what can i put with my oscar? hes doing good now....

[daytonaguy1111]

my oscar needs a friend...its a 125 gallon tank so room is ok still with one....my oscar is about 5 inches or so .....i saw an abino chilid i think ....im not sure what kind though but it ate a live fish like crazy which is somthin that i want to have the option ofdoing also is feeding live fish to him.... any ideas thanx?

[DarthV]

Don't feed you oscar live fish, unless you've properly quarantines them. Even then, I would only do it every couple of weeks...no point getting your oscar hooked on live food and refusing pellets/sticks.

The 125 gives you a lot of choices... blue acaras, severums, nicaraguense would be the ones that I would consider off the top of my head.

[paradigmcubed]

Maybe a JD, those are pretty, but possibly too mean to be with an Oscar unless you got the JD small.

Here is a pic:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/photogallery/

Look for the JD under common names.

[Tightdog1]

blue acaras would be good to go with an oscar but you would have to find 1 about the same size as your O and thats hard to do.

[rsava]

Severums, I now prefer Green but Yellows are nice too.

[paradigmcubed]

Maybe a couple Jewel Cichlids, they are really pretty. You could also try a Tilapia.

[sharky]

I have a 180 gal. tank , and I have 3 Oscars and a JD , they are 2 albino's and 1 tiger and its really cool cause my 2 albino's hang together and my tiger and my Jd hang out together they really get along good, the JD is just a little bit smaller than my oscars .I intreduced them all at the same time .

[dave76]

Dont jewels only get to be about 6" or so? Might be a problem in the long run. Arent Tilapia Buttikoferi super aggressive? Would the oscars temperment match up to one of them? From all I have heard about those fish they have the same kind of temperment as a RD or Midas. I would try a Green Terror were I you. Granted I have a biased opinion, but I think the temperments would match well seeing as how mine only lives up to his name when he sees ghost shrimp. Killer loves them.

[paradigmcubed]

I've seen Jewels with Oscars and they seem to do fine. A GT is also a pretty aggressive fish too. I guess a Tilapia's individual temperment would come into play. The Oscar would probably have to be a fair amount bigger.

[peifc]

Tipalia Buttikoferi :eek: Want the Oscar got killed?? That thing is way.....tooooo aggressive.

Getting tankmate for your Oscar...always consider his/her aggressive level. Some Oscar gets quite aggressive. Some extremely laid back...even live with big GoldFish.

Also, if you feed your Oscar feeders, it is a mess, and your oscar will end up eating the tankmate that you put in if it is small and can't defend him/her self. If you want to feed your Oscar meat, consider making him/her homemade fish recipe. It is healthier.

Tankmate for your oscar has to be about the same size when fully grown. If not the same size...and least that guy knows how to defend him/herself.

Again this is suggestion. Do need to consider your Oscar's aggressive first.

Uaru Amphiancanthoides (peaceful but very big. consider peaceful giant. can get to 12")
Blue Acara (DarthV already mention, but this fish gets about 7" max even though I haven't seen one with that size)
Copora Nicaraguense (DarthV mentioned this too, but this fish is small as well when fully grown)
Blue Dempsey/Jack Dempsey (Blue is more peaceful than Jack...both don't get as big as Oscar...7/8" max for Blue. 10" max for Jack)
Another Oscar (which you mentioned)
Firemouth (doesn't get very big. 7" max that I've seen)
Green Terror (Gets to 11" max but usually less than that. tail and dorsal fins with red/orange highlight isn't as aggressive as the white/gold highlight...so I heard)
EarthEaters (there are many species in that category. find something that can defend themselves)
Severum (I will go for male who can defend himself. My Green Sev always pick fight with other fishes)

That's the most that I can come up with. Hope that helps.

[peifc]

Originally posted by paradigmcubed
I've seen Jewels with Oscars and they seem to do fine. A GT is also a pretty aggressive fish too. I guess a Tilapia's individual temperment would come into play. The Oscar would probably have to be a fair amount bigger.

Tilapia...you really meant the Buttikoferi...right?

