wow Petsmart...

I was told by one rocket scientist at my local PetSmart that cichlids should only ever be kept with other cichlids...they simply can't be kept with anything else!

When I told him I've been keeping fish 30 years and cichlids 25 of those and that it wasn't simply true, he told me I was wrong and his time working at that PetSmart (less than a year - the store is new) was more relevant.

Eric
 
In a perfect world, no one would be asking for advice at petsmart or any petstore in the first place. Research first then go shopping. I hear about how bad the advice is all the time at these stores and if its that bad, why do all of us "experienced aquarists" go ask them questions?

If you don't know, some of this "bad advice", can be used as rough guide lines. Like the "cichlids can't be kept with anything other than cichlids" comment. Look at the petsmart stock- not many of their non-cichlids can be kept happily with their cichlids. We of course know that there are fish that can be kept with cichlids, but to a first timer, mixing cichlids with community fish is a disaster waiting to happen.

I do think that some of their labels at these big chain stores need to be changed or revamped (like pacus maxing out at 12" or something like that), but other than that they have a bunch of books you could buy/read so you don't have to listen to one persons opinion (like mine:) ).
 
Jayhawk said:
I was told by one rocket scientist at my local PetSmart that cichlids should only ever be kept with other cichlids...they simply can't be kept with anything else!
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ive heard worse..........

once at petmsart i "tested" one of the employess by asking how many pacus i could fit into a 20 gallon.

he said 3 maximum, but only if i added aquarium salt regularly to prevent disease.:eek:
 
legendaryfrog said:
ive heard worse..........

once at petmsart i "tested" one of the employess by asking how many pacus i could fit into a 20 gallon.

he said 3 maximum, but only if i added aquarium salt regularly to prevent disease.:eek:
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Well, if you use enough salt he might be right...:sim:

Eric
 
Hound said:
Heh, I guess once they are fully brined they shouldn't get any larger? What's with Petsmart pushing aquarium salts lately anyway? I'm hearing that advice way too often in their stores.
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last time i was there they were reccomending it for every single species.
 
wataugachicken said:
a 55 is only 12" wide, oscars get 14" long. . .

it can only be a temporary home.
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It all depends on where you get your 55gal from. glasscages.com has some nice 55gal tanks that are a might bit wider. Main thing your gonna want is width for sure....acrylic would be the best bet if you did order from glasscages.com which i do recommend, have ordered some tanks from them and they are superb. You could do their 50gal long:
50 Gal. Long48 x 18 x 13 $110
Or do their 50 gal wide:
50 gal. wide36 x 24 x 13 $160

Both would be plenty large enough for a SINGLE oscar for life. Provided that water changes are done routinely and faithfully, as well as some great filtration.



Start saving up your money now bro, because your gonna love your oscar so much that you will want to get more, and that WILL require a larger tank. So you could save up now and get a 100gal...save you the trouble, or get two 55gals...haha...
 
Jayhawk said:
Maybe they bought stock in an aquarium salt company?
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the only use its got is to throw and hit with a baseball bat after it get all hard and blocky.


back on topic

a 75 gallon is a minimum not only because of space requiremnts but because of water quality issues. a 75 gallon has much more volume than a 55 gallon, thus granting more stability. oscars are one of the messiest fish available next to common plecos, pacu, and goldfish.
 
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