young oscars

Question
-------------------------
Lindsay
Well I found out that the oscars had the ick, i medicated them and the little one seems to be getting better, for some reason they were the same size when i bough them, and now one is bigger.  they came from the same tank and they seem to now each other very well, like sister and bro.  The jack does seem to get a long but sometimes they knip but only for like a second.  Thanks for the tips for filtration if you have anymore tips or anything that i can read.  Also with feeder fish, do u recommend that i keep them in the tank with them and let them eat them at there leasure or feed them once a day with feeder fish?  I have a 55 Gallon fish tank, longer not taller?  Do u now of a good filter that it easy to set up canister type.  Can you use all 4 types of media for extra filtration?  Also more info on the ick if you now of any pre treat so they dont get it again
thanks Jason
Followup To
Question -
I have a few questions
1.My oscars are like loosing there scals i dont now why is this a good thing when they are growing or r they getting beat up, they seem to be buddys, but i also have a jack demsee in there with them, they also seem to get a long when im around, but i dont now when im not there.
2.what kind of filtration should i have to maximize water clearity since they are a dirty and messy fish.  If there is a place i can look and read about that would be a great link to supply me thanks

Jason
Answer -
Hi Jason,

How big of a tank are your oscars and Jack Dempseys in?  And how many are there?  If they are in a tank that is too small, there is a good chance they could be fighting for territory.  You could also try adding some more decorations like lava rock or fake plants to try to break up a bit of territoriality.

As for filtration, you are definitely going to have to do gravel vacuums at least monthly.  You're right, they are very dirty fish!  Even more so if you're feeding live food.  I always recommend a canister filter like the Fluval series or the HOT Magnum.  Both are very good filters, and the Fluvals have three or four stages of filtration that you can change to suit your needs.  I'll look around for more on filtration for cichlid tanks, and when you respond with some more information on your tank (if you choose to) I'll probably have some websites and/or books for you to check out.

I hope I can help, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

-Lindsay

Answer
Hi again Jason,

Here is a great website for you to read more about ich:
http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/whitespot.htm

...And a link for reading about filtration systems:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7026_choose-filtration-system.html

As for why one is bigger than the other, a lot of times there is just a dominant fish that gets the majority of the food first.  It's not anything to worry about, they'll even out eventually.  And it's perfectly normal for oscars and dempseys to have little fights, and your standard 55 gallon tank is a great size for these guys.

Let me know if you need anything else, I'm here to help!

-Lindsay