If that's the case...NO.

Buttikoferi has the same aggression as Red Devil...or can be worst. And they gets big...very big...16" or more.

Jewel Cichlid gets aggressive. Can't be trusted.

[dave76]

With the proper aquascaping I am sure that you could go with any of those fish listed by peifc. I have several fish of varying size in my 100 gallon and they all seem to get along. Its funny cause the pecking order is obvious occording to size and they all follow it. Each fish will defend against the fish one size smaller than it, but almost ignore any of the other cichlids. Just make sure there are plenty of hiding spaces if you cannot get a fish that is of equal size. Ones that are small enough for the new fish to get in but not big enough for the oscar. I have a holey rock wall that discourages my GT from chasing my firemouth. ect ect.. Does your oscar have any current tank mates(targets, dithers) and do you have any rock work or caves?

[daytonaguy1111]

hey all thanx for the help.....he all aone at the moment...there is a coupld rocks and all inthe tank to hide behind which he does..... also im having a problem with him not eating ....right now i have floating pellets and he barealy touches themn ?? any ideas wha to give him ...thanx

[paradigmcubed]

Maybe you guys are right about the Jewel, but mine doesn't fight with my Oscar. They really seem to get along relatively well along with my Con and JD.

-Jacob

[dave76]

Is this the only food you have tried? Have you tried giving him any earthworms? Something like that? They are not expensive and should not be hard to find. At that size he should really eat them up. although my GT took a while to eat them. The first worm I put in there he basically ignored for almost two days. Then I cut one up into smaller pieces and got blood in the water. All of the fish were whipped up into a frenzy then. Now whenever I put one in he is on it like stink on sh*t. either that or you could ask the place where you got him from what they were feeding him. That way you could give him something you know he likes. If he does not eat then maybe you should be worried. Does he show any signs of sickness? cloudy eyes? Is his color pale? Do you have a digital camera? If so maybe you could post a pic.

[peifc]

Originally posted by paradigmcubed
Maybe you guys are right about the Jewel, but mine doesn't fight with my Oscar. They really seem to get along relatively well along with my Con and JD.

-Jacob

Lucky you. Not many people can keep Jewel with any mild temper fish :D

[sharky]

I took a friend of mine to look at a tank for sale last night , it was a 150 gal. and guess what he had in it ! Thats right 2 Oscars and a JD :) Man I have never seen Oscars this big:eek: he said he has had all 3 of these fish for about 3 years ,and what a personality, he took a ruler and stuck it in the tank to show me just how big these things are . I don't know the exact length but they was alot longer than the ruler the JD was about 10 in. He said the JD gets along great with the Oscars but the two Oscars fight sometimes . I never realized just how bold the colors are on a JD until I seen this huge Dempsey :eek: what a beautiful fish , Im glad I added 1 to my tank:D

[PumaWard]

Does it have to be another cichlid?

There are other options, such as pacu, you could also try an Ornate Bichir or other specie of bichir. People have also been able to keep them with knife fish, and larger tropical cyprinids.

[peifc]

Pacu gets very very big. And not many LFS will take huge Pacu back.

[paradigmcubed]

Originally posted by peifc


Lucky you. Not many people can keep Jewel with any mild temper fish :D

I bet the only reason I've been able to do that is because I've had them since they were about 1 in. That's probably why they don't fight, but they still haven't reached full size so they may start up.

[sharky]

I would agree with the Pacu , I just got back from Tenn. I went to the Aquarium there in gatlinburg , man they had huge pacu's in a tank with some oscars . I asked one of the pple that worked there if they ever had anybody bring them in from home aquariums and she said they have already taken quite a few from pple and don't have room for anymore , they guesstamated that 3 or 4 of them was close to 40 lbs .:eek: These fish shouldnt be kept in home aquara they get to big to fast , thats just my opinion .

[dave76]

Pacu can get up to 2' and he has a 125 so I imagine eventually that the pacu would not be able to turn around most 125 gallons are 6' long and a 1.5' wide. He wouldnt even be able to turn around.