Oscar Tank Mates?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Libpete said:
I put my oscar into my established tank when he was 3" long that included a 6" rts, a 5" featherfin cat and a foot or more long pleco.

A few months later he is 5-6" and living only with the pleco and the catfish. I moved the shark to another tank as you could tell he bricked it anytime he was close to the oscar although I never saw any attacks. Then one morning the shark had taken a beating, cut in a few places. I suspected the catfish until I saw this attack so I moved him out and he has recovered completely now and back to his old self.

Oscars are bad-ass. Anything that scares my rts is bad-ass. Featherfin and pleco seem to work fine and they are not bothered by him in the slightest.
Click to expand...

Catfish are usually good suggestions. But I was hoping someone could suggest a decent fish that are very passive, that get good color and size and aren't bottom dwellers.
 
Crazy mike said:
Either vieja or severums fit that bill but if you have a particularly wimpy Oscar even they can beat on it
Click to expand...

Vieja is a poor choice in my opinion. I keep many of them and they're much stronger, meaner, faster, and have more powerful jaws than most Oscars. This will be an issue if they lip lock, your Oscar will lose and possibly dislocate it's jaw. Oscars aren't known to have the most powerful mouths and are relatively wimpy when it comes to cichlids of their size. If they can bully it, they will. If they can't, they don't tend to do very well. Ultimately it depends on the personality of whatever fish you end up getting. I think severums, firemouths and silver dollars are good choices for non-bottom dwellers.
 
Psylant said:
Vieja is a poor choice in my opinion. I keep many of them and they're much stronger, meaner, faster, and have more powerful jaws than most Oscars. This will be an issue if they lip lock, your Oscar will lose and possibly dislocate it's jaw. Oscars aren't known to have the most powerful mouths and are relatively wimpy when it comes to cichlids of their size. If they can bully it, they will. If they can't, they don't tend to do very well. Ultimately it depends on the personality of whatever fish you end up getting. I think severums, firemouths and silver dollars are good choices for non-bottom dwellers.
Click to expand...
For the most part I agree but are you including melanurus/syn as vieja? Mine is a model resident in my 125 with sevs, bellycrwaler, ipoargensis and heckellii. The first month the melanurus was harassed by everyone then he outgrew them and started standing up for himself for a month, now there is very little bickering.
 
randy-s said:
how about 5-7 male congo tetras they are big enough to eat add flash and wont muck with the Oscar.
I have also seen Oscars hosed with large angel fish


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

Wouldn't try the angels unless the angels where already established grown adults and the Oscar was added as a baby. Even then I don't trust it


Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Chocolate cichlids are cool! Honestly just try it, see if it works, if it doesn't sell it try a new one. You could end up with the two coolest fish if you just tried them out. Fish can take fights and heal up anything can happen


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom