# can i add a oscar



## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

Well in my 75g i have 2 JDs (1 male 1 female)I also have 1 firemouth.If i ditch the firemouth can i do this?If not i can get rid of the female JD also but idk.I do weekly 45% w/c and feed tetras cichlid sticks with omega 1 super color 1-2 times a day.Some times i feed blood wormsalso.I would like to keep my JD's but my sis bought 2 oscars for her 55g 1 male,1 female and i might take the male cause is getting bigger 6" and pretty thick to.Also i got to her house every weekend and do a 50% w/c and bought her a emperor 400.What is the best idea??


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

You can take one of the oscars no problem, unless he's overly aggressive...


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

will i have to get rid of any fish?


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I don't think so...


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## scrivz (Dec 2, 2008)

I think the best idea is to get another tank...

Two jacks in a 75g can be done, but only if they like each other, which depends on the individual fish. Are they full grown? With your water change schedule and feeding one of the most notoriously messy foods (though admittedly, fish do love it  ) I would guess your nitrates are already sky high. I'd rehome the FM, see if I could keep the nitrates in check (<20 ppm IMO, but some would say <40 ppm; and remember you need to be able to keep them in check with full-grown fish) with just the two jacks, and get another 55g for the second oscar. A single oscar can be kept in a 55g tank by itself with weekly maintenance (~70-80% WCs) when full grown; if you want to keep two together I'd recommend a six foot tank.

Another option would be to keep one jack and the FM, and rehome one of your jacks and one of your sister's O's--that may be your best option for long-term success. I'm really not trying to rain on your parade, I'm just trying to the prevent future stress of sick fish.

How did you sex the O's? They're pretty tough to sex, especially at a young age.


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

ok i have a pile of rocks that the firemouth can hide in and the JD's love to play in the power head current


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

With 45% water changes weekly I really don't think there's going to be an issue. Jd's are hiders, so are FM's. The oscar will be the only one in the tank that's an open swimmer. I don't think space is an issue at all. I also don't think bioload is an issue either, especially if you're only going to take one of the oscars and you keep up on the excellent maint. Jack lover, you sound like someone who knows how to keep water in check, you also seem like someone who knows what they're getting into with taking in an oscar. With your maint scedual it sounds to me like you'd be just fine. You'd be at the max, but you'd be fine. One thing you could do is to cut your feeding to once a day. Adults don't need fed twice a day, they really should only be fed once every other day. You will waste less food and the water conditions will be tip top and your fish will thank you for it.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

honestly, my fish get fed twice a week, and they are fat as it is.


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## scrivz (Dec 2, 2008)

*gage*, for adult fish that's probably plenty. Growing fish might take a bit more. My nearly full grown fish get fed 4-5x/week, but are probably overfed. They're plenty fat. :lol:

As far as *jack lover*'s tank, I'd be curious to hear what the nitrates in that tank end up being when the fish are full grown with that bioload and maintenance schedule (and the food sticks). I'm betting the tube turns dark red. Above 40 ppm and some fish start to become immuncompromised, which is why I made the recommendation I did. :thumb:


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

So what's it like in your 75 with two whole less fish? You're saying two more fish in the tank will just throw the water conditions out the window eh? C'mon man. That's a little rediculous...

An oscar
2jacks
and a FM

As compared to

an oscar and a male salvini

C'mon... Let's be realistic here...


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## scrivz (Dec 2, 2008)

An oscar and a male sal in a 75g with moderate feedings at 4-5x/week and weekly 80% water changes has worked fine for me so far. Sometimes I have to do back-to-back WCs to zero out the 'trates, but I make it work pretty well. With the maintenance and feeding schedule the OP already has, combined with feeding two of the messier foods on the market (the sticks and bloodworms), I would imagine that his/her 'trates will be significantly higher. If he increases the stocking even more, they'll get even higher, especially if s/he doesn't increase the maintenance schedule.

And this is all assuming adequate filtration, which hasn't even been touched in this thread, with the exception of the emperor on the 55g (which is not sufficient filtration for a two oscar tank if it is running alone).

Yes, it's only two fish different, but we're not talking tetras here; these will probably be 6-10 inch bulky cichlids when full grown. Could it be done and still maintain acceptable water parameters? Sure, with a very strict feeding schedule and frequent, heavy duty maintenance. Is the chance that someone asking about stocking on an internet forum is the type of person that will adhere to such schedules? I wish I could say yes, but I doubt it.

I think I'm being plenty realistic and not the least bit ridiculous. If not, I'm sure you'll let me know. :thumb:


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

Well my sis cant get another tank and since she is moving back in after college so i will have to do like 80% full grown for the female oscar in the 55g??That is managable and in the 75g they havent been fed for a while lol and the male is 5.5" female 4.75 and the female firemouth is 4.50".They should be fine what is the finall tally?I will do a 3 times a week feeding so ya


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

Then to add to that i am going to try my new 55g as a saltwater tank :wink:


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## Izzydawg (Jan 4, 2008)

I have 3 oscars, a plec, and 2 siamese algea eaters in my 108 and they do fine together aggression wise, and water wise. BUT I'm on top of water changes.
I haven't lost any fish in that tank, and they are very healthy.

I'd be more worried about aggression than water with changes like that. 
Sometimes the fish are laid back and it's all good, works with mine. As long as they have a place to hide if they feel the need, and a 75 is nice footprint size.

Salt water ...that'll be a change. I haven't tried it, looks cool tho


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

ok so i have a filter rated for 390 GPH is that good?I am going to pick up a fluval 205 for 40$ and will add that will that be good also?


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## scrivz (Dec 2, 2008)

If it's a canister filter then yes, that's good. Out of curiosity, what kind of filter is it? Adding more filtration doesn't hurt either, in case an impeller breaks or somthing. A fluval 205 is fine as an accessory filter on that tank, but with a flow rate of 110 gph you definitely wouldn't want it running alone on a 75g. I think fluval rates it as sufficient for a 40g tank but that's a pretty generous estimate IMO (as a lone filter I wouldn't use it on anything bigger than a 29g).

If it's a HOB (hang on back) filter, you may want to step up the filtration. A 390 gph HOB with a fluval 205 would probably work for a while, but when the fish are full grown it would be cutting it close (and maybe not work--only way to know for sure is to test for ammo and 'trites, and if they're not at zero you may need to up the filtration or downgrade the stocking) for a tank that heavily stocked.

My disclaimer here is that I'm a bit of a filtration nut. I've got excess filtration on all my tanks simply because it allows me a bit more flex room should something go wrong, like a broken impeller, power outage, etc. For example, my 75g is filtered with a rena xp3, a marineland c-360, an emperor 400, and two good-sized sponge filters ATM. Either the xp3 or the c-360 standing alone would be sufficient filtration for the entire tank, but the second canister is a nice backup, the emperor helps with oxygenation and is more accessible should I ever need to use carbon to remove meds, and the seeded sponge filters are critical in a prolonged power outage (which seems to happen at least once a year here). My setup may be a bit overkill, but I've never lost a fish to a power outage or a broken filter. :thumb:


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

a 250 is 180 GPH by the way :wink: and a will add more filters


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## scrivz (Dec 2, 2008)

My apologies, I must have been thinking of the 105 model which I believe is in the 110-120 range. Good thing you're on the ball. :wink:


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

ya i am going to get it tonight for 40$


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

well i might get a albino or lutino oscar and have it in QT for about 5 weeks then move it when i get my labs out lol


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

i might go and grab a albino oscar


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