New Oscar Tank!

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
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Dec 2, 2003
Messages
841
Ive been planning an Oscar tank for awhile, but couldnt find a good deal on a tank. Well today I decided to check out the selection at our local Petsmart and came across a gorgeous 150G oak tank and stand. They didnt have a price tag, but when I asked the manager said the tank was $250 and the stand was $150. The tank has a tiny chip in one corner, but will still hold water fine. The stand is marked off because it is for that tank. I couldnt believe the deal!

So they are holding the tank and stand until Monday when I get back from vacation. Its going to be a pain getting them home but Im sooooo excited. I havent picked out filters yet, but Im thinking about either two canister filters combined with a sponge filter, or a wet/dry combined with one canister and a sponge.

Im thinking about two, maybe three Oscars. The footprint of the tank isnt quite as much as a 125G, because its a tall tank, so I want to make sure they have room. If I get two Oscars, I might add a few friends eventually too.

Im going to get some river rocks, and driftwood for decoration. The driftwood to line the back of the tank, and the river rocks will go closer to the front. Ive seen a couple tanks where the driftwood was glued to the back, and the Oscars werent able to move it, so Im hoping I can work out the same thing.

Its all going to have to come in stages, but at least I got the project going! Id also love to hear suggestions, and advice from the many Oscar keepers I know hang around here. :D
 

Natemass

Arachnolord
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Sep 16, 2006
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618
awesome find, good luck with it oscars are awesome i wish i still had mine. 11 inches of fury:D
 

Loaf

Arachnosquire
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Aug 3, 2006
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94
I just got a couple of albino oscars, those suckers grow fast!
I heard they are awesome fish to keep as pets. Someone told me he trained them to jumpout of the water to grab thier food, i dont know if that is true or not. You should post pics of your tank when it's done. Mine is still a work in progress. I have a couple plants and some drift wood, but it looks pretty dull!
Good luck!
Sophia
 

pandinus

Arachnoking
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May 14, 2004
Messages
3,088
awesome deal Sky! my oscar died recently so i tore down my 55 and went saltwater, still i miss my oscar very much. best of luck to ya!

John
 

green_bottle_04

Arachnobaron
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Dec 4, 2006
Messages
437
I just got a couple of albino oscars, those suckers grow fast!
I heard they are awesome fish to keep as pets. Someone told me he trained them to jumpout of the water to grab thier food, i dont know if that is true or not. You should post pics of your tank when it's done. Mine is still a work in progress. I have a couple plants and some drift wood, but it looks pretty dull!
Good luck!
Sophia
yes they can indeed jump out and grab their food. i have 2 of them in a 55 gal. tank and they both do it.
 

green_bottle_04

Arachnobaron
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Dec 4, 2006
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437
for filters i have 2 Aqua Clear biological filters rated for up to 75 gal. each. this setup works great for me! :D
 

Rabid Flea

Arachnobaron
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Apr 9, 2005
Messages
467
awesome deal man, lucky, i just picked up 4 infant oscars myself and they are in a temporary 55g. i had a smart streak and went to the flea market here and found a 175g with stand and canopy (still in good shape) for right at 500.00. I cant wait to see them reach their full potential! They really are awesome fish!
 

AneesasMuse

Arachnoangel
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Jul 31, 2006
Messages
838
You will enjoy your "water pups" :D And yep, they will learn tricks and do all sorts of funny little antics... 'specially if the pay off is food in most any form. I had one guy a few years ago that would lay on his side and let me pet him for as long as I wanted... and yet, he was quite a "brawler" with his decorations and stuff. I had to treat him for "fat lip" a couple times. :embarrassed: Make sure the deco is smooth edged and/or safe for cantankerous fishy folks ;)
 

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
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Dec 2, 2003
Messages
841
Looks like no Oscars for me. My boyfriend has had them in the past and absolutely refuses to keep them again. The tank has to go in his house, so thats the end of that.

