After seeing all the poor conditions these fish are kept in on this site,( one being a 15 inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank!!) i have to say its a PLEASURE and a joy to see such a wonderful oscar set up! at last! someone with some common sence and an understanding of the needs and requirements of these awesome animals! :-)
Awesome performance - with fine filter wool I need to replace the wool weekly, however if you leave it with just sponges, I only have to do maintenance once a month. Had it for a few years now, and will soon need to replace the purge valve, but apart from that I have only had to replace one "O" ring where the pipes join - at about $2 it has performed real well.
What a fantastic tank you have there. Truly a thing of beauty. Ignore all the negative comments. I can see you have put so much effort in this set up. Much like me with mine.
dennis crawford It is actually quite easy once you understand the basics of aquarium filtration (bacterial, particulate etc) As long as you have three stages, I have always found it has worked well. 1st stage is course particular filter (to get rid of big solids), it is important that this be easy to access as it is what needs changing / cleaning most regularly. 2nd stage is bacterial which is pretty much anything with lots of surface area for bacteria to grow on (this pretty much never gets disturbed) 3rd stage is fine filtration - to pull out all the fine particulates and get the crystal clear water!
@TheOtherMaximus Thanks! The sump / overflow works really well in that it turns over a lot of water, i find that the sand, combined with good flow from the return means that nothing settles on the substrate (it stays in suspension until it is picked up overflow). The exception is under the rocks etc, but I clean under there every few weeks (only ever a little under there the bottom fish probably help to stir this You wouldnt have the same effect with gravel though (you would need to vacum)
Hey, great great set-up. Like how most you've got it laid out with some interesting features. I gotta think fish get bored if you keep them in a bare tank. You show unusual restraint. Most people with this much tank would have three times as much fish/inches as you do. You have a lot of extra carrying capacity which ensures your fish are healthy. You might wish to add a Uaru or two, if the fish could tolerate another tankmate. Uaru have that same South American cichlid shape.
@darphinparis, is helps a LOT. Particularly in keeping nitrates down with the plants growing in the sump. Is also nice to have the extra waterflow and filtration without much maintenance at all - sumps are great for that
@robdhands I find that the more filtration the better - sump is awesome for lots of other things (plants etc), the fx5 i find helps pull out particles and keeps the water crystal clear
@dbgoobscooper thanks for the reply! But I already got some fish. The tank is 6 ft, and 125 gallons. I have 2 Oscars, 1 Green Terror, 1 Senegal Bichr, and 1 Sailfin Pleco. It will have a 29 gallon sump/refugium with a 1200 gph pump/overflow attached. In other words, I will have some nice water :)
+Ron Mura It is all about having just enough flow moving through the tank, with enough flow it keeps the dirts suspended for long enough for it to be caught in the filter. Any thats left over I just hold the syphon hose just above the sand and it sucks up the dirt but not the sand.
Maybe try putting some finer filter material in your filters? In both the sump and the FX% I have large amounts of filter wool to pull out even the finest particles.
With the decnet flow in the tank nothing really seems to settle on the sand. Every few months though I do run my hand through the sand to stir up anything and make sure gunk isnt being collected
@xDAVMANx The refugium just helps keep nitrates more stable. Plants grow REALLY quickly and i just cut them back about once a month. Is all about nutrient export, whereas in marine is more of a place to let pod etc grow.
is Tahitian Moon sand a soft substrate, or will it abrade burrowing fish like fire eels? so is it just as fine as any other sand, or are the particles larger and sharper? Where did you get it from as well, your tanks has been the inspiration for my new tank as i really like the sand, but am not sure if it is appropriate. Thanks
@db oh ok im just now wanting to get started with the aquarium hobby and was looking at black sands that's how I found ur video but im not planning on doing anything bigger than this 60 gallon I got otherwise I would definitely grab some oscars! Im thinking bout doing a peacock colony! Anyway thanks for the info! Great tank!
Nice tank! I have an Oscar in a 90 gal plain (no decor, but one fake plant, and a peice of wood), sand bottem magnum 350 filtered tank. With a pleco. That's it, very simple. And I do have a power head pushing water around for a current. My question is, how the **** do you keep the dirty Oscar from having poo and stuff built up to the point it's cyclones around the tank? Even after cleaning!! I'd have to clean out the everyday to keep it clean! The filter works great, the power head moves stuff
@jdanielstr As below - is all about the high quality filtration (both mechanical and chemical) I also find that having purigen in the sump keeps the water very polished. Apart from filtration I do about a 200L water change every week.
@Francheska7778 Which little fish?!! Nice tank btw man! loving the sand! Do you have your FX tubing very tight? Or let it dangle down a bit? I dont want to cut it too tight yet or should i?
@urbanangelsince87, I wouldnt be too worried. Oscars have a rep for eating fish smaller than them, but some fish (no matter how small ) they dont seem to bother. The BGK for me is one of these fish. He cruises wherever he likes and the others dont mind - even if they fiercely defend their terretory against others in the tank. I wouldnt worry too much - however with Oscars anything is possible!
hey , nice pair of oscar u hav got there.....btw i would like to know whether the oscars wer colorfull when they wer young... p.s.- u hav an awsome lookin tank
@Razer1263 It is a little more courser (and sharper) than normal sand, not so bad as some that I have seen though - may damage burrowing species, but not sure how much
@cwolter7887 Cheers. I agree that if you want to keep these sort of fish you really need to have the proper tank and equipment. It repays itself in some awesome looking fish (Oscars that have been treated tend to look ugly imo, with pushed in heads as well as scars from HITH)
@mgsg50 No I'm sure petstore chains don't keep them segregated but I happen to work at a locally owned Aquarium in Australia and I can tell you that we 100% have Electric yellows and blues separated from regular soft neutral water species, and to be even more on point we even separate all our riftlake cichlids into their own tanks according to lake. For example Tropheus and Frontosa from lake Tanganyika live in even harder water with higher PH than some of the other Riftlake's.
@scarhbar23 What size tank? I wouldnt go more than one O on anything less than a 6'. Even with a 6' will really depend on the personality of the fish, some get along really well others just battle regardless. Severum - yes Silver dollars - fine (as long as large enough not to fit in mouth) Pictus catfish - cool, although again may end up as Oscar food if not large enough
Thanks for all the comments guys Over the last few years I have been updating this tank in both aquascaping and the fish that I have been keeping. I now have the same 2 Oscar fish, the green severum and the black ghost knife but have now got heaps (30+) clown loaches and three gold severums instead of the africans and other misc fish.
@lolnikepg I only put decently sized other cichlids / fish in with them. I guess i got lucky in lots of respects, but I have found that oscars dont seem to bother certain fish (sevs, clown loaches etc)
@420TRex as someone who has invested a lot of money in fish, i will say that just because you read on a website that certain fish MUST have certain water conditions, do you think that pet stores keep the african cichlids in different water than the regular tropicals? my africans adapted quite well to the water in my oscar tank which is not as hard. and might i say they have flourished. the interests of the fish are very much in mind.
@dbgoobscooper I use double the recommended filtration for my oscars, as well as (not sure if its reccomended but mine are healthy) 1/6 of the tank water changes daily. Have a big pleco and my water is crystal clear. Hope it helps
Hi, are those african cichlids mixed with south american cichlids? I have never kept an african and was wondering if they do well together? Your tank is looking good!
***** Lots of people dont recommend it - but I have found that provided you know your fish (for compatibility) and keep your water faily neutral then I have had great success. Proof is in the result as they say
what would make this tank sick would be to get rid of the black sand and put a white more natural looking sand with some pebbles , and just do driftwood no fake plants, belive me this would look much better but i still like the tank , background looks awesome.
@420TRex I disagree. I (and family members of mine) have kept fish for a long time - and have never seen any evidence that african / american cichlids are happier / healthier / live longer when you customise the water parameters exactly to their natural environment. What is good for fish is stability - if you keep the water parameters stable, fish will adapt and thrive.
i have watched hundreds of videos on fish tanks trying to get a idea of what i want and this is by far my favorite not to crowded but more than 3 fish
After seeing all the poor conditions these fish are kept in on this site,( one being a 15 inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank!!) i have to say its a PLEASURE and a joy to see such a wonderful oscar set up! at last! someone with some common sence and an understanding of the needs and requirements of these awesome animals! :-)
Wow I love how this tank is setup! Usually tanks with oscars have dirty water and are boring but not yours!! Love it =)
Stunning......I think you're qualified to be an electrician and a plumber at the same time....good work and keep it up.
nice work. its good to see someone keeping oscars in a tank that is not too small for them
The filtration is a complete win. A Fluval FX5 and a sump.
