Schooling fish to go with Oscar

[Acorno]

I plan to do a 125 gallon tank with 1 Oscar and some Senegal bichirs. Do you have any ideas of schooling fish that I could use with oscars? I would prefer something that you don’t see every day. So nothing like silver dollars or tinfoil barbs please.

 

[Ichthys]

I wouldn’t keep any schooling fish with oscars.

 

[GaryE]

Oscars are hunters, so any shoaler would be under serious stress. Plus very few people have tanks large enough to house shoalers that would be able to stay away from your predatory fish.

 

[Acorno]

I thought silver dollars would work because they’re too big to be eaten and a school would spread the aggression out.

 

[Byron]

I thought silver dollars would work because they’re too big to be eaten and a school would spread the aggression out.

I'm afraid it does not work like this. The Oscar's aggression will not be "diverted." And the stress this will cause any shoaling fish is cruel. Don't do it.

 

[Ichthys]

Dollars are the usual choice, but think of it from their angle. They’re trapped in a box with a big cichlid which as far as they know could turn on them at any time. Their movements are pre-determined by wherever the Oscar is. It’s not a great life for the dollars, or any open water fish.

 

[Acorno]

Could I possibly put something more aggressive, like convict cichlids or jewel cichlids with the Oscar?

 

[simonas]

I've kept dollars in with Oscars before and my old big Jaguar that was 14.5" with no issues at all. The dollars were about 5" across. Not sure what size your oscar is but dollars grow quickly as well as the oscars

Saying that your tank isn't that big and a shoal of dollars gets quite large and can be very skittish

 

[Acorno]

I don’t have an Oscar yet. I’m planning the tank beforehand, so that I can have the tankmates grow before adding the Oscar.

 

[Ichthys]

Convicts or Jewels? …. totally different water requirements. Choose fish that suit your water. And these are both aggressive cichlids. If they breed they have it in them to send the oscar cowering to the top corner wanting out. Choose from more peaceful cichlids such as Rainbows, Acaras, etc, depending on your water.

Smaller cichlids can work. Give them places they can escape to if they need to, which they probably won’t, if they’re too big to be eaten.

Btw, juvenile Oscars are far more likely to be problematic than adults.

 

[Acorno]

If I switch the Oscar for a carpintis could I keep jewel cichlids with it?

 

[Ichthys]

If I switch the Oscar for a carpintis could I keep jewel cichlids with it?

Carpintis need hard water, Jewels need soft water. Google is your friend.

Apart from that, Centrals are a whole different league of violence compared to a mild mannered Oscar. Any tankmate would be inside its territory and at risk.

 

[Acorno]

Okay I decided against the aggressive centerpiece fish and plan on doing an angelfish tank with other peaceful cichlids like keyholes or a Severum in the 55 gallon tank I already own. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Colin_T]

Festivum cichlids get along with angels.

 

[Byron]

Agree, they are sometimes found together in the habitat. Which brings to mind, we have not been told the tank size (dimensions especially) nor the GH/pH.