Hi everybody, this is my first post on these forums as my fiancee and I are the proud new owners of two new tanks. The tanks were practically given away to us and we have been wanting one for a while, but we are complete novices at tropical fishkeeping. We were given a 4ft tank (48 US gallons) with the following fish: Gold Spot Plec, Silver Angelfish, Kissing Gourami, Jack Dempsey, and an unidentified yellow fish, silghtly bigger than the Gourami. We were also given a 2.5ft tank.
We were eager to add to the tank and bought a Red Oscar. We were told at the pet shop that this fish would get along fine with the others. I get the feeling that we were lied to, and that as soon as this fish is big enough, it's going to try its damnedest to eat the others.
At first it was bullied by the Jack Dempsey, which we knew to be a slightly aggressive fish, but she was nothing short of malicious towards the young Red Oscar. The poor young fish couldn't move out of its hiding place for fear of being chased, and very rarely ate. We seperated the Jack Dempsey and put her in the 2.5ft tank, where she actually seems much more happy. She is constantly burrowing and reshaping the gravel around the tank and it seems she wont stop until it is perfect to her needs. She is very calm now, and we can keep her tank at the warmer temperature that we have heard she prefers. We plan to introduce a new Common Plec to her tank, once we have raised one large enough not to be eaten in the larger tank.
However, the Red Oscar, once it had the chance to become familiar with the 4ft tank and its fellow tankmates, has started turning nasty. It snaps at the other fish, all of which are bigger than it, and sometimes chases them until it seems to get bored. Even at only 2-3", it has started trying to annoy the 8" Plec. The Plec doesn't seem bothered by it at all, but nevertheless the Red Oscar is disrupting the harmony of the large tank, and if we reintroduce the Jack Dempsey to the tank I fear the Red Oscar won't survive.
We want to continue adding fish to the tank, but we don't want to introduce any young fish to a hostile environment. Will we have to get rid of the Red Oscar? I see no other option if we want to add more fish, as the Jack Dempsey will probably attack any newcomers too.
Any advice will be much appreciated.
We were eager to add to the tank and bought a Red Oscar. We were told at the pet shop that this fish would get along fine with the others. I get the feeling that we were lied to, and that as soon as this fish is big enough, it's going to try its damnedest to eat the others.
At first it was bullied by the Jack Dempsey, which we knew to be a slightly aggressive fish, but she was nothing short of malicious towards the young Red Oscar. The poor young fish couldn't move out of its hiding place for fear of being chased, and very rarely ate. We seperated the Jack Dempsey and put her in the 2.5ft tank, where she actually seems much more happy. She is constantly burrowing and reshaping the gravel around the tank and it seems she wont stop until it is perfect to her needs. She is very calm now, and we can keep her tank at the warmer temperature that we have heard she prefers. We plan to introduce a new Common Plec to her tank, once we have raised one large enough not to be eaten in the larger tank.
However, the Red Oscar, once it had the chance to become familiar with the 4ft tank and its fellow tankmates, has started turning nasty. It snaps at the other fish, all of which are bigger than it, and sometimes chases them until it seems to get bored. Even at only 2-3", it has started trying to annoy the 8" Plec. The Plec doesn't seem bothered by it at all, but nevertheless the Red Oscar is disrupting the harmony of the large tank, and if we reintroduce the Jack Dempsey to the tank I fear the Red Oscar won't survive.
We want to continue adding fish to the tank, but we don't want to introduce any young fish to a hostile environment. Will we have to get rid of the Red Oscar? I see no other option if we want to add more fish, as the Jack Dempsey will probably attack any newcomers too.
Any advice will be much appreciated.