EMERGENCY!

well, the pH is okay. but what you need to worry about is the ammonia(NH3) and the nitrItes(No2). NitrAtes will come into play later.
You are using the filter he gave you, so that should boost the cycle. If you are using the gravel he gave you, that should also boost the cycle a good amount. Someone else should chime in about how quickly this will cycle the tank.
You should keep ammonia under .25. This may mean many water changes. Once the ammonia has disappeared as well as the nitrites(which should also be kept near 0), nitrates will come into play. Nitrates arent harmful or stressful to the fish in small amounts. Try to keep it under 20ppm.
Check out the cycling articles here in Aquaria Central, or just google it.

Oscars need a temperature of about 75-80. Somewhere in the middle is best.

I dont know, just research a bunch and good luck.
 
:confused: Well eating is usually a good sign. Ph is good as long as it is stable approx. 6.8/7.2 Neutral is best but not critical like ammonia & nitrite which can kill very quickly! Nitrate takes a bit longer but can also kill! (testing for all 3 is a must!!) You might wanna buy a 'quality' pellet & some wafers (spirulina / algae) while you're shopping. Worms are ok, but they need more balanced diet. An additional filter will work wonders ('hob' or 'can') if it's in your budget while you're deciding on future housing for 2 of your 3 guests. (55g good for only 1 'O' to thrive) As well as a 'quality' heater to maintain somewhat of a consistent temp. W/C's are gonna be your best friend & frequency / amount will be dictated by your test readings. Good luck, "T"
 
2nd Day:

Ammonia: .25-.50
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0

pH of tap water: 8.8 :(

Fish seem to be doing well.
Except that my Albino Tiger Oscar has two holes in it's head.

Do not know the sex of any of them.

Feeding
Hikari Chchlid Staple(Oscars do not like the floating food)
TOP FIN Algae Thins(Have not seen the Pleco eat any)
 
Ok a few things, now that you have some test kits and the fish seem to be settled:

A 55 is nowhere near big enough for those 3 fish now, never mind when they all reach adult size, so you may want to start considering options there.

Hole-in-the-head (HITH) is an interesting disease. I have yet to see anything solid that indicates an exact cause (parasites, bacteria, etc) but its pretty generally accepted that it results from long-term exposure to poor water quality. This goes back to my point above - with that much fish in a tank, the nitrate levels will reach toxic levels in a matter of days, rather than weeks or months in an appropriately stocked tank.

While you're cycling the tank, be prepared to do water changes daily to keep parameters somewhat low for the fish; but at the same time, you may have to start thinking about upgrading the tank or rehoming the fish long-term.
 
I agree with what everyone else has posted but would like to also say that the pleco will need a peice of bog wood in the tank, they eat it to help with their digestive system. Pleco's also need a varied diet including vegetables and carnivorus foods.

The 55g tank is way to small and under filterd for those fish, they will need a 100g+ tank with a lot more filteration.
 
be careful of feeding the oscars meat. while earthworms and fish (like the fish you would eat, not feeder fish) are safe, fish have a hard time digesting the kind of fat found in beef, pork, and chicken. beef heart is okay as a treat though, as it is very very lean - almost no fat.
 
while feeder fish seem like a natural choice, the truth is they're pretty crappy. since they are born and bred to be feeder fish, they are not meant to last very long - and treated as such. they are usually infested with parasites and/or bacteria - and the breeders and stores just think," so what? they're going to die anyway". they can potentially make your 'pet' fish very sick.

goldfish as a rule are very fatty, kinda like giving your oscar twinkies and oreos instead of real food. goldfish and rosy red minnows also contain a chemical (thiaminase) that makes it very difficult for your fish to absorb Vitamin B (thiamin). A lack of vitamin B leads to skin/scale problems, issues with muscle and skeletal development, and a bad immune system.

if you choose to breed guppies, mollies, or convicts as feeders for your oscar, go right ahead. as long as your fish are healthy, then your oscar will not get sick from them. alternately, you can choose to quarantine the cheapo feeder guppies for 3-4 weeks to makes sure they are safe, but you'd be surprised at how many don't even make it that long.
 
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