i have this 6" oscar ready to move to a 90 gallon but it has a cuban cichlid. would this be compatible? thanks
cuban cichlid and oscar?
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I wouldn't try it. If that Cuban is also around 6in then it has started to mature. By this point I am sure it has claimed the tank as his territory, the sudden introduction of a new fish would put it at a disadvantage. Also the aggression difference between the two fish is night and day.
If you really want to or have to I would completely change the decorations in the tank. All new stuff the Cuban has necer seen. Place the Cuban in a bucket while you do this. Put Oscar in first give it 5 minutes or so to find a hide, then introduce the Cuban.
I still don't think it would work in the long run. Only two fish leads to a dominant one and the other is the punching bag getting stressed out and subsequently catch diseases easier.
If you really want to or have to I would completely change the decorations in the tank. All new stuff the Cuban has necer seen. Place the Cuban in a bucket while you do this. Put Oscar in first give it 5 minutes or so to find a hide, then introduce the Cuban.
I still don't think it would work in the long run. Only two fish leads to a dominant one and the other is the punching bag getting stressed out and subsequently catch diseases easier.
ok, theres more places for it to go, will an oscar be able to live with a jack dempsey if they are introduced when both adults?
You have to pull the cuban out and introduce both to a tank at same time and the tank needs to be arranged totally different then when Cuban was in there prior.
As mentioned above, they will still likely go into “face off” mode since there’s two of them. Oscars aren’t great hiders, they like to hang around in middle to top area of tank and make easy targets for more aggressive fish like your Cuban. Could maybe try some dither fish so the Cuban doesn’t lock in on the Oscar. It’s a crap shoot, you could get lucky but probably won’t since there are two.
As mentioned above, they will still likely go into “face off” mode since there’s two of them. Oscars aren’t great hiders, they like to hang around in middle to top area of tank and make easy targets for more aggressive fish like your Cuban. Could maybe try some dither fish so the Cuban doesn’t lock in on the Oscar. It’s a crap shoot, you could get lucky but probably won’t since there are two.
I would try with the JD rather the Cuban. JDs are Central America so different aggression levels. But JDs are typically not an outgoing fish and typically hides more than not. So with this why I think the Oscar JD combo has better chances in the long run.
Of course will have to redo the tank if they are going into a tank one of the two has been in a while.
I must say tho a 90gal won't be a home for life for both. Maybe at best one or the other. When that Oscar hits 12in the water changes will be at least fin level every other day. A 12in Oscar's poo is the diameter of a pencil, 2 to 3 inches long
As previously stated I would not recommend it. Not only do these two species come from two different continents but their natural environments contain different water parameters. As has also been said, N. Tetracanthus has a much great aggression level compared to A. Ocellatus as a rule of thumb. The fact that you will only have two cichlids in the tank can also be a problem considering even if you remove the cuban and reintroduce them together, eventually they will settle in and there will clearly be a dominate fish and the other will be bullied as you won’t have others to spread the aggression. When I kept N. Tetracanthus dithers weren’t possible as they would make quick working killing them
The Oscar and JD might work but introducing them as adults is less than ideal, tends to work better if they grow up together. I kept a large Oscar with a female JD in a 90 gallon before, actually with a couple severums too (this was over a decade ago when I stocked heavily) and it worked fine. But as the only two fish in the tank, being introduced as adults, I think it's less likely to work. Can give it a go, but have another tank on standby. And you might actually have better luck if you added another 6"ish cichlid like the severum. But water quality will degrade quickly, I remember I used to do fin level changes on the 90g weekly.
Best idea, IMO, is just give the Oscar your 90 gallon to itself, it will barely be large enough for an adult O no need to add other fish. Just my .02
Best idea, IMO, is just give the Oscar your 90 gallon to itself, it will barely be large enough for an adult O no need to add other fish. Just my .02