5 would be the ultimate max. thats maxing out your bioload when they are full size. but you will be good to go. oh and with oscars minimize the sharp objects in the tank i.e shap rocks ect. you will find they are VERY clumsy and will get themselves pretty beat up on sharp corners
How many Oscars?
- Thread starter w8tn4rut
- Start date
Ya I just removed a ship wreck ornament cause he scratched himself on it. So when Im picking up driftwood for the tank, I guess i need to just find some with rounded edges
Que
I wish I was a fish I wish.
Please read your answer to my last post and see that you didn't answer my question. I wasn't asking about the nitrogen cycle, I was trying to understand what it was that you were saying by the statement below. I am quite familiar with the nitrogen cycle and what you described is something I have never heard before or you simply made a mistake in saying this...
This is an honest inquiry so please don't jump to conclusions.
To the original poster. I'm sorry if this seems to have gone off topic but water quality and parameters are an important part of keeping high waste producing fish such as Oscars in good health. The number of fish that any given size tank can handle is just one consideration. I think clarification of the above quote is needed to avoid any misunderstandings that someone could make who is reading this thread and looking for advice.
Q
I agree, I have never heard of nitrates leading to ammonia or nitrite outbreaks... I have heard of too many nitrates leads to green water, and some fish are sensitive to elevated levels...
The only place I could see this being a problem is in a case of Old Tank Syndrome (OTS). A high enough nitrate concentration will eat away at the natural buffer, causing the tank water to acidify to levels possibly below pH 6.0. This is usually a gradual buildup over time (generally due to neglect/lack of water changes) so the fish can usually adapt to the high TDS levels in the water column.
Eventually, however, the pH drops enough that the nitrifying bacteria are no longer able to live, so the colony begins to die off. This is what eventually leads to the spikes in ammonia and nitrite. This happened to the tank at my parents house, due to almost a complete lack of water changes.
Note that nitrate levels need to be off the charts for this to happen...somewhere in the 150-200ppm range. If this buildup occurs over the course of several months, the fish will adapt, although its certainly not healthy. It won't however, be the case if we're talking about much lower levels of nitrate, in the 20-40ppm range.
Eventually, however, the pH drops enough that the nitrifying bacteria are no longer able to live, so the colony begins to die off. This is what eventually leads to the spikes in ammonia and nitrite. This happened to the tank at my parents house, due to almost a complete lack of water changes.
Note that nitrate levels need to be off the charts for this to happen...somewhere in the 150-200ppm range. If this buildup occurs over the course of several months, the fish will adapt, although its certainly not healthy. It won't however, be the case if we're talking about much lower levels of nitrate, in the 20-40ppm range.
I have had many oscars over the years. I currently have three in my 150. They are in perfect health. There is no cloudy eye, fin problems, or traces of HITH or HLLE.
And Hikari Gold is not good enough in my experience. I only feed and recommend New Life Spectrum. It really is the best thing out there and is a balanced and complete diet. The only thing I would ever feed them is Hikari Bio-Gold+ because it is the only food with live beneficial bacteria that can actually out-compete Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus vortens, the two parasites associated with HITH. I differetiate between HITH and HLLE in that HITH has parasites whereas HLLE does not.
This is a forum. That means when questions come up we all get to give input as to what our experiences support. In my experience you can do 2 oscars in a well maintained 75. Some people can't.
And I don't think silver dollars is a good idea. For one they are schooling, which is generally at least 6. So recommending anything less than that is recommending improper care for at least one species in the tank. And I do not think dither fish are a good idea for aggressive fish like this. It is simply a stressful and unfair life for the silver dollars.
Just because my experience does not agree with you or oscarfish.com does not mean it it any less accurate or any less true.
And Hikari Gold is not good enough in my experience. I only feed and recommend New Life Spectrum. It really is the best thing out there and is a balanced and complete diet. The only thing I would ever feed them is Hikari Bio-Gold+ because it is the only food with live beneficial bacteria that can actually out-compete Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus vortens, the two parasites associated with HITH. I differetiate between HITH and HLLE in that HITH has parasites whereas HLLE does not.
This is a forum. That means when questions come up we all get to give input as to what our experiences support. In my experience you can do 2 oscars in a well maintained 75. Some people can't.
And I don't think silver dollars is a good idea. For one they are schooling, which is generally at least 6. So recommending anything less than that is recommending improper care for at least one species in the tank. And I do not think dither fish are a good idea for aggressive fish like this. It is simply a stressful and unfair life for the silver dollars.
Just because my experience does not agree with you or oscarfish.com does not mean it it any less accurate or any less true.
I keep silver dollars with the cichlids in my 150. I had 6 up until recently when one jumped out, but they do very well. A school of ~5" fish, however, needs the space of a 6' tank to really be able to swim IMO, a 75 or 90 gal just doesn't do it.
I have some spotted silver dollars in the 150 with mine for now. The largest oscar is only about 4-5" though. I do not plan on keeping them together permanently.
The species was also never discussed. I have spotted silver dollars which max out at about 4-5". Someone could just as easily go for another species that hits 9". And a 75 is simply not big enough.
The species was also never discussed. I have spotted silver dollars which max out at about 4-5". Someone could just as easily go for another species that hits 9". And a 75 is simply not big enough.
