Am I overstocked?

[Pittbull]

Sorry LB is a abbreviation for pound..

Most will argue that they will not co-exist, in my experience fish have strange personalities and will do things that will amaze a person as for Oscars they are opportunists and will try to push their limits within a specific setup once they realize that they are not food items they will either choose to ignore them or pursue a beat down really up to the Oscar how it turns out..

 

[Coler]

Any two given cichlids co-existing in a tank is always going to be more up to them than it is to you. You could divide the tank - is there a size disparity ? - and re-unite when the smaller one catches up.

 

[lovejonesx]

Greetings!

I have a 125 US gallon tank. Just puchases new fishes. They are as follows:

2x oscars (one normal, one albino)
7x silver dollars

The oscars are about 4 inches, and the silver dollars about 2 inches.

Can I add more fishes? Or is this more than enough once the fishes get to their mature size?

Also on a side question, are golfishes dirtier or oscars?

Not yet at the current time & size of your fish, but SOON & maybe sooner than you think.

Don't let 'em catch up, before you do something.
LJx

 

[unlimitedx]

Well one silver dollar died... it was the remaining dollar that had ich on it. It fought a long battle but ultimately didn't survive. There were 2 other silver dollars that I felt had little chance of surviving the ich but the heat/salt treatment ended up saving them.

Down to 2 oscars, and 6 silver dollars.


Hm......I'm really wondering if I should have gotten oscars again this time around. I prefer more fishes that are mid sized, as oppose to 2 huge ones and a couple mid sized... plus these oscars don't act the same way as the previous 2 oscars I owned (of course not).. they can never replace them!


What are my options if I do decide to do something to prevent the overstock?

 

[Coler]

Hmmm...pretty much remove one Oscar or all the Silver Dollars. Take out an Oscar and you can prolly have a JD and some other reasonable hardy medium size cichlid as well...convict perhaps...maybe some kind of medium--large pleco ? subject to the fish being ok with that (durn cichlids lol)

 

[dent20]

Any two given cichlids co-existing in a tank is always going to be more up to them than it is to you. You could divide the tank - is there a size disparity ? - and re-unite when the smaller one catches up.

That is exactly right. You can't predict anything with cichlids. Each individual fish is different. Generally, you can say one species is more aggressive than another, but that's not always true.

UnlimitedX - if you prefer more medium size cichlids and have some decent selections where you live, you might go with Africans. You can get 20-30, depending on what you pick, in a 125. That's assuming you can find someone or some place to take the oscars and silver dollars.

Personally, I prefer Central and South American. I have one of four cichlids tanks devoted to Africans.

I still find it hard to believe that you need a 125 for two oscars, but I've never kept them myself, so maybe I just don't understand their size.

 

[unlimitedx]

In any case I'll prefer to keep the 6 silver dollars no matter what, and give away an oscar or both..

I don't know where/how I would give an oscar away.. parents won't be happy about giving away a fish back to a fish store for free that was purchased for ~$15 just 3 weeks ago.

Also, the replacement fish(es) would have to include the lab created blood parrot, as my mom is likes them a LOT.

In the case that both oscars are given away, I'd like to get some angel fishes.

 

[timbo83]

i would keep the two oscars and leave the BP at the LFS.

 

[unlimitedx]

Seems like the black oscar wants to be the ONLY oscar in the 125 gallon tank (though he's somewhat ignoring the silver dollars. the silver dollars group together tightly whenever it seems like he wants to attack them).

the black oscar keeps chasing the albino wherever he/she hides. i mean, the albino is already hiding but the black oscar actively seeks it out to try to bite it.

EDIT: black oscar is trying to nibble the silver dollars. he sneaks up behind them and goes for a bite (and misses)

 

[Pittbull]

unlimitedx wrote:

parents won't be happy about giving away a fish back to a fish store for free that was purchased for ~$15 just 3 weeks ago.

Yeah welcome to the hobby once you walk out with it the fish price instantly drops and i would love to find a pet shop that will give you full credit on a regular return..

Angelfish would be nice instead of the oscars.. your black oscar is just doing what comes naturally and he/she may annihilate the other oscar.. if you call your pet shops ahead of time you might be able to swap out or trade for stuff and get a better return service..