Decisions, Need Help Again!!

[Fishman02]

So, 3 weeks ago i buy a 26 gallon tank and after speaking with everyone on the board I returned it for a 46 gallon bow-front tank. Looks great, but the people on this message board continue to tell me I will need a bigger tank to house some of the larger Cichlids from Central/South America (ie. Oscars, Pacus, etc). My question is, how much more space will a 55 afford me vs a 46 gallon? Everybody seems to tell me even 1 Oscar is too much for a 46g, is a 55g really that much bigger? I need answers as I will return the 46 again for a bigger tank (no larger than 55).

[Mbuniac]

(no larger than a 55).
That's almost impossible to answer without knowing:
1. How many fish?
2. What species?
3. Male & female (gotta consider the fry), or all male.
Maybe you should try to define your eventual goal somewhat. One Oscar would probably be okay in a 55, but you stated,"to house some of the larger central/South American". For example, even a 240 gal. isn't going to be big enough if you overpopulate the tank. LOL
Sam

[Karl]

it depends on what you plan on keepin. A lot of tanksize has to do with the width of the tank for certain size fish. What fish do you really want most and are most interested in? If it is a single large cichlid. How about instead of a 46 or 55 you get a 50gallon wide? It is 36inches long and 18inches wide and i think that will be fine for a single oscar imo.

[Fishman02]

I'm contemplating just going with 6-8 African Mbuna cichlids and a plecostomus. The fish mature around 6' so I hope the 46g is fine.

[aharris]

If you want variety, two trios or two quads would allow you to keep some different colors of fish.