That tank is in really good condition best tank i saw so far
Thanx for all the answers guys! I went and got one for my community cichlid tank!
Awesome performance - with fine filter wool I need to replace the wool weekly, however if you leave it with just sponges, I only have to do maintenance once a month. Had it for a few years now, and will soon need to replace the purge valve, but apart from that I have only had to replace one "O" ring where the pipes join - at about $2 it has performed real well.
What a fantastic tank you have there. Truly a thing of beauty. Ignore all the negative comments. I can see you have put so much effort in this set up. Much like me with mine.
what the fuck africans with americans just wrong diffent water needs not fair on the fish
Gorgeous Oscars with those perfect oval shape and colors! Love them.
Yea must see an update for sure. Post one asap. Would love to see the Oscars
I think its cool that you know how to build your own filtration.
dennis crawford It is actually quite easy once you understand the basics of aquarium filtration (bacterial, particulate etc) As long as you have three stages, I have always found it has worked well. 1st stage is course particular filter (to get rid of big solids), it is important that this be easy to access as it is what needs changing / cleaning most regularly. 2nd stage is bacterial which is pretty much anything with lots of surface area for bacteria to grow on (this pretty much never gets disturbed) 3rd stage is fine filtration - to pull out all the fine particulates and get the crystal clear water!
Great work on the filtration
Yes it is. They roll and fold fairly well, so shouldn't bee too much of an issue
@TheOtherMaximus Thanks! The sump / overflow works really well in that it turns over a lot of water, i find that the sand, combined with good flow from the return means that nothing settles on the substrate (it stays in suspension until it is picked up overflow). The exception is under the rocks etc, but I clean under there every few weeks (only ever a little under there the bottom fish probably help to stir this
You wouldnt have the same effect with gravel though (you would need to vacum)
In Australia juvenile Oscars generally cost around the same - $20 (but at the moment $1AU is about $1.05 US)
Thanks - health of the fish is always the priority for me
Hey, great great set-up. Like how most you've got it laid out with some interesting features. I gotta think fish get bored if you keep them in a bare tank.
You show unusual restraint. Most people with this much tank would have three times as much fish/inches as you do. You have a lot of extra carrying capacity which ensures your fish are healthy.
You might wish to add a Uaru or two, if the fish could tolerate another tankmate. Uaru have that same South American cichlid shape.
Sick filtration set up
@darphinparis, is helps a LOT. Particularly in keeping nitrates down with the plants growing in the sump. Is also nice to have the extra waterflow and filtration without much maintenance at all - sumps are great for that
I love that 3d back ground bro. Looks sick
@robdhands I find that the more filtration the better - sump is awesome for lots of other things (plants etc), the fx5 i find helps pull out particles and keeps the water crystal clear
@dbgoobscooper thanks for the reply! But I already got some fish. The tank is 6 ft, and 125 gallons. I have 2 Oscars, 1 Green Terror, 1 Senegal Bichr, and 1 Sailfin Pleco. It will have a 29 gallon sump/refugium with a 1200 gph pump/overflow attached. In other words, I will have some nice water :)
BEAUTIFUL TANK! everyone tells me icant have Oscars with other fish in tank... whats your secret???
They are literally called spray bars - I got mine from a LFS, but they are available through aquarium retailers online
Nice.....your lil Blue one is SICK....
Awesome Tank
Black Tahitian Moon sand - is reasonably difficult to get, but is actually a black sand (not dyed) so it wont leach anything
+Ron Mura It is all about having just enough flow moving through the tank, with enough flow it keeps the dirts suspended for long enough for it to be caught in the filter. Any thats left over I just hold the syphon hose just above the sand and it sucks up the dirt but not the sand.
How do you keep your sand so clean? I had white sand and I couldn't clean it because the sand would go into the syphon tube.
Lol, I wish. I had to build the cabinet myself and save for the fx5 for a while!
beautiful tank and fish..
Maybe try putting some finer filter material in your filters? In both the sump and the FX% I have large amounts of filter wool to pull out even the finest particles.
