African Cichlids or Oscar

L

LGooley

AC Members
Mar 29, 2004
97
0
0
54
Florida
Visit site
I am starting a second tank. It is a 55 gal tank. I was thinking about getting 1 Oscar. I am now thinking maybe African Cichlids. I have an excellent LFS guy. He is always available with great advise. I have the tank set up and am waiting for the temp and pH to stabilize before I start cycling. While I am waiting I was looking for some general opinions on which is better. I am just getting back into this as a hobby and am quickly discovering that I need a bigger home because I want way to many different tanks. Thanks, Letty:)
 
You can keep some interesting africans in a 55... have you seen any that strike your fancy? We could probably give you some stocking ideas if we had a place to start...

Jim
 
I dont really know about the african cichlids but i do have 2 oscars, tiger and a red, that are still about 4in. and i have just gotten a 1in. albino that i put in my 10g cause my tiger is VERY terretorrial, the albinos are really cool when they get older, for the fish that i have i would need a min. of 125g, but thats me, oscars are very entertaining, if you get one then i would go with the albino, get a small one, if you get a big one then it will cost a little more but dont even look at the price, its only like 1-2 bucks more than the others. GOOD LUCK.
 
i would personally do africans. there are so many combinations of fish and color that you can get...

i would someday like to try keeping an oscar because i've heard they are really smart.... but other than that they aren't the prettiest fish to look at :D

it also depends on what you want your tank to look like.... because africans like sand and rocks and eat plants.... and i've heard oscars will rearrange your whole tank and rip up your plants if they dont like it.


but yeah i'd choose africans for sure
:D
 
Oscars are a very fun experience to raise. I had one and it was like having a dog. but it really depends on what you are going for. In a 55 you really would hot have a ton of space to go with decor with an oscar. I know I had only one small pot on the side for my pleco to chill. If you want a tank that is a little less personal, but more action go with the africans. It also might depend on the location of the tank. If it is going to be in your living room, you might lean towards the africans, as they would probably be more appealing to others... it is really all personal preferance.
 
Given the 55 gal, I would definately reccomend the africans over the Oscar, I am an Oscar man all the way, and in the old days I hade them in 55's. IMHO they are better kept in 75-90 gallon tanks, and much more enjoyable that way. I've never kept Africans (my Brother does the african thing), but they are awesome fish, and there is great variety with them.

but other than that they aren't the prettiest fish to look at
Click to expand...
OOOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but to each their own:D :D
 
For a 55g I'd be thinking about having an african cichlid species tank. Should be plenty of room for building structures for the smaller species.
 
Hi,
First, I think the Oscars are beautiful. (By the way bulldogs are beauty babies also) Anyways that being said, I am leaning toward the African cichlids because I think I want more than 1 fish to watch. The tank is in my bedroom. I already have a 72 gallon in the living room. Currently I have crushed coral mixed with gravel in the tank and also 5 rock formations of various sizes. The temp is at 82. I haven't tested the ph yet today. My LFS said that for African cichlids I should run a ph of about 7.8 and a temp of 82. I have seen several small African cichlids I like but I can't remember the names. I will take a walk through the LFS tomorrow and get the names to see what people think. If I remember right the small blue ones I liked were called Kenyi's.
Thanks, Letty:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom