Other fish

[Bassfan]

I was wondering, what other cichlids could I put in with my oscar? I know oscars get 8-12'' and require some space but I was thinking on adding some fire mouths and maybe add 1 other fish. Any ideas?

[Kaga's Kritters]

i wouldn't keep anything with an oscar.

[tropfish]

It depends on the tank size. What size tank is you oscar in?

[Bassfan]

its 55 gallon

[Arkie]

in my 4 ft tank i have two juvenille oscars (20cm and 15cm long), and two small female convicts and a small jewel cichlid. im not sure how long they will be able to stay in there in the long run but they are all getting along fine at the moment, they have been together for about three to four months. but i do have other tanks to move the smaller fish out if i have to.

[Kaga's Kritters]

a 55 is only big enough for the oscar full grown.

[Bassfan]

4ft long tank for a 8-10'' fish? i think i could add more fish to it.

[Kaga's Kritters]

oscars get big and need lots of room. everyone i know recommends at least 55g per oscar, nothing smaller. you could maybe do a large pleco with him, but that would be pushing it....since they get so big too.


plus oscars are very aggressive and will eat anything they can fit in their mouth.

[Ocellatus]

whats the size of your oscar now?

[tropfish]

acutally its not 8-10in fish its really 12-14in+ fish. 55g is the MINIMUM for an oscar spacewise and water quality wise. They get VERY messy. The only thing you could add owuld be many a few small fish and they'd be eaten, anyhting big enough not to be eaten is to big to have with the oscar.

[Bassfan]

my oscar is 3 1/2" and yea a pleco would be nice, i finnaly have alge brown alge to be exact. And to my knowledge its because im over feeding. And ive never seen an oscar get much bigger than a pie plate. Ive seen them 10'' the max and thats in a big aquarium like mine. I was thinking maybe 1 convict, 1 firemouth and maybe 1 green terror which get 7-8".

[Kaga's Kritters]

you could house the others with the oscar right now, but evenutally you will have to remove everyone else from the tank and let the oscar have it all to himself.

[Bassfan]

ok cool, ill take a look this weekend.

[Kaga's Kritters]

just remember to have plans for the other fish in the future. and watch that no one gets to aggressive with each other.

[Tolley]

remember to make sure you have a place for them when you have to separate them!

[tropfish]

Don't get a pleco, they get big and are also very messy. Don't add anything to the tank, your oscar will grow.

[Ocellatus]

10" is not the max! they should go at least 12"

the others said the right things but if your still gonna go to wrong way then listen to me!! if you want to keep the oscar with other fish for long time, you should keep them together since they are baby. if they used to each other in childhood they usually remain less aggressive toward each other in future.

blood parrots can be kept with oscars easily. they should be at same size. if you think you must get a tank mate i suggest BP.
you mentioned green terror, its not a good choice because GT is not as aggressive as oscar is. but if you went to keep them together GT should be bigger than oscar.
my smaller GT got killed by my oscar in the avatar some months ago.
theres no problem with pleco but its not something special IMO! i don't count it as a tank mate! and it get big and messy.

if you get some other fish just make sure that you have provided lots of escaping and hidden positions in the tank.

[cocoa_pleco]

only 1 oscar in a 55g.

if you can get a bigger tank, like a 200g, you can get large plecos, jack dempseys, red devils, arowanas (400g then), etc

[Ocellatus]

yes only 1 mature oscar in a 55g!
but you don't have to keep a baby oscar alone in a 55g for at least next 6 months. its not a small period of time.

[Fishguy2727]

Many only get to be 10-12" because they are kept in relatively small tanks like 55s. They can hit 15-18". Not all of them, but the biggest kept in the right conditions can. In my experience a 75 is minimum because it is 18" wide, whereas a 55 is only 12" wide. Fish should be in a tank at least as wide as they are long. Since oscars can get over a foot they should be in a tank more than a foot wide.

You have room now, but in the long run there is not much that can go in a properly cared for 55 with an oscar. Keep in mind it is not just tank size but water quality as well that dictates the maximum capacity of fish. That means you need A LOT of filtration and an aggressive water change schedule to keep these big messy fish healthy in a small tank. And yes, for an oscar a 55 is a small tank.

There are many options and many are dependent on the individual personalities. I have found oscars to be quite laid back for such a large cichlid. From my experience a green terror is more aggressive than an oscar, obviously this is not always the case. For tankmates you are looking at things like other similarly sized and tempered cichlids, bichirs, plecos, Synodontis spp., silver dollars, giant danios, a number of catfish, and many more. None of these always work. Whatever you want to try get it now so that they can grow up together, which reduces the risks of problems down the road. Another factor is what you feed. If you feed live food you will increase their aggression levels, increasing the likelihood of problems down the road.

[tropfish]

I agree with a 75g as being more comfortable, but noone listens. Don't add any more fish.

[Bassfan]

Well from everyone ive heard from oscars can GET to 12'' but it takes a long long time. Im going to end up getting 0 fish for now probably but i do need some type of pleco.

[tropfish]

Bigevil, blu rays oscars were in discussion before, he knows its to small but he can't move them right now. And actually oscars grow supirisingly fast untill the hit 10-12in, then they slow down.

[Bassfan]

I know and I didnt mean anything by it. Let me edit it so no one gets mad. My oscar by the looks of him has grown about 1 inch maybe 2 since i got him about a month or so ago. He's really cool, loves to come out when I walk by.

