IMO Aro's under 8" are really delicate. I would grow the Aro on it's own til at least 10+" before adding any tankmates just to be on the safe side. Another thing is your 1.5" JD or Oscar will grow too slow to catch up to the 5" Aro's growth rate as Silver Aros can have a growth rate of 2" per month depending how u feed them. That meaning your JD or Oscar may become food...I've had Aros reach almost 2 ft in no more then 1.5 yrs. A friend of mine had a Silver Aro which grew from 3" to 2ft in just over a year but he overfed.. If I were you grow up the Aro in a seperate tank and if u really want tank mates grow them up in a seperate tank as well. Then when your Aro and tankmates reach a good size then put them together as long as your tankmates aren't too small for them to become prey.
If u really want tankmates get some bottom dwellers like birchirs, slower growth rate catfish etc. Less stressful for the Aro and less likely to have any aggression because bottomdwellers swim on the bottom of the tank while letting the Aro have it's territory at the top.
revert to previous posts small aro= no tankmates...NOT...small aro =small cichlid tankmates...it wont change...that is the way it is...just listen and understand...the repeditive questioning is why you were getting picked on...
