i've seen an oscar pair very happy in a 75... but the tank had great filtration. i say four of em in 125 would be alright.
How many oscars can you keep in a 125?
- Thread starter Moester
- Start date
Until a pair establishes and kills the other two....iloveoscars702;3545127; said:
Better be ready to rehome soon when you get four.
I think Oscars have great personality and a single specimen wouldt really enjoy that tank with no other O's as tankmate.
Wow… there has been some real half thought out or at least explained opinions shared here…
　
And a little nonsense to throw you off even further…
　
　
A detail about Oscars that is often overlooked… Oscars are not schooling fish. Baby Cichlids stick together for the same reason tetras and the like school. But once they mature and have motives/interests of adult fish (primarily spawning) all of that changes. Keep in mind changes in behavior between children and adults is very common in many (if not most) species of animals…
　
　
A “pair” of Oscars means a male and a female that have proven to get along and (at least attempt to) spawn…
　
Assuming that a male and female will be a pair is not wise… assuming 4 random Oscars will grow up to be 2 pairs is irrational…
　
Two pairs might get along in a 6’ 125 gal tank… you would have to decorate the tank logically to create distinct breaks in territory and break lines of sight between nests… A cave on each side with the opening not facing the middle and a large piece of driftwood and/or pile of rocks would be a way to do this…
　
　
4 females might get along… but is more of a risk than I would take… 3 females would have no better chances, but would allow for a few tank mates which may cause a beneficial distraction… 2 females would allow for an extra tank mate or two that would allow additional beneficial distraction…
　
　
4 males is a battle royal waiting to happen… 3 males is no better, even with a tank mate or two, 2 males is just as likely to turn into a battle, overburdening the tanks water quality with tank mates may help a little (a little).
　
　
In the end, Oscars are not schooling fish and forcing them to live in close proximity with one another (mate not included) is asking them to live against their natural situations… a lot more so than living in a glass box with tank mates of differing species…
　
　
I tried to turn a 6’ round 300 gal Rubbermaid into an “Oscar Pond” with 2 different groups of Oscars… Each time starting with 6~8 juvi Oscars… one time I ended up with a pair, the other time I ended up with a pair and a male that hid constantly (the second time for some reason the huge female mated with the weaker male)…
　
I love Oscars and would love to have a tank slam full of them… and having tried to have such a tank… I speak from the perspective of an experienced Oscar lover… You will have the highest potential of a tank you are happy with by having one beautiful large Oscar and a handful of tank mates of other species.
　
And a little nonsense to throw you off even further…
　
　
A detail about Oscars that is often overlooked… Oscars are not schooling fish. Baby Cichlids stick together for the same reason tetras and the like school. But once they mature and have motives/interests of adult fish (primarily spawning) all of that changes. Keep in mind changes in behavior between children and adults is very common in many (if not most) species of animals…
　
　
A “pair” of Oscars means a male and a female that have proven to get along and (at least attempt to) spawn…
　
Assuming that a male and female will be a pair is not wise… assuming 4 random Oscars will grow up to be 2 pairs is irrational…
　
Two pairs might get along in a 6’ 125 gal tank… you would have to decorate the tank logically to create distinct breaks in territory and break lines of sight between nests… A cave on each side with the opening not facing the middle and a large piece of driftwood and/or pile of rocks would be a way to do this…
　
　
4 females might get along… but is more of a risk than I would take… 3 females would have no better chances, but would allow for a few tank mates which may cause a beneficial distraction… 2 females would allow for an extra tank mate or two that would allow additional beneficial distraction…
　
　
4 males is a battle royal waiting to happen… 3 males is no better, even with a tank mate or two, 2 males is just as likely to turn into a battle, overburdening the tanks water quality with tank mates may help a little (a little).
　
　
In the end, Oscars are not schooling fish and forcing them to live in close proximity with one another (mate not included) is asking them to live against their natural situations… a lot more so than living in a glass box with tank mates of differing species…
　
　
I tried to turn a 6’ round 300 gal Rubbermaid into an “Oscar Pond” with 2 different groups of Oscars… Each time starting with 6~8 juvi Oscars… one time I ended up with a pair, the other time I ended up with a pair and a male that hid constantly (the second time for some reason the huge female mated with the weaker male)…
　
I love Oscars and would love to have a tank slam full of them… and having tried to have such a tank… I speak from the perspective of an experienced Oscar lover… You will have the highest potential of a tank you are happy with by having one beautiful large Oscar and a handful of tank mates of other species.
40g per fish seems to be the minimum most people say, however, you can prob squeeze 4 in a 125 no problem
GTRV;3550131; said:
I would consider this "holding tank conditions"...
highly overstocked tank where none of the fish have room to "make itself at home" and establish a territory...
We've seen a few tanks that use this approach. It's not something I would want personally, as I like to (attempt to) simulate 'natural behavior'...
I would assume the owner of this tank has taken steps to prevent pairing... if not they got dar lucky, as if two of those fish paired off they would likely cause hell on the rest...
I would also assume this tank has a large sump and/or a very extensive water change schedule...
I will admit though, those fish look better than I would expect them to when housed such as this long term...
I think we shuold also warn people that the ration of failures to successes with set ups like this are many / 1...
i have 3 in my 125 and all they do is fight im debating on adding a 4th or waiting till one dies and have 2 cause its going to happen
like said before, only 1-2, a pair may form with more than that and they will need the tank to themselves
are ya'll talking about oscars or jaguars? a 125 can hold 2 jags but they are A LOT more aggressive than oscars.
the trick to oscars is to raise them together so that they're used to each other and they don't have to form a social hierarchy. the other trick is to get them to not pair off or to know how to handle them if they do. i would say depending on the personalities you could do around 4. if raised correctly oscars can coexsist very peacefully. its just a trick to learn.
the trick to oscars is to raise them together so that they're used to each other and they don't have to form a social hierarchy. the other trick is to get them to not pair off or to know how to handle them if they do. i would say depending on the personalities you could do around 4. if raised correctly oscars can coexsist very peacefully. its just a trick to learn.
