Am I overstocked?

[unlimitedx]

Greetings!

I have a 125 US gallon tank. Just puchases new fishes. They are as follows:

2x oscars (one normal, one albino)
7x silver dollars

The oscars are about 4 inches, and the silver dollars about 2 inches.

Can I add more fishes? Or is this more than enough once the fishes get to their mature size?

Also on a side question, are golfishes dirtier or oscars?

[derekp]

Defintely more than enough. You could maybe add some bottom feeders. Or maybe one big pleco, but your swimming space will be gone once those fish mature.

They are about the same. The oscar will rip stuff up and leave it there, the goldfish just crap more. they even out.

[Cliff Mayes]

All large fish give off a large amount of waste. People are surprised at the waste production of Goldfish because they think of Goldfish as being small from seeing all the babies and an adult can be huge. I do not know if there is a difference between Oscars and Goldfish volume of waste but they both give off a lot when they are grown.

By the way both Oscars and Goldfish live a long time. Many years.

[deadxero]

In short, you technically are not overstocked yet. You will be when they grow up. In a 125 I would say keep the oscars and nothing else... or lose the oscars.

[unlimitedx]

gotta keep the oscars =p

[jm1212]

the oscars alone stock the tank. the addition of the seven silver dollars puts it over quite a bit.

[Temeraire]

Will the oscars not solve the problem of over crowding once they're bigger? :O

[rocker92]

^^^good point!!!

[jm1212]

Will the oscars not solve the problem of over crowding once they're bigger? :O
are you referring to them killing the other fish?

[Dwarf Puffers]

are you referring to them killing the other fish?


No, he's reffering to them eating the other fish ;)

[jm1212]

No, he's reffering to them eating the other fish ;)
they might still be alive then...putting one fish inside another is still overstocking.

[Coler]

The Oscars won't eat full grown silver dollars.

Presuming your fish are all juveniles you are not at all overstocked. You hear a lot of different opinions on stocking for Oscars (55 min for 1, 75 min for 1 - most people would say this - 100 min for 2, 125 min for 2, 125 plus some smaller fish min for 2).

Don't add any more fish. Keep an eye on especially your nitrate reading as they mature - you want less than 40 ppm at all times.

The far more important question - if you have just purchased the tank/fish - is whether & how you cycled it, and whether you have a good liquid drop test kit ?

edit - almost forgot ! welcome to AC :) I'm going to move this to cichlids for you for some more views.

[mostlycichlids]

Looks like a good stock to me

[unlimitedx]

The Oscars won't eat full grown silver dollars.

Presuming your fish are all juveniles you are not at all overstocked. You hear a lot of different opinions on stocking for Oscars (55 min for 1, 75 min for 1 - most people would say this - 100 min for 2, 125 min for 2, 125 plus some smaller fish min for 2).

Don't add any more fish. Keep an eye on especially your nitrate reading as they mature - you want less than 40 ppm at all times.

The far more important question - if you have just purchased the tank/fish - is whether & how you cycled it, and whether you have a good liquid drop test kit ?

edit - almost forgot ! welcome to AC :) I'm going to move this to cichlids for you for some more views.

The tank has been cycled :) the fishes were purchased right after the previous fishes died due to overnight power outage:( rip 2x 8 year old oscars and other fishes.

I wonder if I should have gotten oscars again this time around, as I could put smaller (thus more) fishes instead..


EDIT: the tank has been filled with the indicated fishes for about 3 weeks now.

[Coler]

Gotta love the Oscars :)

ever work out what killed the other guys ?

how long was the tank without fish ?

[tankboy_taylor]

your about stocked imo. if adding anymore fish id go with bottom level swimmers

[Pittbull]

I agree it will be over stocked when all are full grown but as long as you do weekly water changes all should be ok and when and if the oscars decide to take out the dollars than i wouldnt replace anything..

[unlimitedx]

The black oscar is showing aggression towards his albino oscar buddy :(. Seems like the black oscar is trying to nibble/bite the bottom of the albino. The albino is cowering in fear behind rocks and various hiding spaces... but when it's feeding time the albino races up to the normal spot to eat though.

All the fishes seem to prefer hanging out on the right side of the tank for some reason (the feeding zone). They don't really swim back and forth in the tank as I would like them to :(

EDIT Additional question: Someone told me that oscars and silver dollars shouldnt be together, since one is a carnivore and the other an herbivore. But so far in feeding the silver dollar seems to have an appetite for anything. And through research I thought they were compatible too. Am I wrong?

[Pittbull]

Sounds like a dominance issue possibly.. LB for LB the dollars hold no chance up against an Oscar when all are full grown the only thing that could help is a very large tank so that the dollars could avoid being target practice for the Oscars..

But as most sound advice goes is that you can tell someone this and the reply you would get is a disturbed look of (what did you say) and most folk will continue on with what their doing..

In my time as a hobbyist i have seen several Oscar combo's and a percentage of those worked and didn't so it will be a hit or miss type of situation, its all up to you with feedings and maintenance issues..

So could it work -yes, could it go terribly wrong-yes, good luck my friend and enjoy..

[unlimitedx]

what is LB? I thought silver dollars are compatible with oscars (after much research online)!? When I purchased the fishes and put them in the tank the very first day, the black oscar sneaked behind several dollars (my guess trying to get a bite), but failed. Ever since then there has been no signs of aggression towards the silver dollars by the oscars.

