# 40g breeder



## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

I have a 40g breeder with the following equipment:

55/75 quietflow
Natural playsand
real limestone rocks
36"-48" Marineland LED with night setting
Aqueon pro 200w heater
Digital therm to keep an eye on temp
Roughly 400gph aquatop powerhead for movement

My black convicts have already dug our their cave clear to the bottom. (right where I wanted them to) and they have eggs. Should I switch out the aquatop powerhead for a slower circ pump? Anything else I should add to the tank?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Are you concerned that the fry are going to get blown all over the place? Just make sure it's not aimed at the spawning site.

Congrats on the spawn.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

I also added a 2.5" tiger oscar that was getting blown around by the 4xxgph aquatop powerhead so I unplugged it for now. The oscar is hiding behind the filter right now.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

The Oscar is being tormented by the pair. The Cons may kill it. I'd remove him ASAP. A 55 gallon would be a good grow out for the Oscar until around the 5-6" mark. What are your plans for it?


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

I bought the Oscar out of impulse and my uncle said he was going to give me his 6'x2'x20" tank and sump setup. He decided to keep it and hire a local lfs to take care of it. The tiger Oscar is on one side of the 40g breeder with a divider. He seems to just sit on the sand and doesn't look stressed. His color is very dark with yellow/orange stripes along his body. Other than sitting on the sand and not eating he seems okay. If I put my hand to close to him he will start darting all over the place.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

So that your original plans fell through, what do you intend to do?


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> So that your original plans fell through, what do you intend to do?


Either downgrade my circ in the 40g breeder and keep him in there for now, or put him with my electric yellow cichlids in my 55g tank, but I have 2 800gph circ pumps in the 55g. IDK whats up with my convicts. They have eggs in the cave but they both act scared of the tiger oscar. At most the male convict get within 2 inches of him and as soon as the tiger oscar turns towards him he darts away and back into the cave.

Are tiger Oscars lazy fish? He gets up into the stream that my quietflow 55/75 makes and lets it carry him around the tank and he doesn't move while its moving him.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

A MOD can close this thread... Just found the tiger oscar dead.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sorry to hear that. The not eating and laying in the substrate were bad signs.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

wth... I put him in a bag with water so I could take him back to the store and he is alive....

edit: As soon he noticed me in the room he started playing dead again...


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## Kuromaguro (Feb 11, 2014)

Make a divider out of that air diffuser egg crate stuff. Buy at home depot for cheap


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

I returned the oscar for another one and it is just hiding behind the filter. Thr female convict hide there when I first added her. I hope the hydor nano 240 i ordered will work with the oscar and fry.

It looks like the convicts have 50+ fry.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Not sure why you got another Oscar. What are your plans for a home for it? Keeping it with a breeding pair of Cons is a bad idea. Especially in such a small tank. The circ pump is not the issue.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Not sure why you got another Oscar. What are your plans for a home for it? Keeping it with a breeding pair of Cons is a bad idea. Especially in such a small tank. The circ pump is not the issue.


Would it do better in my 55g mbuna tank with 2 800gph circ pumps?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Well what do you plan to house it in a few months when it's 6" long?


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Well what do you plan to house it in a few months when it's 6" long?


It can't stay in the 55g with my yellow labs? From what I was reading a tiger oscar needs 40g min.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Think 75 gallon minimum for 1 Oscar. Bare bones minimum.

6' aquarium end game.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Think 75 gallon minimum for 1 Oscar. Bare bones minimum.
> 
> 6' aquarium end game.


Only him, or him with my electric yellow labs and 800gph pumps?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I personally would not do the labs with the O, but it could be possible. Your Oscar, if properly cared for, can grow 1-1.5" per month until they reach that 9-11" mark at which time growth will slow but certainly continue. Yellow labs can be easy going, but are still mbuna and very rowdy when compared to an Oscar. There are a ton of former posts on here referring to setups for Oscars. Use the search function on the Home page. He may be just a little bugger now, but imagine a fish that can hardly turn around without hitting the glass(55 gallon). They also produce a ton of waste, so plan on stepping up your game on filtration.

If I had a spare 6' tank and had the itch for an Oscar, I'd stock it with a school of smaller growing Silver Dollars(a species that maxes out around 6" or so) and various plecos. That would be about it.

Take a look at the 2) sticky articles at the top of the forum in the South American section. Some good info there.


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## delta5 (Jul 5, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> I personally would not do the labs with the O, but it could be possible. Your Oscar, if properly cared for, can grow 1-1.5" per month until they reach that 9-11" mark at which time growth will slow but certainly continue. Yellow labs can be easy going, but are still mbuna and very rowdy when compared to an Oscar. There are a ton of former posts on here referring to setups for Oscars. Use the search function on the Home page. He may be just a little bugger now, but imagine a fish that can hardly turn around without hitting the glass(55 gallon). They also produce a ton of waste, so plan on stepping up your game on filtration.
> 
> If I had a spare 6' tank and had the itch for an Oscar, I'd stock it with a school of smaller growing Silver Dollars(a species that maxes out around 6" or so) and various plecos. That would be about it.
> 
> Take a look at the 2) sticky articles at the top of the forum in the South American section. Some good info there.


Thanks for your help.


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