With the decnet flow in the tank nothing really seems to settle on the sand. Every few months though I do run my hand through the sand to stir up anything and make sure gunk isnt being collected
mind blowing tank you have.. i loved it so much
@xDAVMANx The refugium just helps keep nitrates more stable. Plants grow REALLY quickly and i just cut them back about once a month. Is all about nutrient export, whereas in marine is more of a place to let pod etc grow.
is Tahitian Moon sand a soft substrate, or will it abrade burrowing fish like fire eels? so is it just as fine as any other sand, or are the particles larger and sharper? Where did you get it from as well, your tanks has been the inspiration for my new tank as i really like the sand, but am not sure if it is appropriate. Thanks
Very nice gold severum.
@db oh ok im just now wanting to get started with the aquarium hobby and was looking at black sands that's how I found ur video but im not planning on doing anything bigger than this 60 gallon I got otherwise I would definitely grab some oscars! Im thinking bout doing a peacock colony! Anyway thanks for the info! Great tank!
Beautiful fish man, where did you get that background at?
@crow4eva What sort of media do you have in your fx5? - put some fine polishing pads in - that should sort out things quick!
beautiful fish and set up
@crow4eva What sort of media do you have in your fx5 - put some fine polishing pads in - that should sort out things quick!
It has a weir (unlike an overflow box is built inside the tank). You can see it at 23 seconds - I would be nervous relying on a box outside the tank!
Nice tank! I have an Oscar in a 90 gal plain (no decor, but one fake plant, and a peice of wood), sand bottem magnum 350 filtered tank. With a pleco. That's it, very simple. And I do have a power head pushing water around for a current. My question is, how the **** do you keep the dirty Oscar from having poo and stuff built up to the point it's cyclones around the tank? Even after cleaning!! I'd have to clean out the everyday to keep it clean! The filter works great, the power head moves stuff
Nice setup!
Amazing tank. I was wondering how well the sump/overflow works. Im just curious if it leaves any waste on the bottom you have to vacum.
-Thanks
I love your tank set up😍
@jdanielstr
As below - is all about the high quality filtration (both mechanical and chemical)
I also find that having purigen in the sump keeps the water very polished. Apart from filtration I do about a 200L water change every week.
Beautiful Tank!
@Francheska7778 Which little fish?!! Nice tank btw man! loving the sand!
Do you have your FX tubing very tight? Or let it dangle down a bit? I dont want to cut it too tight yet or should i?
Yo nice damn tank love the fish mix and no aggression that I see. Did you have to rinse that black sand alot?
Cheers.
Just loads of mechanical filtration with fine filter pads.
@urbanangelsince87, I wouldnt be too worried. Oscars have a rep for eating fish smaller than them, but some fish (no matter how small ) they dont seem to bother. The BGK for me is one of these fish. He cruises wherever he likes and the others dont mind - even if they fiercely defend their terretory against others in the tank. I wouldnt worry too much - however with Oscars anything is possible!
verry nice tank but i was wondering how hard is it to clean the sand i assume u use a siphon, how do u use it
AWESOME tank! Just curious...What plant do you have growing in the sump? Also, what do you do to make the spraybar in the sump spin?
@combatthug
The tank is 6' x 2' x 2'
The sump is 3' long and about 1.5' high and wide.
hey , nice pair of oscar u hav got there.....btw i would like to know whether the oscars wer colorfull when they wer young...
p.s.- u hav an awsome lookin tank
Amazing tank, beautiful!
nice set up
i have just brought an fx5 for my 6ft tank and im getting osars, why have a sump filter aswell? the fx5 is a hell of a filter
@Razer1263 It is a little more courser (and sharper) than normal sand, not so bad as some that I have seen though - may damage burrowing species, but not sure how much
Nice looking tank. very clean. gettin oscars on tuesday :D
@cwolter7887 Cheers. I agree that if you want to keep these sort of fish you really need to have the proper tank and equipment. It repays itself in some awesome looking fish (Oscars that have been treated tend to look ugly imo, with pushed in heads as well as scars from HITH)
How good would you say the performance is with the fx5? any replacements, cleaning, etc?
@mgsg50 No I'm sure petstore chains don't keep them segregated but I happen to work at a locally owned Aquarium in Australia and I can tell you that we 100% have Electric yellows and blues separated from regular soft neutral water species, and to be even more on point we even separate all our riftlake cichlids into their own tanks according to lake. For example Tropheus and Frontosa from lake Tanganyika live in even harder water with higher PH than some of the other Riftlake's.
