# 75 gallon, Oscar, JD and a Severum?



## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

I originally had an Oscar, a JD, a Buffalo Head and four Silver Dollars (all juveniles) in a 75 gallon tank. I lost the silver dollars and the buffalo head whilst moving house  
Now I have the Oscar (7 inches), JD (5 inches)and I bought a gold severum (about 4 inches), Everyone seems pretty happy so far, I think that's gonna be the stock for the long term future, does that sound manageable?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

> does that sound manageable?


To me, no. I'm not a fan of keeping large growing fish in 4 foot tanks. Another forum member posted a thread some time ago about his Sev outgrowing his 75 gallon tank. And an adult Oscar dwarfs an adult Sev. Try and find a LFS or hobbyist with an adult Sev or Oscar that's 5 or 6 years old, and you'll get an idea how little room there will be in a 75 gallon tank for just these two fish, never mind the JD.


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## Briguy (Aug 10, 2009)

It is manageable. :thumb:


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

Cheers for your opinions guys, I kinda thought it was gonna be a squeeze, I am not opposed to removing fish if there are issues or if it is difficult to keep water parameters good. 
To be honest I am a 'couple of years' kinda guy when it comes to my stock, so I will not have these all the way to the 12-15 inches size.
I can't go longer than 4ft with my tank, and i'm pretty sure lots of people have kept oscars in 4ft tanks with success in the past? What i may do is go upwards, I think you can get 90-120g tanks in 4ft?
jeez! we are a strange bunch aren't we? the moment we get a big tank, (i started out with goldfish in a 1 gallon bowl, i was young and foolish!  ) we suddenly realise we need to go BIGGER again. lol


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

double post


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i agree that this will not work. like others have said, these fish all get large, especially the oscar.

it is my opinion that one of the three may be ok alone in a 75, but choose just one.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Very bad idea. Do just the oscar, or the JD and the Sev.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

They make "standard" 48" x 24" @ 24" tall 120 gals... 48" x 18" @ 30" tall 110 gals... 48" x 18" @ 24" tall 90 gals...

I think it may be a bit of a dice roll to find an Oscar, JD & Sev that will get along (aggression) in a 75 gal... but if they get along I think the filtration (mechanical & biological) should be managable with a typical water change schedule. Although heavily stocked tanks like this will be very unforgiving to missing scheduled maintenance...

The tank will also be very prone to issues so be cautious not to overfeed...

In the end, I think your fish will be "happier" in a bigger tank or with one less fish in the 75 gal... but I don't think you are being 'cruel' keeping them all in there (provided aggression doesn't become an issue)...


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

yeah, i've spent the day thinking about this, and decided I really like the side of the hobby with breeding and observing behaviors, and whatever way i try to make this tank work, i still end up with two big fish swimming around a tank that is just about big enough for them.

i read tropical fish hobbyist magazine every month, and there was an article about putting small fish in big tanks, and the fact you get to see the fish act naturally more often. This interests me, so i've put my 3 fish in the classifieds and i'm gonna try to find good homes for them. i don't wanna trade them at the pet store cos they will just end up in crappy homes, so i will make sure they go to big tank homes and then start a little project to make a new setup.

**** this hobby is addictive and confusing sometimes, as well as a little depressing.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i think thats a great decision


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

thanks, I'm thinking maybe a colony of afras?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Well you'll have to ask in the apprpriate african cichlid section for a proper answer about them.


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

cheers, was less a question about afras, and more a statement of what I was thinking of doing next, with a suggestion of uncertainty. I've had afras before, so I'm good on advice about them. :thumb:


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## planetnicolas (Mar 16, 2010)

Robchester_2000 said:


> Cheers for your opinions guys, I kinda thought it was gonna be a squeeze, I am not opposed to removing fish if there are issues or if it is difficult to keep water parameters good.
> To be honest I am a 'couple of years' kinda guy when it comes to my stock, so I will not have these all the way to the 12-15 inches size.
> I can't go longer than 4ft with my tank, and i'm pretty sure lots of people have kept oscars in 4ft tanks with success in the past? What i may do is go upwards, I think you can get 90-120g tanks in 4ft?
> jeez! we are a strange bunch aren't we? the moment we get a big tank, (i started out with goldfish in a 1 gallon bowl, i was young and foolish!  ) we suddenly realise we need to go BIGGER again. lol


lol I completely agree with u I started out with gold ish in a 10 gal they all died this christmas I got a 37 gal and now I am going to upgrade to a 75 it took me a couple months to decide I needed a bigger tank. I think you might be over stocking the fish may fight and they won't be as colorful as they could be if they had a larger tank. Every one advised me against an Oscar and a jd in 75 gal so adding one more fish would be more unadvisable. If I were you I'd get the jd inthe tank alone add some Rafael cat fish a pleco and if your willing to stick your hand in the tank to feed it a peacock eel. I currently have that and they all get along good luck on our new tank


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## Chicklette (Mar 4, 2010)

I have to say it will be overstocked. Oscars get huge and personally I would only keep the oscar in there. The JD may get pretty aggressive but it may work, you never know with cichlids, there totally unpredictable. But if he does you may need to separate him. If you have ever seen a full grown oscar you will totally understand why they need a large tank. Some even outgrow a 75 gallon tank if they get old enough. Just my personal opinion but itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s up to you.


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

no problem, have sold them now, and now have 4 baby metriaclima callainos, an OB peacock and a baby synodontis decorus in there. It looks very empty!


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## Chicklette (Mar 4, 2010)

Aww, well once they grow it will look full. Im glad your happy. Sorry to have let you down with the centrals but it just would not have worked out that way.


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