:-( can see why people dont like oscars

Why don't you try a Severum(Green or Gold depending on your preference). You should get the good parts of cichlid behavior without much aggression. They also are fairly hardy fish.

As an Oscar owner (I have 5), I have found that most people expect things of them that just isn't in their nature.

Baseline: Cichlid. As a cichlid, they are not a communal fish and often prefer to be alone rather than in groups unless 6 or more. Almost any Oscar tries to be the king of the tank. They can and often will bully any other tank resident. They extend their territory to include the immediate area OUTSIDE of their tank. Some will be laid back and are OK with other fish but that is an exception rather than a rule. Their possessive nature extends to the person that feeds them the most often and may not accept food from other people. This is not true of all, rather is a general rule.

Tankmates: Mates that will work with Oscars need to be a fast swimmer and docile. Also need to pair off and will enter into a monogamous relationship with it's chosen mate. It will fight with anything it can catch and will eat anything that it can get into it's mouth. Sometimes they can be just as happy alone as they might be with a mate.

Decor, plants, etc: Forget it. They will rearrange the decor or plants to suit themselves, not you! Anything that is not nailed or glued down is fair game to be moved.

Attitude: Sulk, pout, and generally moody. Will turn their back on the owner to show displeasure for no reason at all. When in a good mood they can be taught to jump for the food, can be hand fed, petted, rubbed , and generally treated like a dog. They can greet you with frantic wiggling or turn their backs. They might take the food offered and then just spit it right back at you.

If you care for an Oscar, you will need to treat it as a spoiled child or as an abused/neglected dog. You need to be patient and willing to allow that they are "misfits". They are like a cat in the sense of "you don't own them, they own you".

You have to accept them on their terms, not yours. They aren't for everybody. All mine are rescues or rehomes due to many reasons with the most common being that they are too aggressive and moody. Only 1 Oscar I have came from an owner that understood them. The rest came to me because they were too much trouble and too aggressive for the owner. They aren't for everyone and there is no shame in admitting they aren't a good fit for you.

Good luck with your decisions.

you could try rearranging the tank decor to throw him off while they settle into their new hierarchy. I think adding more silver dollars will help as well as it will help to split the oscars agression.

They are super rewarding fish but yea, they are cichlids and can be a bit testy.

kelly82 said:

ideally im looking for a larger (6-10" approx) fish which doesnt hide, swims all areas of the tank, and preferably has a bit of colour. i dont mind if i need a few of them or 1 in the tank with the other fish. i just cant make up my mind (plus its costing a fortune and my husbands getting a bit fed up i think!)

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What about some gourami or other? One of the varations of 3 spot?

Ditto all of what excusemee said, I have 3 very large, about 10" they totally moved everything in the 120 I have them in. They manage to get along but nothing else except a huge Pleco survives in the tank. However they eat out of my hand and dance and sway anytime I come near. Good luck.

Here's the real problem. Oscars are big fish. In the wild, they might have an entire lake or canal to make a home -- steaking off perhaps a 10 square foot area to defend and lay eggs. In a home aquarium, even a big one, like 180 gallons, this is not nearly enough space for a territory for these big fish. The fact that they grew up together means nothing -- these are not children, they are fish with natural preditory and territorial instincts. Here in Florida, you can see all types of Cichlids in the local canals and lakes. When they spawn and lay eggs, they each create about a 5 square ft circular area that they defend viciously, but there is enough space for everyone so no one gets hurt or suffers from lack of food. In a fish tank -- different story - not enough space - and no place to hide from aggressive Oscars .