HELP!! Tank Mate Fights! JD vs Tiger Oscar

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BigZed

AC Members
Oct 11, 2007
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Hey guys,

I added a JD to my tank two days ago and pretty much right off the bat I noticed that the JD started to harass my Tiger Oscar. I gave it about a day and went to work. When I came back I noticed the Oscar was laying at the bottom barely breathing and had severe fin deterioration. Luckily I had the QT tank still running from when the JD was in there so I quickly removed the Oscar and put him in there. He seems to be stable at the moment but im not sure if he is gonna last or not.

The question I have is; arent these two fish compatible? I thought the Oscar was a more aggressive fish then the JD? Both are the same size at the moment about 2 inches in length. The tank they are in is 130 gallons. So i thought there would be plenty of room for them to be in there.


Also what should be my next course of action? Im going to leave the Oscar in the QT tank until he heals/recovers but im assuming that if i put him back in the main tank the JD will harass him again.

I know in the long run the Oscar will grow to be a larger size then the JD (that's what Ive read) so maybe once its bigger then the JD it will be able to defend himself. BUT I dont think he can survive in the QT tank that long bc its only a 10G tank.


So basically what should I do and what can I do to help the Oscar recover?


Thanks guys!
 
I would get an Oscar that is about twice the size of the jd. JD's are ususally far more aggressive that Oscars. Put the Oscar in the tank first, then about a week later put the jd in. Oscars get bigger, but many times they are just big puppy dogs and get picked on by more aggressive fish.
 
BigZed said:
The question I have is; arent these two fish compatible?
Click to expand...

Apparently these two are not.


BigZed said:
I thought the Oscar was a more aggressive fish then the JD?
Click to expand...

Generally, JDs are considered more aggressive than oscars.


BigZed said:
Also what should be my next course of action? Im going to leave the Oscar in the QT tank until he heals/recovers but im assuming that if i put him back in the main tank the JD will harass him again.
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If it looks like you won't be able to keep them together, you can a) get another tank, or b) return one of the fish. A 10gal is not a suitable home for an oscar for any amount of time beyond about an inch or two.
 
Mij said:
I would get an Oscar that is about twice the size of the jd. JD's are ususally far more aggressive that Oscars. Put the Oscar in the tank first, then about a week later put the jd in. Oscars get bigger, but many times they are just big puppy dogs and get picked on by more aggressive fish.
Click to expand...


2x is not enough...
 
JDs are definitely more aggressive fish than the Oscar. But, if you put the Oscar in the tank first, and let him get bigger before you put in a JD, you'd have better luck. In a 130G I think it is definitely possible to house these 2 fish together, if possible I would get rid of the JD (back to LFS), put the Oscar back in his tank, let him grow a few more inches, and then get a baby JD.

If you don't have any way of getting rid of the JD, I think it would be better to put the Oscar back in the main tank and the JD in QT -- no matter how big you let the Oscar grow, if the JD is the only fish in the main tank for awhile, he will claim it all as his territory and might never let the Oscar be in there. Let the Oscar grow a bit in the main tank and then put the JD back in....might have better luck.
 
Ok thanks for the info.

Right now the Oscar seems relaxed and back to its normal routine in the QT tank though his fins seem very tattered. The caudal (back) seems very bad, bad to the point where it looks like he doesnt even have one.

Question I have is; is it possible for fish to grow these fins back? Is there anything I can put in the water to help with this growth?
 
Caudal fin = tail. Dorsal fin = the fin on its back. Eventually they will grow back. Some people use Melafix to encourage fin health and regrowth.
 
I have an Oscar with 4 JDs and they are fine...but really it depends on the fish itself..just like with anything else, some are just different. What can work with one fish may not work with another they all have their own individual personalities.

As far as options, I would say as Sploke already has, you will need another tank, or choose between the two fish.

To help the oscar, I would turn the tank up just a bit and add some melafix, maybe some salt myself to aid in his recovery. The salt is something that varies between ppl, some say use it, some say don't....when my betta was injured I did she made a full recovery now I don't know for sure it was because I added the salt, but that is what I used. Keep the tank clean, clean water can make a world of difference. Since he is only about 2" I would think the QT would be ok for now, but you may want to consider a bigger QT tank if you can.

Good luck
 
Just keep the water clean and the fins will grow back naturally. Unless you see an infection with the fins, I wouldn't medicate. You could also try some dither fish, like silver dollars, in the larger tank when you put the Oscar back in there. Definately add the jd last.
 
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