Rescued Oscar & Convict - 55g

Discussion in 'Cichlids' started by smileyface1995, Sep 20, 2009.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. smileyface1995

    smileyface1995 Flamingo Tongue

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2009
    Messages:
    107
    recently i bought a 55g with an oscar & convict (cichlids) and came with 2 filters,heater which were broken!! when i went to pick them up , the water was emptied so low they were on there sides, hardly able to stay alive, and ontop of that the water was so gross u coudlnt see through it :-[, so we took them home, cleaned off all the algae, got new water.. setup everything .. next day they were already looking 10times better! then 3days later i put in 2 bubblers and they all of a sudden perked up, and were moving around so much more! i put 6 goldfish in there but they dont seem to be eating them, maybe i have a friendly oscar & convict??
    well i got all of this for $30.. but i still need to buy a filter!
    does anyone have a good suggestion on which filter to get if your on a budget and are trying to get a filter for a 55g!

    THANKS!

    heres a video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg3BdnIGNP8
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2009
    smileyface1995, Sep 20, 2009
    smileyface1995, Sep 20, 2009
    #1

    2. Click Here!

  2. smileyface1995

    smileyface1995 Flamingo Tongue

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2009
    Messages:
    107
    smileyface1995, Sep 20, 2009
    smileyface1995, Sep 20, 2009
    #2
  3. oakvad

    oakvad Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2009
    Messages:
    90
    Location:
    Cheyenne WY.
    Im running a sump with 2 oscars in a drilled 55 and it wont even keep up with the mess but i just bought them a 90 with a canister filter and im gonna add my sump to that and build an overflow. from what ive seen and heard with oscars and cichlid im not sure u can over filter a tank
     
    oakvad, Sep 22, 2009
    oakvad, Sep 22, 2009
    #3
  4. iLLwiLL

    iLLwiLL Sailfin Tang

    Joined:
    May 6, 2009
    Messages:
    1,715
    Location:
    Central FL
    If the gold fish weren't eaten, I would remove them asap. There only going to add to the bio load of the tank. While feeders may be fun to watch get eaten, they are not very nutritious, try to get your cichlids on a quality pellet and maybe some large dried krill for treats.

    From the sounds of what you described, your tank might need to re-cycle. I would try and do at least 25% water changes every 2-3 days for the fish's sake until you get a couple filters on that setup. Anything with dual bio wheels like a penguin 330 or an emperor 400 would be a nice start, and a canister filter added to that would help a lot also. Get your self some stress coat to use as a water conditioner and to help your new cichlids cope if you dont already have some.

    Are you sure the filters are broken? Did you pour water into the large rear chamber while it was turned on to kind of prime it?

    ~Will.
     
    iLLwiLL, Sep 22, 2009
    iLLwiLL, Sep 22, 2009
    #4
  5. oakvad

    oakvad Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2009
    Messages:
    90
    Location:
    Cheyenne WY.
    As far as the goldfish, i just put one of my 6 inch oscars in with 6 green barbs and she thinks she's part of the school, they follow her everywhere, now my other oscar is tearing the crap out of every fish he can get ahold of, so you probably have dosile oscer i would say
     
    oakvad, Sep 25, 2009
    oakvad, Sep 25, 2009
    #5