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hello again guys i think i used to have an oscar in like a 50 gallon tank but coming back into the hobby i was planning on getting only a 30 gallon. is an oscar okay in a 30 gallon? mabey with a plecostomus. any ways is a 30 gallon to small or do i need to reconsider what type of fish i want. if it is big enough i might want to add a plecostomus in there if you guys think that it will be okay.

Hi,
I suggest you do some reading:

http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=oscarfish

http://www.bbayaquariums.com/oscar-fish.html

Figure that in your post you also want to add a catfish,
include a chunk of driftwood (takes up space and displaces
water making the tank volume smaller) and then you decide.

It would seem that a 55 is the minimum for one.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

okay well i can not really afford a 55 gallon tank right now. so is there mabey a smaller fish with the personality of the oscar because i really enjoyed it a while back. i would sometimes actually have some friends over and make some shrimp for them and then i would hold the shrimp tails over the tank and he would actually jump out of the tank and eat the tails!! my friends always loved to see that....

Hi,
Yes, I understand. I had a pair and the neighborhood
kids would collect all sorts of insects in jars, bring them
over, and dump them in the water, and watch the fish go
nutz over the banquet.

They knew the family members and who was the "easy touch"
for getting more food. They do have great personalities
and are terrific pets. You just have to keep them in a
big enough "pen."

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

yea so you understand what i mean. but the question still stands, is there a smaller fish that has the perosonality or close to the personality of the oscar??

maybe a convict cichlid would be fine in the 30 depending on the demesions on the tank...... Maybe even a fire mouth....

how about a jag,they are a few inches smaller,but would still be messy.if you kept up your water changes i think it could be done.an upgrade to tank size my be a thought for the future

A jag would not be any better than an oscar if not worse. You need to stick with something smaller like blue acaras or convicts. Maybe a trio of electric yellows. Really cool colors there.

okay thankyou. could anyone please give me the link to the profiles of blue acaras, convicts, and electric yellows. please and thankyou.

you vould do a riftlake tank.http://fishprofiles.com/profiles/list.aspx?term=electric+yellow

http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/535.htm

i really like gold gouramis after seeing there profile on here. would they be okay with the electric yellow chichlids in mabey like a 30 gallon? please let me know quickly as i am going to the fish store later today....

i would say no, as they are 2 fish from totally different areas. if you wanted electric yellows go with a community malawi tank.

Jaguar Cichlids smaller than Oscars?
Anyway, there are plenty of fish with good personalities like Oscars, mainly Cichlids, and personally i preffer American Cichlids to African. I wouldnt say Convicts were a good option, they typically just breed and try to bite your fingers off.
Rainbow Cichlids are a good alternative, as are Blue eye/Jade Eye Cichlids. They get to a good size but not too big for a 30g.
Personally i would find some Thorichthys sp. Meeki are always available, the Firemouth Cichlid, and an adult pair of those would do well.
As for plecos, the common gets far too big, perhaps twice the size of the oscar. There are, however, other smaller plecos that will live happily with the meeki. Perhaps Bristlenose or Bulldog plecs would be a good choice. You could actually have a pair of bristlenose that would, probably, eventually spawn, although the firemouths for sure will eat the fry.
Mez

well jaguars do get a few inches smaller than oscars.though i didnt take into account the bioloadall i was thinking about was a smaller fish wioth the same personality of an oscar and that was the first to come to mind.sorry

hey guys i dont know if it was just temorary or if they are cruel or even if it is somewhat able to be done but at the petco i go to everynow and then i see where they sell there oscars and there is probly like 6 of them in a 10 gallon like i said i dont know why they had it like that but i saw the same oscar there for like 2 weeks. i thought that if they were kept in a small tank with each other they would fight and also if they are okay in there wouldnt they be okay in a 30 gallon or so???

well i can explain that. when they are young they are far less territorial. they wont scabble as much. also the pet store has them in a 10G tank 1 because they are not planning on housing them there permanantly, 2 because they are not ful grown, and 3 because they havent became as dominant for there own tank space. i dont think it is really all that cruel as long as they are being purchaces by owners who plan on housing them in appropriate tanks as they should only be there for a short time even if 6 are in a 10G, however that being said i wouldnt even put 1 one inch oscar in a 10G to start because it would just have to be moved to a larger tank. plus i figure id save the troube and just start them in an appropriate sized tank.

people often forget the tanks in petco and petsmart are only to show a fish. these tanks are often connected inline and hooked up to a very large tank in back with large filtration comparable to a pool filter. In short though they only expect to keep the current stock in those tanks for 1-2 weeks not 15 yrs ( life span of a oscar )

well said sin, i kind of got off track and my explaination was a bit long

well jaguars do get a few inches smaller than oscars.though i didnt take into account the bioloadall i was thinking about was a smaller fish wioth the same personality of an oscar and that was the first to come to mind.sorry

actually they don't...male jags are capable of sizes anywhere from 18" to 24" though 2 feet is really pushing the limit. it is possible however. oscars typically will top out at 16" at most. anything larger is very rarely heard of.