Oscar vs GT

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Smooth

Feeder Fish
Jun 16, 2010
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regina sk canada
First post on MFK but I have been browsing a while. Seems like an amazing site!


I need some recommendations on what to do about a situation happening in my 104g. Right now I have a 7" Oscar, 5 - 4-5" Goldfish, a couple giant danios, a small pictus cat, a few small corys and a large common pleco.

About a week ago, a friend was getting rid of his 5" Green Terror as he couldn't put anything else in with him, only from a 29g so I offered to take him. I was a little worried that Bosscar would take a chunk out of him, but as he has generally been nice to the other fish in the tank, surprisingly never eating the giant danios whom I always thought would have been a snack a long time ago.

When I first put the GT in the tank, Bosscar was all over him going after his fins but never biting, just showing dominance. This continued for the first 3 days with the GT just hiding in the plants most of the time.

Then the tides turned. I checked the tank Monday morning and what do I see but my flawless oscar with about 7 or 8 bite marks on his sides, and nipped fins. The GT now was strutting his stuff while the Oscar hid in the plants. Any time Bosscar would come out, the GT is on him.

They are still very aggresive towards each other and the GT is winning the war. Bosscar will get in position and open his mouth up, easily 3 times as wide as the GT and they will just stare at eachother faking little movements back and forth. Eventually GT will rush Bosscar and bite his lips! He holds on for about 5-10 seconds, unless I'm ready with my discipline stick, then away goes the ocscar to hide.

What I want to know is this, will they eventually call a stalemate? The oscar sides are healing nice so I don't think GT is actually biting him anymore but is still very very aggresive towards him. I really thought this problem would be the other way around. Do I need to separate them?

Any and all help is appreciated.

So sorry for the long post
 
Chances are it wont ever really stop. The dom. one will more than likely continue to bother the sub dom. This is just how these guys work the pecking order, Oscars are big and pretty but when push comes to shove they really cant stand up to a robust thick lipped fish like a terror. The most common way to keep cichlids in a community seting would be to cram them in the tank with enough tank mates that the aggression gets disperssed among all the many tank mates. In your case I would recomend you split them up, your tank is not big enough at 100 gallons to have a real central/south american communityt tank. The other fish you have should pose no real risk for you.
 
You could one or two more aggressive fish. I have a grow out tank full of some aggressive fish and for the most part my fish don't dominate another fish to bad. I think I have some many fish it helps spread out the aggression and maybe be something you need to do. Right now the green terror only sees your oscar as his rival so he will beat on him regularly and oscars are "dumb brutes"-not fighters like the green terror, dempseys, etc. Someone else may chime in soon but IMO if you want to keep both together you may need a few other aggressive fish and a few more hides.
 
I unfortunately can't rearrange the tank as it is a fully planted aquarium. I know the GT might end up snacking on or rearranging the plants but I can live with that.

As for adding the extra fish, I am expecting very soon to have 4-5 more adult africans from another friend who lives out of town. He wasn't able to describe them to me to know what exactly they are, but that could def help. The goldfish will be removed soon to another friends pond so i should have room for all of them.

I have been planning a tear down of this tank for a while to replace all the plants with rock formations, perhaps this is time to do it.

I'm reluctant to separate them as the one getting removed will only have a 10g to live in as non of them will be touching my new 240g. It's going to be a FOWLR pred tank.
 
i would get rid of the gt sell it give it away or get it a tank to itself.
 
You will need to split them up. This fighting will not stop. Africans in there is not a good idea---differant water requirements as well as food. Not a big fan of cramming fish. I know some get away with it but increase your chances of an ich outbreak. Get big schooling fish for the oscar or the terroor such as mascara barbs. They are cool looking and very fast.
 
sorry to say this but all oscars always show aggression which fisshes like gts cons, etc. dont like if a fish fights the oscar it will always win this same happens wit my oscar he is rly aggressive with non cichlid fish like needlefish but cichlids especially the more territorial ones can easily kill an oscar, oscars dont do well with aggressive cichlids like green terrors, red devils, jack dempseys
 
send the africans back or trade them in as soon as the arrive. give the oscar and gt some time with some new decor and see how that works. if they only lip lock for 5 seconds at a time i wouldnt be too worried about injuries. also cooling your temp may help stop aggression

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