Oscar is attacking my turtle

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m1ste2tea

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 17, 2009
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Syracuse, NY
Hi folks, I need some suggestions here. I have searched this site and have found little helpful info so I'll just get down to the point in a new thread here. My 8" tiger oscar is beating the crap out of my 6" Red Eared Slider turtle. He's biting the turtle and literally pushing him from one side of the tank to the other, wiping the ground with him in other words. There are no other tankmates.

the tank is a (overstocked) 55 gallon, filled all the way to the top, with a 18" tall canopy for the turtle and the emersed plants (riparium style). I have an oversized canister filter that cycles the tank 8-9 times an hour so the water is nice and clean.

aside from the obvious overstocking concern, I was thinking of putting in a dither fish in the tank for the oscar to give chase to, so as to not take it all out on the turtle. 3-4 medium sized, fast swimming fish that can distract the oscar and if need be the turtle.

first i was thinking of bala sharks, but they get too big and I dont want to super-overstock

silver dollars?

other cichlids?


any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you
 
You have already stated what most people are going to tell you. A 55 is only big enough for the Oscar, and that too may change in time depending on how big it gets. The Oscar wants the entire tank as its territory. It will probably continue to give the turtle a hard time. As for dithers, go for something in a group of at least 6 that will stay at a moderate size. You definitely don't want Balas or the larger growing Silver Dollars. I wouldn't try any large cichlids either, the tank is too small for another big fish. Some people use Convicts of the same sex as dithers. Breeding Cons will only add more trouble for you. If your Oscar is intent on having the 55 to itself, it may go after what ever else you place in there. But I would definitely remove the turtle. An Oscar should at least have a 55 to itself, possibly even a 75 for life. You will hear different minimal sized tanks for an Oscar, but for their adult size I believe that a 75 should be the minimum.
 
I just watched the video of your tank on Youtube. Are the three 5"-7" Koi, goldfish, and 6" Pacu in there with the turtle and Oscar or was that video of the way the 55 used to be? I assume that it's an old video since you asked about adding dithers. I just wasn't sure.
 
yeah I sold the koi to a person with 2 ponds and the pacu to a person with a 260 gallon tank.

I am also talking with my wife about getting a bigger tank for the turtle and the oscar in the future, I am thinking of either a 135 or a 150 gallon tank, but that wont happen for maybe another half a year. What do you people suggest for in the meantime?
 
i still say your tank is overstocked and not enough room for anymore fish let alone the turtle...... tbh i dont think turtles and fish should be mixed.... either sell the turtle or the oscar........
 
m1ste2tea;4643920;4643920 said:
yeah I sold the koi to a person with 2 ponds and the pacu to a person with a 260 gallon tank.

I am also talking with my wife about getting a bigger tank for the turtle and the oscar in the future, I am thinking of either a 135 or a 150 gallon tank, but that wont happen for maybe another half a year. What do you people suggest for in the meantime?
Click to expand...
In six months your 8" Oscar will be a lot bigger. If you grew him out you know this already. You have to give that Oscar a tank to itself while you're waiting for the bigger tank. Six months is too long to keep the turtle and Oscar together in a 55. Remove the turtle or the Oscar. You can't keep both in there for 6 more months. The Oscar is 8" and beating your 6" slider, imagine what will happen over the next 6 months. It won't get any better. The O will become even more confident with its growing size.
 
Go to Kmart or Walmart and buy a cheap kiddie pool. Add a big rock or brick to the center, fill with water, add a light that shines on the rock and voila. Should look something like this:
P1010015-2.jpg

I had sand and rocks in there... bad idea.. would have been way better as a bare bottom with just one big rock in the middle for the turtle to crawl out on.
Make sure you place in the garage or somewhere your cats/dogs cannot get to.
 
Contrary to what some say, I believe a 70 gallon is the minimum for an Oscar. Also, dither fish are not meant to be chased. If they are being chased then they would be considered food, not dithers. The purpose of dithers is to calm your fish because in the wild schooling fish are a queue to other fish about how the surroundings are (safe or not).

Oh, and I wouldn't get any dithers until getting a bigger tank. I would also recommend putting the turtle someplace else because Oscars are super messy and so are turtles. It sounds like a breeding place for disease as you have it now.
 
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