Best tank mate? 7 Inch Male oscar.

[ChaosTropicals]

Guys ive been dying to find a tank mate for my oscar. I have the tank space for 2 more but i only want one. should i get another big oscar or what?

 

[notenoughtanks]

What is your tank foot print?

 

[ChaosTropicals]

What is your tank foot print?

125 gallon 60 x 18 x 24
Its my big show tank downstairs where guests and visitors come in.

 

[notenoughtanks]

Well I had a decent post wrote and my **** phone died ...

Long post short

I've done Pictus cats with my oscars in the past .. They get around 5 inches or so ..

I've seen ppl do Firemouth meeki with them , 5 inch mark

convicts but they will multiply fast and they can be quite nasty when spawning ...

I had a buddy that has same size tank with Oscar , JD , and a GT ..

I'm sure others will chime in but in my EXP the cats worked fine , just what ever you do make sure you have over the top filtration ..

 

[notenoughtanks]

Wanna add Pictus cats are active and fun to watch lol

 

[Fishy Smell]

I'd suggest a decent size Con and Firemouth. Just don't get a pair of cons as pointed out. If they are quite a bit smaller than the Oscar but way too big for him to swallow you should be on to a winner. He will then not see them as a rival or as food.

Featherfin cats are perfect for the bottom.


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[Mogurako]

Personally I'd do 6-8 hoplosternum thoracatum, school of larger tetras like columbian, bleeding heart, diamond and maybe a 2-4 Aequidens portalegrensis.



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[Freakgecko91]

Agree with Mog, especially on the hoplo cats


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[Jmunroe]

8 silver dollars. Low bioload. Eat Oscar poo as well. 2 oscars in 125 gallons require a couple 50% at least, water changes a week. I also had one oscar and 9 silver dollars in the in the same tank and had the same bio strain on the system. Required the same amount of water changes. I now have one 12 inch oscar, one 12 inch pleco, and a small male HRP in the 125. Back to doing a 75% water change every 4 days to keep param's in check. Your 5 foot tank is going to be restrictive for territory. That extra foot of a 72inch 125 makes a big difference for territorial fish.

 

[Mogurako]

No fresh water fish eats another's poop, I'm sorry but that's the craziest thing I've heard.


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[notenoughtanks]

No fresh water fish eats another's poop, I'm sorry but that's the craziest thing I've heard.


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LoL , that's a +1 comment

 

[mikem691]

No fresh water fish eats another's poop, I'm sorry but that's the craziest thing I've heard.


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LoL , that's a +1 comment

I could possibly see this happening if the Oscar is eating a high veggie diet and not processing it all. But yea seems kind of not likely.

 

[Brookster123]

If anything it's gill filtering for the food??

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[Jmunroe]

No fresh water fish eats another's poop, I'm sorry but that's the craziest thing I've heard.


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Silver dollars will eat oscar poop.. Fact. Ask anyone who's ever kept them together. One of the reasons they are so popular together. Oscars only partially digest their food, silver dollars are pigs and will eat anything. This makes for a good combination. I was skeptical as well until I kept them with oscars for the first time. Myself and several members of our oscar site have kept or still keep them together and you never see oscar poop. They will grab it before it hits the sand. I had to get rid of my dollars since my oscar tried to keep them cornered all the time and that took away from their quality of life and my enjoyment or I'd still have them.

 

[sayan]

Silver dollar, pleco, synodontis catfish, giant danios, severum, convicts are some good tank mates for oscar

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[Mogurako]

Silver dollar, pleco, synodontis catfish, giant danios, severum, convicts are some good tank mates for oscar

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I would avoid plecos and synodontis cats. Plecos because they will only add to the bioload and oscars are very prone to HLLE. Snyo cats because I have witnessed on multiple occasions cichlids being hurt by the large spines that the cats have when the cichlids try to pester them.


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[ChaosTropicals]

Do you guys think my 6-7 oscar would eat 1 inch convicts? i see them as a late night snack tbh lol but if u guys think it would work im willing to try it.

 

[Brookster123]

That would be pretty cool, a self-sustaining buffet...

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[Mogurako]

Breeding pairs of Centrals are pretty mean SoBs and there's a very good chance they can do serious harm to even a larger fish like the Oscar.


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[Jmunroe]

I had a female convict that was 1.5 inches in my 125 gallon with 2 oscars that were 9 inches, and she picked on them. I now have a male HRP that is around 4 inches in the same tank with my wild caught oscar that is 12 inches and have no problems. HRP is calmer and better looking in my opinion than convicts if you can find them in your area.