Fish Compatability

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Jeci

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Nov 9, 2018
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I have a 55 gallon tank. Currently there are 2 blue acara, 1 tiger oscar, 1 green terror, 1 fire mouth, and a clown knife. I've never had cichlids before, other than the tiger oscar. All the fish are roughly the same size, about 2 to 3 inches. The fire mouth fire mouth is probably the biggest in the tank at 3 inches next to the knife. He seems to be very aggressive. He chases the acara and the terror around the tank. The oscar pretty much keeps to himself but occasionally will fight with an acara. The terror doesn't bother any of them. And the knife hides in a large piece of driftwood until feeding time. I understand how big these fish get and my tank will be too small once they mature. I plan on trading in the oscar and knife when they get bigger. My question is more about what to do with the fire mouth constantly chasing everything. There are multiple places to hide in the tank with live plants, large driftwood centerpiece, and a rock grotto. He finds them all. Any idea's? Also what else would be compatible with these fish when I replace the oscar and knife?
 

FreshyFresh

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Welcome to the site and it's an interesting mix of fish you have there. Like you say, this is not a sustainable mix at all in this small of a tank, especially with the decor. I'd start by rehoming the oscar and knife as you say. You're probably going to have to rehome more before you decide on the final stocking.
 

Jeci

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Welcome to the site and it's an interesting mix of fish you have there. Like you say, this is not a sustainable mix at all in this small of a tank, especially with the decor. I'd start by rehoming the oscar and knife as you say. You're probably going to have to rehome more before you decide on the final stocking.
what do you suggest keeping/replacing, and with what? I'd like to keep the terror and tiger oscar. They are all juveniles currently.
 

FreshyFresh

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The problem there is, a 55g is not really adequate for an oscar, all by themselves. You can do it, but depending on what you feed the oscar and how often you feed it, you may have to do large (~80%) water changes twice a week on a 55g to keep nitrates not to exceed 20ppm.

Believe me, I am not the overstocking police! lol I keep an oscar and a green severum in a 75gal and have for 6yrs. It is not enough tank for them, but I keep good water parameters on it.

I would gear towards keeping the GT, the FM and blue arcaras? I am not an expert on these particular fish.

I have heard of folks keeping an oscar and a GT in a 75g or 90g.
 

Jeci

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The problem there is, a 55g is not really adequate for an oscar, all by themselves. You can do it, but depending on what you feed the oscar and how often you feed it, you may have to do large (~80%) water changes twice a week on a 55g to keep nitrates not to exceed 20ppm.

Believe me, I am not the overstocking police! lol I keep an oscar and a green severum in a 75gal and have for 6yrs. It is not enough tank for them, but I keep good water parameters on it.

I would gear towards keeping the GT, the FM and blue arcaras? I am not an expert on these particular fish.

I have heard of folks keeping an oscar and a GT in a 75g or 90g.
I wish I could have a bigger tank, I just do not have the space for it in my Condo, or the money to purchase a new tank. Thanks for the advice.
 

FreshyFresh

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Jeci, just to give you a feel for how an adult oscar and one other tank mate looks in a 75g, here's a pic of mine. Space wise, it's not unlike keeping a couple fish in a small bowl. I manage healthy water parameters, but it takes diligence to do so.

.
 

Jeci

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20181110_205056.jpg 20181110_205020.jpg I know. I had an adult oscar in the tank before with an adult blood parrot. I dont intend on keeping him when he gets bigger. The store I buy my fish at does a trade in and finds them new homes when they outgrow the tank.
 

fishorama

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We kept a M & F pair of acaras & firemouths in a 55g years ago. Not ideal, the acaras took roughly 2/3 of the tank & the smaller firemouths 1/3.

I haven't kept your other fish.
 

the loach

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While new tanks are very expensive, used tanks are very cheap, even big ones. The hobby is declining and lots of folks will eventually give away tanks for next to nothing, just to get it out of the way.
I find the pic of the oscar in the 75 depressing, or is it photoshopped, it looks like a montage.
It reminds me of animals in a battery cage. But while pets in small cages can still be walked or roam around the house under supervision, fish are stuck 24/7.

Everyone understands you can't keep a pony if you do not have the money and space to take care of it. But the same is true for bigger fish, don't put them in a small tank just because you can. Get a proper sized tank or give them to folks who do have a tank like that.
For small aquarium fish a general rule is for them to be able to swim at least 10 times their adult body length in a tank... the same holds true for big(ger) fish, maybe with the exception of some fish that aren't really swimmers like some catfish or eel that sit under a rock all day.

So for a 55 I recommend not getting fish that get over 5" adult length, get a sustainable environment and stocking that doesn't cause you or the fish any headaches in the future.
Remember while there are places like the Ohio Fish Rescue that take fish too big to keep, they can't take them all eventually... look them up on youtube and learn about the problems they face by housing these fish.
 

authmal

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Aug 4, 2011
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I wish I could have a bigger tank, I just do not have the space for it in my Condo, or the money to purchase a new tank. Thanks for the advice.
Space? Do you realize that it's only about 5 x 48 inch difference in space from a standard 55 to a standard 75? It's 48x13x21 vs 48x18x21.

I didn't think I had the space, and now that I realize I do, I wish I went for the 75. I just don't want to hassle with the tear down and build up until I absolutely have to. I actually realized (when I saw one on clearance for $100, and boy, do I wish I found a way to bring it home then) I have space for a 125, which is about 72x18x21.
 
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