
This is an interesting hobby - lot of really cool fish! But it seems very time consuming for people who have a room full of tanks. Learning stuff every day. Thanks for everyone's help. ?
