How big of tank (for oscar and friends)

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KarlskidMarx

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Would like to enter the realm of 75+ gallon tanks soon, and I was thinking of keeping the following. Any info or opinions on the compadibility of of the below species and required tank size would be appreciate.

How big of tank would I need to comfortably house the following:

1 x Oscar (open to other large SA cichlid suggestions)
6-7 x prochilodus insignis
3-5 x Brochis britskii (or suitably large corydoras catfish)
2 x bristlenose plec
 
90g would be a start, 120g or more would be better. also decent filtration would be required.

i've seen too many posts on cories getting stuck in other fishs' mouths to want to put any in with an oscar tho. an oscar would be an opportunistic predator i would imagine, so if it came close to fitting you might have a serious problem, like other people have found.
 
Originally posted by ewok
i've seen too many posts on cories getting stuck in other fishs' mouths to want to put any in with an oscar tho. an oscar would be an opportunistic predator i would imagine, so if it came close to fitting you might have a serious problem, like other people have found.
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Yup, I was thinking the same thing. Unless there is some uber-cory that I don't know about....

Tank size is not the only thing to consider.... shape also matters. With an Oscar you want a tank at least a 48" long and 18" (24" would be preferrable) wide. Height is not as important. A height of 30" will not offer an Oscar much benefit over a height of 18".
 
Originally posted by KarlskidMarx
I believe Brochis get to about 3 inches. That isn't large enough to avoid predation?
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I wouldn't chance it with an Oscar.... Why not some Clown Loaches instead?

Also, think about a 125 gallon tank if you can. The extra length will give you many more oprions for stocking. They are relatively common, so they are not too expensive. PetSmart (in the US) even carries them.
 
What about a pictus cat. They get to be 4-5 inches I think. Still gives that great catfish look but in a tougher to swallow package. I don't know how well they school though.
 
will the pictus cats be as good as a clean up crew as the brochis?
I just want some guys down there to help with the tank maintenance.

I'm also not married to the idea of an oscar, if there are any other large and interesting south american cichlids I'd like to hear about them
 
will the pictus cats be as good as a clean up crew as the brochis?
I just want some guys down there to help with the tank maintenance.

I'm also not married to the idea of an oscar, if there are any other large and interesting south american cichlids I'd like to hear about them
 
Most "large" American cichlids probably won't go well with Corydoras. How about a pair of Uaru? They should go ok.... In a 75+ gallon you could have 2 Uaru with a few severums and Festivums.

Heck, throw in about 6-8 Tiger Barbs as well to add some schooling action. This would be much more interesting than a single large cichlid.

Clown Loaches will school as well (they love Tiger Barbs) and will go ok with the Corys.
 
Yes, some larger loaches might be a better choice. Plus they are good snail eaters if your tank gets some in it.
 
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