Actually the whole tank has been pretty decent.. until a few days ago when the black oscar decided to scare the albino oscar away.

[Pittbull]

Sorry LB is a abbreviation for pound..

Most will argue that they will not co-exist, in my experience fish have strange personalities and will do things that will amaze a person as for Oscars they are opportunists and will try to push their limits within a specific setup once they realize that they are not food items they will either choose to ignore them or pursue a beat down really up to the Oscar how it turns out..

[Coler]

Any two given cichlids co-existing in a tank is always going to be more up to them than it is to you. You could divide the tank - is there a size disparity ? - and re-unite when the smaller one catches up.

[lovejonesx]

Greetings!

I have a 125 US gallon tank. Just puchases new fishes. They are as follows:

2x oscars (one normal, one albino)
7x silver dollars

The oscars are about 4 inches, and the silver dollars about 2 inches.

Can I add more fishes? Or is this more than enough once the fishes get to their mature size?

Also on a side question, are golfishes dirtier or oscars?


Not yet at the current time & size of your fish, but SOON & maybe sooner than you think.

Don't let 'em catch up, before you do something.
LJx

[unlimitedx]

Well one silver dollar died... it was the remaining dollar that had ich on it. It fought a long battle but ultimately didn't survive. There were 2 other silver dollars that I felt had little chance of surviving the ich but the heat/salt treatment ended up saving them.

Down to 2 oscars, and 6 silver dollars.


Hm......I'm really wondering if I should have gotten oscars again this time around. I prefer more fishes that are mid sized, as oppose to 2 huge ones and a couple mid sized... plus these oscars don't act the same way as the previous 2 oscars I owned (of course not).. they can never replace them!


What are my options if I do decide to do something to prevent the overstock?

[Coler]

Hmmm...pretty much remove one Oscar or all the Silver Dollars. Take out an Oscar and you can prolly have a JD and some other reasonable hardy medium size cichlid as well...convict perhaps...maybe some kind of medium--large pleco ? subject to the fish being ok with that (durn cichlids lol)

[dent20]

Any two given cichlids co-existing in a tank is always going to be more up to them than it is to you. You could divide the tank - is there a size disparity ? - and re-unite when the smaller one catches up.

That is exactly right. You can't predict anything with cichlids. Each individual fish is different. Generally, you can say one species is more aggressive than another, but that's not always true.

UnlimitedX - if you prefer more medium size cichlids and have some decent selections where you live, you might go with Africans. You can get 20-30, depending on what you pick, in a 125. That's assuming you can find someone or some place to take the oscars and silver dollars.

Personally, I prefer Central and South American. I have one of four cichlids tanks devoted to Africans.

I still find it hard to believe that you need a 125 for two oscars, but I've never kept them myself, so maybe I just don't understand their size.

[unlimitedx]

In any case I'll prefer to keep the 6 silver dollars no matter what, and give away an oscar or both..

I don't know where/how I would give an oscar away.. parents won't be happy about giving away a fish back to a fish store for free that was purchased for ~$15 just 3 weeks ago.

Also, the replacement fish(es) would have to include the lab created blood parrot, as my mom is likes them a LOT.

In the case that both oscars are given away, I'd like to get some angel fishes.

[timbo83]

i would keep the two oscars and leave the BP at the LFS.

[unlimitedx]

Seems like the black oscar wants to be the ONLY oscar in the 125 gallon tank (though he's somewhat ignoring the silver dollars. the silver dollars group together tightly whenever it seems like he wants to attack them).

the black oscar keeps chasing the albino wherever he/she hides. i mean, the albino is already hiding but the black oscar actively seeks it out to try to bite it.

EDIT: black oscar is trying to nibble the silver dollars. he sneaks up behind them and goes for a bite (and misses)

[Pittbull]

unlimitedx (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/member.php?u=93660) wrote: parents won't be happy about giving away a fish back to a fish store for free that was purchased for ~$15 just 3 weeks ago.

Yeah welcome to the hobby once you walk out with it the fish price instantly drops and i would love to find a pet shop that will give you full credit on a regular return..

Angelfish would be nice instead of the oscars.. your black oscar is just doing what comes naturally and he/she may annihilate the other oscar.. if you call your pet shops ahead of time you might be able to swap out or trade for stuff and get a better return service..

[unlimitedx]

just called petsmart. they won't take live fishes back (even for free).

[Pittbull]

Yeah most chains have a policy against returns like Petsupermarket they will sell you a ton of fish at reasonable prices on certain species but once bought they will not allow the fish back in their tanks plus they own grow out ponds in Florida..

[dent20]

Do you have any local stores you can try or a local fish club you can contact?

[Coler]

Seems like the black oscar wants to be the ONLY oscar in the 125 gallon tank (though he's somewhat ignoring the silver dollars. the silver dollars group together tightly whenever it seems like he wants to attack them).

the black oscar keeps chasing the albino wherever he/she hides. i mean, the albino is already hiding but the black oscar actively seeks it out to try to bite it.

EDIT: black oscar is trying to nibble the silver dollars. he sneaks up behind them and goes for a bite (and misses)

Sorry to say but that sounds to me like the Black will not co-exist with the albino - try your best to rehome. Thing about fish, and cichlids in particular, is that they choose who they will live with.

[Jakezori]

your not overstocked, but once those things grow you will be close =) i'd let them grow and once they do move 1 or 2 to a different tank