Getting 55 Gallon Soon, Questions and tips...

[Mantis_22]

Im going to be getting a 55 gallon tank soon and will be keeping 3 juvinile oscars along with 2 small jack dempseys. Anyone know of how I should setup the tanks enviorment? Foods? etc...

Thanks...

[optix]

Ummm 2 emp 400s a 300 watt heater and 4 less cichlids :D no seriously you will need alot of hiding places with clay pots rocks bogwood/driftwood etc. that is hopefully just to grow them out. a 55 gallon isn't even big enough for 1 single oscar. My reccomendation is double width compared to the length of the fish and an oscar reachs up to a foot full grown and a 55 gallon is only a foot wide. 75 gallon at the least for a single oscar, but hey just my .02

[valerie]

I agree with optix.3 oscars and 2 dempseys wont last long in a 55gal. If you are just growing them out put them in the bigger tank they plan on living in later as it will only take them a few months to grow big anyways. PLus 5 big cichlids in a 55gal even if they are juvies will eventually thin the group to what a 55gal can actually hold.

What size tank are they going into later? must be quite big if you have 3 oscar and 2 dempseys.

As for decorations you might have some problems. You will need lots of hiding spots but oscars are diggers and will move around anythign you put in with them. So you wil jsut have to wait and see what works for you.

Good luck

[scott]

For three oscars and two JDs try at lest 180 gal. For a fifty five look in to some of the smaller geophagus or of course you could do a couple pairs of dwarves with some dithers. If you want a killer I would go with maybe one of the smaller guapotes like the motaguense.

[DarthV]

As luck would have it, I just picked up a 55gal today :) Then again, I can't set it up for another 2 weeks...arrggg! You can use your 55 to grow out those fish and get something much much larger, or just go with the dempseys ?