Tank mates for my recuse tiger Oscar

[Rivers Blackwell]

I recently rescued an albino tiger Oscar from a 60 gal tank overrun with algae and bad water quality. I put him in my partially cycled tank I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with. Currently doing daily water changes too keep ammonia and nitrites down. Normally I always fully cycle, but was an emergency. He’s 4 years old and about 14 in, he’s doing quite well and seems happy! The tank he’s in is a 90gal (24in tall, 18 wide and 4ft long), has a fluval 407 canister filter. Now my question is what should I stock with him? He had aggression issues with a large pleco in the past as I was told, but he doesn’t bother the feeder goldfish he came with, which I just tossed in with him for now as they were doing a good job cleaning up his messy pellet eating lol. I’m going to put them in my pond soon though. Any suggestions on tank mates? I have 2 juvenile dojo loaches that are going to need a bigger tank soon, so was thinking about putting them in there, but I got other tanks to set them up in if there are better mates. Thanks in advance!

 

[Stan510]

Oscars and Leporinus are a winning combo. They compliment each other in many ways..colors for one and more important both have a "If you leave me alone I will leave you alone". I remember the local public aquarium had huge 15" Oscars and 16" Leporinus together and it was a great looking aquarium.
If you get Leporinus? Try to get at least a trio..they like each others company.
In the same vein- Anostomus anostomus also does great with Oscars and they stay a more modest 6" when full grown. Very colorful fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

Please give him a gravel base and some rocks he can play with. Severums would be fine, better still another Oscar.

 

[itiwhetu]

Feeding Oscars feeder fish is a big mistake, it teaches them that if it moves, they can eat it. I never feed Cichlids live fish

 

[Stan510]

Why use feeders aka Goldfish? Oscars grow just as well on Pellet foods and other fish foods.