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Reply.
Hello again Eric. Thank you for your complimentary
comments. We're glad to know that you've been making
good use of the information on AquariumFish.net.
Here is the method
I recommend for moving your fish to a new and bigger
aquarium. Get the new aquarium and set it up with
all the equipment and let it run for at least three
days with no fish.
On each of those
three days remove 2 gallons of water from the new
aquarium and store it in a clean bucket. Then remove
2 gallons of the water from your smaller aquarium
and put those 2 gallons in the big aquarium, then
pour the water in the clean bucket back into the
smaller aquarium.
I could summarize
this procedure by saying, "Each day swap 2 gallons
of water between your 10-gallon aquarium and your
new aquarium. The goal of this procedure is to get
the water in the two aquariums to be as similar
as we can, before you move your fish. But we don't
want to change more than 20%, which is 2 gallons,
of the water in your smaller 10-gallon aquarium
on one day.
In the new aquarium
your Oscar will need an aquarium heater with at
least 100 watts. Adjust the heater in the new aquarium
to be about 2 degrees warmer than the water in the
old aquarium, but do not exceed 82 degrees F. Click
here for more about aquarium heaters.
Sometimes two different
thermometers will vary, so I'd use the same thermometer
to measure the temperatures in both aquariums. Just
move that thermometer back and forth between aquariums,
and give it plenty of time to adjust to the temperature
of the water before you make a reading. Click
here for more about aquarium thermometers.
Your Oscar will do
best in an aquarium with a BIO-Wheel filter. I'd
recommend the Marineland Penguin 330 for an aquarium
with up to 60 gallons. Click
here for more about BIO-Wheel filters.
Your Oscar's aquarium should
have a cover, because an Oscar will
jump out if not covered. An Oscar is especially
likely to jump right after being moved to a new
aquarium. So don't say to yourself, "I'll move my
Oscar tonight, and buy a new aquarium cover tomorrow,
because tomorrow may be too late." Click
here for more about aquarium covers.
Your new aquarium
should also have an aquarium stand that was manufactured
for aquariums, and be sure the stand accurately
fits your new aquarium. Click
here for more information about aquarium stands.
Gravel is optional.
If you do have gravel in your new aquarium, keep
it at most 1/4" deep. Your Oscar does not need gravel,
and will probably be healthier without gravel, because
gravel collects waste and usually lessens the quality
of the water. But you may prefer the appearance
of your aquarium with a thin layer of gravel. Click
here for more about aquarium gravel.
The day before you
move your fish into the bigger aquarium, shake some
of the stuff out of your filter from the smaller
aquarium into the water in the bigger aquarium.
This stuff from the filter will contain beneficial
bacteria that will be sucked onto the BIO-Wheels
in the filter in the new aquarium, and those bacteria
will start growing on the BIO-Wheels. Click
here for more information about beneficial bacteria.
One last piece of
advice. An aquarium with at least 75 gallons of
water will be a better home for your Oscar. If you
get a 75 gallon aquarium you'll need a bigger heater
with at least 150 watts or get two heaters with
at least 75 watts in each heater. You'll also need
two Penguin 330 filters, and there is usually enough
space for two of them on the back of a 75-gallon
aquarium.
The Plecostomus and
a Snowflake Eel will certainly crowd the 50-gallon
aquarium. You will need at least a 75-gallon and
a 100-gallon would be better, or a 125-gallon better
yet for the fish you want to keep. When getting
an aquarium for an Oscar, bigger is better.
Good luck with your
new aquarium, Eric.
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