@scarhbar23 What size tank? I wouldnt go more than one O on anything less than a 6'. Even with a 6' will really depend on the personality of the fish, some get along really well others just battle regardless.
Severum - yes
Silver dollars - fine (as long as large enough not to fit in mouth)
Pictus catfish - cool, although again may end up as Oscar food if not large enough
what does that run you cost wise for power? I'm looking to upgrade my tank and plan on going with a similar type of filtration
@cummins881996 About 2 - 3 years I think. They are even bigger now (not a huge amount longer, but much broader!)
nice tank!
Thanks for all the comments guys
Over the last few years I have been updating this tank in both aquascaping and the fish that I have been keeping. I now have the same 2 Oscar fish, the green severum and the black ghost knife but have now got heaps (30+) clown loaches and three gold severums instead of the africans and other misc fish.
@MrJTBANG Thanks a lot. Will have to post an update to this tank soon. Oscars are much larger - also a lot of clown loaches!
great tank...Your O's have great color..what do you feed them Hikari Bio Gold?
Just fluros at the moment (4 x 4' bulbs)
Want to upgrade to LED soon (have LEDs over my marine tank) but they cost a bit...
Nice oscars!!
nice fish i have one my self in a 55 gallon soon geting a 75
@lolnikepg I only put decently sized other cichlids / fish in with them. I guess i got lucky in lots of respects, but I have found that oscars dont seem to bother certain fish (sevs, clown loaches etc)
beautiful tank....
I use a Fluval50 and an AquaPlus20. Fluval recently bought AquaPlus.
is that a universal rock background? I need to find away to get one into a 6ft tank with 3 braces across the top
@420TRex as someone who has invested a lot of money in fish, i will say that just because you read on a website that certain fish MUST have certain water conditions, do you think that pet stores keep the african cichlids in different water than the regular tropicals? my africans adapted quite well to the water in my oscar tank which is not as hard. and might i say they have flourished. the interests of the fish are very much in mind.
@NikoloMack619 SOrry which one are you talking about - what tijme in the video is it?
what do you feed the Oscars to bring out that beautiful color
nice tankmate doin it right homie g
I take it you got all of these fish at the same time as I see the oscars haven't tore the other fish up?
guys for keeping the lights on personaly i know tha the right time is max 7-9 hours,per day!
There us a fluval fx5 and also a sump filter
@donkeykong919 As long as it doesnt loop down too much is all good.I cut one side. You can always buy more tubing if needed.
@dbgoobscooper I use double the recommended filtration for my oscars, as well as (not sure if its reccomended but mine are healthy) 1/6 of the tank water changes daily. Have a big pleco and my water is crystal clear. Hope it helps
What kind of lighting set up do you use for this tank? LED or Fluorescent... Etc. ?
Did some research found out it was the labeo shark!
@upinthisbiz
I really dont have any idea - would be a fair bit as I keep the lights in the sump on 24/7 for the refugium... :S
i love this tank
You should take air stone out would look alot better just my opinion i would put it in sump.
Hi, are those african cichlids mixed with south american cichlids? I have never kept an african and was wondering if they do well together? Your tank is looking good!
***** Lots of people dont recommend it - but I have found that provided you know your fish (for compatibility) and keep your water faily neutral then I have had great success. Proof is in the result as they say
what would make this tank sick would be to get rid of the black sand and put a white more natural looking sand with some pebbles , and just do driftwood no fake plants, belive me this would look much better but i still like the tank , background looks awesome.
@fightco It is an artificial rock silicone background - I cant quite remember where I ordered it from, but there are a few places online
Nice set up. Did you make the filtration yourself?
Yes, I did. I think it is worth the extra effort to build a good filtration, and the clarity of the water shows it.
is that sand corse or is it fine and soft i want to put that sand in my tank woth my soft shell turtle please let me know!!
@dbgoobscooper Okay, Thanks a LOT. About to get to work on a sump..... lol. Again, amazing tank.
@420TRex I disagree. I (and family members of mine) have kept fish for a long time - and have never seen any evidence that african / american cichlids are happier / healthier / live longer when you customise the water parameters exactly to their natural environment. What is good for fish is stability - if you keep the water parameters stable, fish will adapt and thrive.