Instead we are looking at red-belly piranha. Ive been researching all night, but cant seem to find a really good site with definitive care instructions. From what I have gathered, 4 would be good in the 150G tank, always with a possibility of cannibalization. They seem to be ok with aquarium plants, so we are going to do some planting for a more natural tank. (If I can ever figure out the whole substrate thing, lol.) The filter set up and everything else will probably be the same though.

Its going to be awhile before we get any, because I have to get the tank set up with the plants and everything first. I already have a 20G that Im going to set up as a breeding tank for feeders, cause I dont trust any of the local fish shops.

Anyone else here keep piranha?
 

AneesasMuse

Arachnoangel
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Jul 31, 2006
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838
Wow! That's too bad, Tex... sorry.

Have you tried googlin' the Pacu? They are closely related to piranha, if not the same fish you mentioned with a different common name that I am unaware of.

I've always wanted to keep Pacu's, but I can't justify a 400g tank in my place... and my hubby refuses me the 75g Marine set up, so I think it's safe to say I won't be getting any Pacu's. :rolleyes:

Good luck with your set up! :)

Oh yeah... I have a couple plant sites bookmarked some place. I'll come back and edit my post if I can find them again. All my tanks are planted. ;)
 

Loaf

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
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Aug 3, 2006
Messages
94
Sorry to hear about that, why does he refuse to keep them? is he allergic :)
Well, post pics of your piranha (sp?) tank when you get that up and ready, it would be cool to see.
 

joseofsa

Arachnosquire
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Apr 6, 2006
Messages
104
:D i love my oscars! they "protect" my room by trying to attack strangers(anyone but me) who enter my room and if they could leave their tank im sure they would do some damage lol. they are great garbage disposals! i feed them comets and deformed fish with an occasional pellet food to help with nutrient bla bla. just feed the feeders well....... red-belly piranhas hmmmm i was under the impression their care is similar to oscars? geographically they are found in the same waters correct? ldk i would have some but they are too "jumpy" for me. maybe im thinking about pacus? are they the same... jose starts sliping slowly into madness...:wall: runs to find his "big fish book"
jose
 

Crotalus

Arachnoking
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Dec 14, 2002
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Try get some smaller pike cichlids, Crenicichla sp., for example C. regani or C. compressiceps if you are into predatory fish. Or if you are lucky Exodon paradoxus, a smaller schol tetra that likes to eat.
Pacus grows way too large for that tank, and piranhas doesnt do well when you keep them less then 10 (and the tank is too small when they grow up)
Besides, the filtration would cost you alot more then the tank
 

TNeal

Arachnoknight
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Dec 11, 2006
Messages
211
Pirhana vs pacu

Just a quick note. It is true that pacu and piranha are in the same family. They are tetras, just like the beautifull little tetras at every pet shop, cardinals, neon, bronze, ect.

This is where the similarity ends between pacu and piranha. Piranha eat meat, pacu eat vegtable matter. In the wild pacu eats almost exclusivly fruits and nuts. Never feed your pacu a sole diet of meat products. A vegetarians intestines are at least four times longer then that of a meat eater. The reason is vegetation takes a much longer process to be broken down into useable nutrition for the animals. When a high protein food is fed to a vegetarian, the food actually begins to rot in the intestinal tract long before it is fully digested. This causes bloat and other very serious problems that will eventually kill the fish.

I have kept these animals over the past several years. If anyone would like info on their care, please feel to contact me. If you have a way to read back issues of "tropical fish hobbyist", then look for my articles that appeared on this very subject a few years ago.

One more thing. Unless you have a spare 400 - 500 gallon tank hanging around, don't get Pacu as they grow to reach well over 40 pounds. Too many of these beautiful fishes are put to death early because people just dump them when they can't take care of them any longer.

Tom
 

GartenSpinnen

Arachnoprince
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Aug 17, 2005
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Ive kept Oscars they are really cool pets. If you keep an adult and want to see something entertaining, throw a ping pong ball in with it... hours of enjoyment!
 
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