oscars and red devil?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
A

agea

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 28, 2011
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0
0
Toronto, ON
Hi everyone,

New with cichlids.... and I have 2 oscars ( tiger and albino ) I thought mostly all cichlids can co-hab so i just got a red devil today and put him in the tank and now the oscars are really bulling him around keeping the red devil mainly in the upper corner of the tank...since its the first day do you guys think this would stop? or it would continue on and on? if so I might have to give the new guy away....any advice would help...thanks again.... they are ruffly the same size 5" in a 75 gallon.
 
Don't worry, he will shred them to pieces once he settles down. lol

But to answer your question, most cichlids are aggressive and territorial and it's hard to get them to coexist w other cichlids, especially in smaller tanks. The Red Devil is one of the top 5 nastiest cichlids out there and it's commonly kept alone, in a 75 gal tank.
 
Tank is way too small to house all three fish. You should get rid of the RD before it gets really hurt.. I doubt the Oscars will let it live.
 
That's weird, usually RD's are bullying the Oscars, but I think that the red devil will hold its own by the time he gets settled.
 
How long were the Oscars in the 75g?? I'm sure they feel like that is THEIR tank and do not want to have another fish come into it. Oscars are not typically more aggressive than a RD, however some can be. The real issue here is that the Osacrs have probabley been in the tank longer and have already claimed it as their own. Keep a close eye as you may need to remove the RD, however if they decide to let the RD live with them you will need to watch the RD's aggression and the size of all three going forward as they all get up to 15" and will need a larger tank.
 
There are many cichlids that are extremely difficult to mix because of various reasons. Two Oscars and a RD in a 75 is a bad mix. As already stated, A 75 is a minimum tank size for a solo RD. Even if all three got along the size of the tank is way too small too last a long time. I personally would only keep one Oscar in a 75 as an adult. RD have a rep for being pretty aggressive and most people expect them to be that way immediately. But they tend to be timid in the first hours or days in a new tank, especially as juveniles. But once they feel comfortable they can be downright nasty to other tankmates. Smaller tanks make this even more of a possibility. Mine tolerates absolutely nothing in his tank, that includes my hands most of the time. Unless you have plans to upgrade in the future I would keep only one of those fish.
 
agea said:
Hi everyone,

New with cichlids.... and I have 2 oscars ( tiger and albino ) I thought mostly all cichlids can co-hab so i just got a red devil today and put him in the tank and now the oscars are really bulling him around keeping the red devil mainly in the upper corner of the tank...since its the first day do you guys think this would stop? or it would continue on and on? if so I might have to give the new guy away....any advice would help...thanks again.... they are ruffly the same size 5" in a 75 gallon.
Click to expand...

The Red Devil will be better off alone in a 75g for life.........The two Oscars will need a 100-125g to be healthy for the rest of their life..........My 6 foot 125g is the best footprint for a pair of Oscars.......
 
thanks everyone...i knew oscar grew quick but not this quick...1" to 5" in 3-4 months?? crazy i do need to upgrade the tank or maybe part some of them....thanks everyone
 
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