Help with Oscar tankmates

Lynsey

Lynsey

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Nov 28, 2002
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Here is my setup:

75 gallon long (5 feet long x 1.5 feet wide X 16" tall):

1 Albino Oscar (10" including tail)
1 Blood Parrot (5" including tail)
1 Sunshine Pleco L-14 (8")
4 Silver Dollars
2 Fluval 404 canisters, 1 Maxi-jet 1200, weekly water changes. I have not tested my ammonia or nitrites in a while, but my nitrates are never above 10ppm.

I posted about a month ago about my Oscar chasing my BP around (they were fine together for a little over a year). There has been no damage, but my BP gets a little stressed out. I recently added the silver dollars and rearranged the tank hoping that would settle my Oscar down. It worked for about a month, and now I have seen my Oscar start chasing my BP again. I think I might have to take out my BP. Is there anything I can do to make them happy again? If not, and I take out my BP is there anything I can add to the tank? like maybe a firemouth? or convict? or any other type of non-cichlid. I know my tank is pretty full already, but I am very diligent with my tank upkeep. If not, I guess my Oscar will have to live solo.
 
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If you are pulling out the BP I would think a Firemouth would be okay. Or how about another Oscar? Two Oscar's with some Silver dollars would be fine with weekly water changes, you have plenty of filtration. If you didn't want to take anyone out I have had success by smothering with dithers. Add so much distraction that they don't know what is going on. Giant danios (six or seven) work great for this as they don't produce that much waste or take up significant territory. Not that I am by any means an expert this has just worked for me.
 
Theres not much you can do with it already being overstocked. I would just suggest you leave the oscar solo. Oscars do well by themselves and you dont want to leave any fish in there if its just going to be stressed.

People here no arguement's about BP please. To many people leave this forum because of the arguement's about the BP and FH and the person in need gets left hanging and just never return.
 
I was replying when scott was. Do not put another oscar it will be way to over crouded I would be afraid to put a firemouth if the oscar is chasing the BP what makes you think a firemouth would be any differant. I would just remove BP and leave it as it is.
 
I can't add giant danios (I had some) and my Oscar just chased them at night and eventually ate a few. They were full size. what about a medium sized Jack dempsey (and removing the BP). I am concerned that it might be too aggressive for my Goldie/Sunshine Pleco (which is my favorite fish). Or do Jack usually leave plecos alone?
 
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Oscars can live with any other south /central american cichlids as long as it cant fit in the oscars mouth it will be ok


My Fish:

3x 7inch oscars
1x 5inch Jack dempsey
2x 3inch convicts
1x 7inch common pleco
1x 3inch Green terror
 
With the way her oscar is acting with her bp I would be strongly against it. A 6" FM wont stand a chance with a bad tempered Oscar. I would play it safe and leave the Oscar solo. Not only that the tank is to small even though youll be removing the BP if anything why put something else in just to keep the bio-load where its at just leave it and youll have nice more thankful fish.
 
Having it solo is definately the way to go I was just thinking if you really wanted another fish you could put in another oscar, I've read plenty about people with 75's and two full grown oscars (I guess I didn't really think about the size of the silver dollars, I apologize). I would think if you did have two oscars or an oscar and firemouth etc the silver dollars chance of becoming full grown would be limited however.
 
my friend has a 75 gal tank, and he has 2 tiger oscars, 2 albino oscars, catfish of somesort, and an arowana. in time, it will become crowded for even the arowana, but it looks cool right now. his oscars leave the arowana alone, but they sometimes bully the royal pleco
 
Four Oscars in a 75 might be pretty crowded almost a month after their purchase, and the Aro needs at least a 135.

I would suggest to your friend that the 75 be the final home for only one oscar and the Royal.
 
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