Oscars

[Bob marley]

is it better to introduce oscars to other tankmates and other oscars when there young or bigger? going to my lfs soon if not tmorow

 

[indigoj]

definitely when the oscars are smaller - what tank mates though? and tank size?

 

[arobinson1984]

Agree with IndigoJ here, need to know tank size and tank mates.

Oscars need at least 75 US gallons and double filtration.

It wont matter whether you put them in first or last, they will still eat any fish small enough to fit in their mouths and as the oscar grows you'll be surprised what fits in its mouth, no more small fish lol

Andy

 

[Spishkey]

taken from another thread you started
"i have already 1 Oscar 1 JD 1 tex 1 bala shark and 1 bristlenose. there all around 5 cm except for the bala shark who is 10 cm but they are in a 45' 18' 18"

that tank is not big enough for one full grown oscar, let alone 2 plus tankmates. one oscar alone needs minimum 75g (some say 55g but id say thats too small and you'd need to do a hell of a lot more water changes)
i know youve said you'll be upgrading in the future but we hear that so often, then the person never upgrades for one reason or another, then the fish get too big/hit maturity/start fighting/kill each other etc, its just asking for trouble. oscar grow extremely quick, going by your stock now you would have to upgrade to AT LEAST a 125g tank within the next month or two just to keep the current fish happy. that oscar aint gonna stay at 5cm for long

 

[River Dog]

Spishkey is right, when you take adult size into consideration, you are already over stocked. Unless you are experienced keeping a cichlid community is not always a good idea. The fish you have are very territorial and could kill each other, if not enough space is given.

 

[shelaghfishface]

100% agree with spish here.. your being offered extremely good advice so for the fishes sake take it.. we see abused oscars all the time, its not pretty and in a few months when you would be "proudly" posting pics of yours all crammed in.. well ,no one is going to be in the slightest impressed,what im saying is that its easier to walk away from temptation that it is to get bagged for it later!!

( Bo the oscar in my sig, he was kept in cramped conditions before i go him, he has permanent fin damage from it- probably due to having to keep them raised to swim over other fish-he also behaves very oddly in the dark.. i assume that when the other fish in his cramped tank fought with him) but without sounding like a marter i dont spose many people wouldbe willing to take on a "2nd hand" grumpy abused 12 inch monster fish, with issues!! so think on! )

 

[indigoj]

Shelagh, Bo's story is such a great example of why people should think carefully before getting BIG fish, you should do a journal with pics from when yuo got him to now as a reference tool for people thinking of getting Oscars!

 

[Bob marley]

a 4 foot aquarium tank maybe small but i dont expect to keep them in a 4 footer only till there a little bit bigger im getting a 6 or 7 foot by 2 x 2 for bout 800 australian dollars as a birthday treat to myself ive said in other threads ill be getting a bigger fish tank just anothe rmonth now and ill be buying 2 canister filters for it so yer i hope its good enough

 

[indigoj]

wait until you get the tank - then consider stocking - too many people say they are getting a bigger tank and then the unexpected happens....