first time (kinda) ciclid owner

[Bullhead]

Hi all, I need a little advice for a rookie :D . First, lemme explain the title...hehe....My former roommate had a 29G tank that had 1 large albino oscar (dunno what specific type, it was light orange to white), app. 6-7" long, 2-3 small/med. afr. ciclids, a black convict, and a white convict. These were all bought at local pet store (usually petsmart, petland, or pet supermarket), and actually all did well (the oscar would periodically beat up on the black convict). All in all, knowing what I know now, that tank was outta control :( , too many fish, mixed species, no ph monitor, rare water changes (it was his tank).

Ok, now, to my present prob. I have a 20L tank that used to be my turtle tank, but they got upgraded to a bigger 30L that's perfect for 'em. So I wanted to set up this 20L with some cilids, cuz I love the aggressive nature of 'em. I'd like to get an Oscar, and one or two cilids, a pleco (to clean), and that's probl. it, unless I can support more in the tank. I saw some albino tiger oscars at the pet store a little while back, and badly want one, they looked awesome. I know oscars get big, but hope to be able to buy a larger tank when the oscar gets too large for this one.

Some questions:
1. How do I measure the Ph? :oops:
2. What cilids will go best with the oscar?
3. I read in someone's post about using limestone for the large rocks in the tank to provide both cover and ph, I like the idea, any cons to doing this?
4. I would like for them to sustain almost purely on feeder fish, mostly guppies, with some goldfish "treats". Is this ok?
5. What is optimal water temp, and what are limits (lower/upper) for an oscar and ciclids?

The tank is a 20L Perfecto (if I recall, bought it awhile ago), pump is a marineland Magnum 220, and I have one air pump pushing out alot of bubbles through a large airstone under a decorative skull :D.

TIA for the help!

[aharris]

1. To measure pH you buy a test kit. It's like a mini in home chem lab. Tetra offers one that has pH, nitrate, nitrite, gH, etc in it for about $20. You can buy that at just about any place that carries fish from Wal-Mart on up the chain. Also some stores like PetsMart will test water for free if you take them a sample, but having your own kit is probably the best way to go.

2. That question would be one best asked in the American Cichlid forum, but based on your tank size, even though oscars can be kept with others, I would advise you against adding any other fish even if you do get a larger tank later on. One oscar fills a 55g by himself.

3. You wouldn't want limestone for your oscar because oscars aren't hard water fish. Limestone rock is mainly for African and Central American cichlids that need high pHs. Oscars don't need that.

4. You also don't want to sustain him solely on feeder fish. Oscars need a balanced diet. I would give him a staple of something like Hikari pellet, and use the feeders for treats. Although, if you really want to have feeders, you will want to raise them yourself. Store-bought feeders are often diseased and or infested with parasites. Your oscar can and will pick these up from his meals. I'd say stick with the pellet until oscar moves into his 55g, adn then move a pair of convicts into the 20L to create feeders for oscar. Until then, treat oscar with frozen foods like krill, bloodworms, beefheart, etc. If he gets large enough, maybe you could buy some nightcrawlers for him too.

5. Oscars are cichlids btw, and like most tropical fish, a temp anywhere between 75-80 should be fine.

One last thing, you may want to think your oscar thing through before you buy the little guy. Oscars grow extremely fast when given good living conditions, so that larger tank may not be as far down the road as you think. Anyhow, a web search with the key word of oscar, or even a site search here with that keyword ought to yield up some pretty good knowledge to fill in what you may be missing.

Here's a link you may want to check out:

http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=29

This is a checklist for owning an oscar and I can pretty much guarantee that it will be the same stuff most anyone here will tell you too.

[jonah]

Excellent advice aharris.

[Bullhead]

thanks for the info.....ok, assuming I give up on having an oscar for now <weeps>, how many, and what type of cichlids would be best for a 20L ? Also, I forgot to mention I intend to add a sm-med. pleco for cleanup duty.....

[aharris]

Either Tanganyikan shell dwellers or South American dwarf cichlids like rams or any of the Apistogramma species or some of the West African riverine cihclids like kribensis would work out. And like I mentioned above, you could keep a pair of convict cichlids in there.

[jonah]

20g is really going to limit what you can have. Kribs or shell dwellers would be good Africans cichlids. Convicts, or rams or apistogrammas would be good choices from the Americas. If you get a pleco, avoid the regular ones that get over a foot long. I'd get something smaller like a bushy nose or a rubber lip.

Please note the "or" between each cichlid mentioned. The convicts would probably be the closest in personality to an oscar. If you find out what your water's pH is, it would be easier to make a recommendation.

[usafschue]

but whats most important is that when you do make your choice and start your journey into madness (fishkeeping) :D , just have fun!!!