Filtration on 55gal with 1 Oscar

O

Opie-IN

AC Members
Nov 21, 2005
10
0
0
Indiana
First I need to start by saying this....... YES, I know that my oscar may outgrow the 55gal within the next year and if he ends up over 10" or so I will probably buy him the 75gal so he is comfortable.

Right now he is about 4" long and healthy. The water is clear and not any problems so far in the tank.

I am running a penguin 170 and a penguin 330 on 55gal. between the two its turning the water over almost 10x an hour with 3 separate bio-wheels spinning. I think its plenty now, but do you think thats enough water movement and filtration to keep him happy when he starts getting 8-9"? I was considering getting rid of the 170 and adding an emperor 400 in its place. What do you think?

I have thrown around the idea of adding a pleco to the tank, if I added the Emporer 400 with weekly water changes do you think I could pull it off?

BTW if the Oscar does not top 10" I think I will keep him in the 55gal indefinitly.

Thanks.
 
IMO you're off to a great start. Many people keep O's and have them in a lot smaller tanks!
That Oscar though is more than likely going to reach more than 10 inches, especially if you're keeping up with your weekly water changes and providing a varied diet. IMHO if he does reach 10 inches and grows no more than that, a 55gal would still be pretty crowded as far as moving around goes. I'm sure you realize this, but 55gallons are only 12 inches wide, so he wouldn't have much room to turn around in. Also if you would really like to get the Pleco then I would highly recommend upgrading to a 75 as Pleco's can reach in excess of 2 feet at times...you're looking at at least a 1 foot fish here as well and not to mention they are poop machines! :D
Definitely get the Emperor 400! They are great filters and for the fish you have and are thinking of getting, it would benefit everyone :thm:
 
a healthy oscar should grow to 12-13 inches and needs 75 gallons in order to thrive. a 55 doesn't afford sufficient room for a 13 inch fish to turn around without folding its body ... this causes stress. stress causes disease and premature death. oscars can live for 15 years ... yours will not do so in a 55 gallon tank.

discussing whether the fish will grow to it's maximum size is indicative of potentially poor husbandry. rather, you should be talking about how to maximize this fish's potential by stressing the proper tank for a 13 inch fish, not how small you can 'get away with'.
 
I thought I covered getting a bigger tank in my first sentence. This question I asked was about the filtratration needs of my 55gal up until that point.

Thanks Candycat, I think I will go ahead and get the extra filter.
 
What are your ammonia,nitrite and nitrate readings with the filters your running now? If they're ok I wouldn't get a new filter because you'll be getting a bigger tank soon anyway. Just keep testing, if you need to you can do bi-weekly water changes of 50% till you get the bigger tank. I would do the same thing to get a bigger tank, buy the fish first let my wife fall in love with it then tell her I make a mistake so I need a bigger tank or it would die. But can't use that excuse any more since she wised up to it.
 
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