oscar and severum

SomeGuy88

SomeGuy88

Its simply scrum-trulescent
Jun 26, 2004
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Grimsby, Ontario
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I am thinking about getting another tankmate for my oscar in my 72 gallon. I have heard good things about Severums. My oscar is fully grown at 10" so hes not even big. Has anyone had good/ bad experiences with keeping these fish together?

Thanks.
 
As far as personalities, the severum is a good tankmate for the oscar usually. Severums are good with most any fish. You may run into territory wars in a 72 with the oscar already in there. You can take him out and re arrange the tank to stifle this. but you will essentially have 3 10 + inch fish when the pleco and the severum get big and you will be working pretty hard to keep a 72 maintained.
 
Tankmates

I would say no.

My reasoning is that I have found over the years that oscars tend to get along much better with fish that don't share the same tankspace as they do. Especially in smaller tanks like yours. Add to it that severums really aren't that aggressive and wouldn't stand a chance against an angry oscar.

Severums like oscars like to be mid to top swimmers. With that in mind because the oscar will grow upwards of 10X faster than the slow growing severum. It will quite quickly become the aggressor and start to really make that poor severums life miserable.
 
I agree, that severum would not survive long

A 90 gal is my minimum for 2 full grown cichlids
no bigger 11"-12".

Anything bigger = 150gal.

*edit*

all the oscars i've kept have grown to
at least a foot. 14 1/2" being the largest.
females usually max out around 12" and males
at 14"-15".
 
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What about a pair of blue Acaras. They dont get very large and they stay mid-bottom. Ive heard there not too agressive but they could still fend themselves against an oscar
 
Tank size is your biggest issue, Oscars are really not as aggressive as touted except when paired for breeding. I find that they get along with most other fish that are smart enough to leave them alone. I've kept them with blue gourami's. and pearl gourami's, I've kept them with Dempseys, and GT's. In a 72 gallon tank 24" of cichlid is a lot. you may be OK you may not with both of the above ideas, but much will depend on maintenance, filtering and how big the oscars ultimately gets.
 
Photo's are forth coming, the green oscar is basically the natural oscar with no selective breeding for colors or fins etc. There is an LFS here in columbus that gets some pretty awesome fish and many of them are wild caught fish. The wild fish seem to have better personalities(more to my liking anyhow) and the color is fabulous. My oscar looks like dark green velvet most of the time, but when he over eats (my fault) he shows some red on the body. he is the shyest Oscar I have ever owned,but everything comes with a price I guess. Right now the LFS has firemouths coming in pretty regularly that are wildcaught and get them in at about 3/4" long. My FM is a true SOB!!!!, and so is the oscar. they are all babies right now but I still get daily flaring and the occasional lip lock when I feed. They have estabilished themselves well and thus far there have been no serious battles, but I am planning a 180g this winter for these three as they grow. If I get the 180, I will be buying a pair of the firemouths, in hopes of breeding. the one I have and all of them in the tank at the LFS are very vivid and well marked. when mine flares it's like the lights are being turned on. I have watched every week for a new batch of Oscars, but they haven't had any delivered for a while. I may get a second one if the timing is right, and the 180 becomes a sure thing.
BTW the LFS I buy my fish from is Byerly's aquarium in Grandview (west side of Columbus) Ohio
 
Prices are not bad, but a little on the higher side for fish, equipment prices are comparable to most lFS's but the bigger stores and online prices are much better. The fish quality and employee quality is extremely good at Byerly's. I tend to buy all of my live stock from them regardless of price, but am guiilty of going elsewhere for expensive equipment. They are a good enough store that I try to support them even if it costs me a bit more.

To get there just come in I-70, take 670 East to Grandview avenue, go North on Grandview ave about 1.5 miles to 5th avenue. Byerly's is one block west of Granview on 5th, right next to Acorn Books. It's 12 miles from my house in Hilliard.
 
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