Can You Mix Oscars and African Cichlids?

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LKGRenegade22

Feeder Fish
Oct 7, 2008
2
0
0
Littleton, NC
I tried looking in the Cichlid area but couldn't figure out where to post it so I came back to the general area.

Here's the deal. I have numerous tanks (Between a few houses) and I am about to move out of one. I am trying to see if I can take one tank down. I have a 55G with 6 African Cichlids all about a year old at my house now. They are all about 4" or so.

In a 29G at another one of my houses (that I just sold) I have 2 smaller oscars in it. Now before anybody starts flaming me about 2 oscars in a 29G let me let it be known I got them from a coworker who was going to flush them...:eek: They were about 1.5" long when I got them and the tiger oscar one is about 3" now and the albino tiger one is about 2". Is it safe to put them in the tank with the Africans?

I know the Oscars will eventually get huge and outgrow the 55G and get much bigger than the Africans but is this a feasible solution for the meantime?
 
i think so. i have oscars with convict cichlids. just put the oscars in and watch them carefully and if they start to get attacked by your cichlid or visa versa pull em out. i think they should be fine though
 
Ahh..they call came from the assorted cichlid tank at a LFS about a year ago. I'm honestly not exactly sure what they are. 2 are solid orange, 2 are light blue with dark blue vertical stripes and 2 are yellow with a black top fin. If that helps any.
 
i mix malawi's with convicts at home, they get on well enough for me to keep them in there
 
Should not. Oscars are from the Amazon ( convicts, on the other hand, from Central America ).

Amazon water is soft and acidic. African lakes and central america is hard and alkaline.
One or the other will not be in their right environment, if you mix.
 
Miguel;2449832; said:
Should not. Oscars are from the Amazon ( convicts, on the other hand, from Central America ).

Amazon water is soft and acidic. African lakes and central america is hard and alkaline.
One or the other will not be in their right environment, if you mix.
Click to expand...
They probably have the same water right now anyway. Most commonaly kept aquarium fish are now raised and bred in pretty much tap water. I know of few stores nowadays that take the extra step to change water conditions to match what they live in in nature.
 
Miguel;2449832; said:
Should not. Oscars are from the Amazon ( convicts, on the other hand, from Central America ).

Amazon water is soft and acidic. African lakes and central america is hard and alkaline.
One or the other will not be in their right environment, if you mix.
Click to expand...


I agree with Miguel. No way should you do this. If you don't keep oscars in soft, acidic water they can develop many problems, including HITH.
 
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