[Fishguy2727]

No offense but you need to be skeptical of whoever you are getting advice from. If they are saying a 55 is more than enough and they grow slowly then they are not taking very good care of their oscars. I have had some grow VERY fast. I had one go from about 2.5" to 5" in about two months. They can be 10" by the end of their first year. Some grow more slowly, there is always variation. But in general in proper care these are not slow growing fish. And 'up to' 12" is also false. Maybe in an improperly cared for 55 which is apparently stunting the fish, but smaller individuals should end up in the 10-12" range. Most have the potential to pass this, again this requires proper care.

[Ocellatus]

well have fun with your alone baby!
also be careful and don't even let him see another fish in his life!

[Ocellatus]

and don't forget to consider every thing only physically! he doesn't have any inward needs. he doesn't have a right to choose a mate and hes not created to breed. the only important matter is to not let his growth be stunned. isolate him completely from the social. he shouldn't fight other fishes and his aggression stands for nothing. try to suppress it! let him grow 2" more but put a sh*t on all whatever hes created for.

and finally don't forget the NLS :hmm3grin2orange:

i prefer to keep 2 in a 55g with lots of filtration and water changes, and i prefer to make them grow slower than usual but have a more complete life.
thats the personal opinion.

[tropfish]

having them grow slower is a bad thing, its caused from the growth inhibiting hormones that fish put out, not good. Stunted fish tend to have storter lifespans too...

[cocoa_pleco]

exactly, the only reason i have what i have in my 50g long is i know i can run out and buy a 300g without going broke when they get large

[Bassfan]

well have fun with your alone baby!
also be careful and don't even let him see another fish in his life!
Was that really nesiscary?

[Fishguy2727]

Slow growth can be okay depending on why it is slow. If you cram tons of protein in them to force growth that can be very unhealthy. Most of the time when oscars are growing more slowly it is because either A: their diet is insufficient and/or B: the water quality is low.

There is no use in having company if the two of them pollute themselves to death or can barely move through the tank because they are crammed in too small of a tank.

They should thrive, that should always be the goal. This means not stunting them (EXTREMELY unhealthy for them), providing the best water quality you can (harder when the tank is overstocked), and giving them room. I don't think they should be by themselves, but in such a small tank they need to be. These tanks are equivalent to prison cells, not much room for two or three to live in.

And if the fish are choosing mates then I am assuming they are raised in a group of six or more and get to choose, not put in with a mate.

Aggression is an issue if more than one are to ever cohabitate. They are aggressive either way, but they are even more aggressive when fed live food. This can prevent that cohabitation and companionship that they deserve. There is no need to increase their aggression level.

[Ocellatus]

about stunning. i'll send you pics of my 2 oscars when they hit 12" soon in my 32g! http://vb.niksalehi.com/images/smilies/4.gif
you even didn't believe that they spawn in that tank!

and about raised in a group of six to choose the mate, yeah thats the right manner but you bring me a mature male and female oscar and i'll show you how to pair them off!


Was that really nesiscary?
sorry i got a bit angry last night. first i told you the right thing ( keeping 1 big oscar in a 55g ) but you told me go follow your advice yourself with your over stocked 35g!
yeah i'm doing wrong but i wanted to tell you the right.
sorry buddies. didn't want to annoy. hope you forgive me.

[Fishguy2727]

I never said it was impossible. I have heard of oscars hitting 10" in a 10, this doesn't make it right. You even said the size is not a goal but you are justifying yours by saying they will get to 12". You take very good care of your oscars and they are obviously doing very well in your setup, but that doesn't mean it should be suggested or is the ideal for them. You don't know that it will turn out okay in the long run. They still may be stunted. They may end up with a much shorter lifespan because of it. We should all do the best we reasonably can to get as close to ideal and thriving as possible. You have done that. You can't get a bigger tank right now and you seem that you would if you could. But someone with one in a 55 who wants to add more fish is not doing that. These larger fish really should be in a 75, even if they don't get over a foot. A 55 at best is arguably bare minimum for one oscar.

[Ocellatus]

I just meant they can reach 1 foot in my tank but i'm still saying that i would move them to a big enough tank if i could. i think about it every day, i'm measuring the dimensions and calculating the volume all the time! and think about giving the order to the LFS but its not possible for me right now. money, room, canisters, time, ... i don't have any of them now!

[tropfish]

I want to add another thing. Chemically an oscar can be kept in a 55g, but its too small spacewise, at only 12 in wide when the oscar is bigger it'll have trouble turning around. A 75g is only 3in wider but gives the oscar enough room to swim comfortable.

[Fishguy2727]

A 75 is 5" wider.

Whenever you can, get them a bigger tank. It is so nice to see them roam around in a big tank when they have been in something too small for a while.

[Ocellatus]

there is no problem with the dimensions, i don't know what the standard dimensions are over there but here i determine them myself and give the order.
for a 75g i prefer 16" wide 22" height and 52" long.

[TowBoater]

Well well well, another one of these posts. I am going to throw my opinion in there, if you sufficient filtration then you can keep more. In sufficient, I am talking like my filtration on mine, 2 penguin 350's and soon to have a Rena XP4, that is 207.5g worth of filtration after you divide it in half!!! Water changes like crazy because as everyone said, they are messy. You can't have much decor with oscars as they don't like it. I think depending on your filtration, you can add another 8" or under cichlid UNDER the right conditions.

[Fishguy2727]

I am quoting the standard 55 and 75 in the U.S. Custom tanks and tanks in other countries can be different. 16" wide should be good enough unless you end up with a monster oscar.

[Bassfan]

55 gallons for 1 single fish is good for an oscar. I didnt want to get into a debate over this I just wanted to know what I can have in with him that is compatible.

[Fishguy2727]

Good, I guess. But the goal should always be to let our fish thrive. If this is going to work you need massive filtration, a very aggressive water change schedule, and to start looking for a 75 when it gets to about 10".