Everybody posts from time to time about Oscar tank mates. What works, what does not. Tank size minimums etc. I got a 150 up and running about a year ago and decided that I'd get a couple of oscars and a school of some dithers. Both fish went into the tank at the same time and for the most part everything has been fine. Some minor spats here and there. Well one of the 2 O's had gotten a little bigger than the other. The other night a heard a noise come from the tank which is in the living room about ten steps from the bedroom. I thought that one of them got spooked and hit the lid as usual. I woke up the next morning to find the smaller of the 2 oscars beat to hell and shredded. almost one pectoral fin is gone and it looks like an iron was pressed on the entire right side of fish. Not to mention other lacerations. At first I thought it was dead, but noticed gill movement. I thought about euthanizing, but he still had alot of fight when I removed him to go into a hospital tank. 3 days later the fish is eating again and starting to heal. Part of the missing fin has started to regenerate and other cuts are filling in. This fish is now called lucky and the other is *******. My conclusion...never trust those puppy dog oscar faces.
Don't get comfortable with oscars
- Thread starter KNMG
- Start date
wow-thats some fight! i have kept oscars and have one now. his tankmates are a firemouth and 2 sevs... they are doing well so far.
Ive heard of this. Oscars dont do well in pairs etc. Its either one oscar or a group, like 5.
Some people get away with 2 Oscars sometimes.
Some people get away with 2 Oscars sometimes.
I had two oscars that were raised together from 2 inches to almost 9. They got along fine, even seemed like they were going through spawning rituals. Came home one day and one had shredded the other one apart.
I'll never keep Oscar's in just a pair again ever. What sucks is having this big tank in my living room with just a 12 inch O and a school of Giant Danios. The Oscars never even made an attempt at these. I know now that it will be extremely difficult to add anything else into the tank. It is a 150 though. Maybe I'll try something else eventually. Who knows?
I saw a vid on youtube of a guy who has a HUGE bala shark with about 4 oscars and some other fish, all the oscars looked really healthy but then again fish do have personalities.
Maybe your big oscar is a jackass lol
Maybe your big oscar is a jackass lol
I have 2 oscars that have lived together happily since one was about 3 inches and the other 5 or so inches. They are now both 9. I have a red one which was the smaller one intriduced later on and he is gentle when hand feeding and playing with him and I have an albino. He was gentle but now got a bit of an attitude. He will not only go for the food in my hand but my fingers too, and when I take the top off my tank to feed/play he jumps out of the water to just have a go at my fingers. LOL