faunachic
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
would an oscar do better with a rainbow shark or a pictus catfish? i have him in with a pictus right now and he keeps chasing him around, so i was thinking about changing his tankmate. what should I do?
oscar tankmate question
- Thread starter faunachic
- Start date
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TCTFish
Aquarium Advice Addict
A pictus cat or a rainbow are potential food items. I've seen oscars suck down on kitties even with those nasty barbs they have. The rainbow sharks are nice and narrow...easy to swallow. A better catfish would be one that is bigger than the oscar's mouth and will stay bigger than the oscar's mouth. Synodontis cats are ideal. So are leopard cats, channel cats, black lancer cats and plecos. Rafael cats, though don't get really big like the others I mentioned, they are really spikey. They'd be able to hurt an oscar biting down on them. Though you still want to get one bigger than the oscars mouth to start off. An oscar can get hurt messing with some kitties whether they succeed in eating them or not. Keep in mind, the catfish that are compatable with oscars do get really big and a very big tank would be needed to house the adult animals.
BTW...I like your list of "critters"...mine are:
1 son
3 cornsnakes (somewhat intended breeders)
2 ratsnakes (intended breeders)
2 australian frilled lizards (intended breeders)
1 water dragon (rescue)
4 white's tree frogs (rescue)
1 sulcata tortoise
1 rat
1 spiny hamster
3 cats
1 dog
1 brazilian red leg tarantula
1 goliath bird eater tarantula
1 red baboon tarantula
1 pink toe tarantula
1 columbian giant red leg tarantula
4 bettas
2 reef tanks (one at work and one at home)
Isn't life such a zoo??? LOL!! I use to have ferrets when I lived in Jersey. I miss them sooooooooo much.
BTW...I like your list of "critters"...mine are:
1 son
3 cornsnakes (somewhat intended breeders)
2 ratsnakes (intended breeders)
2 australian frilled lizards (intended breeders)
1 water dragon (rescue)
4 white's tree frogs (rescue)
1 sulcata tortoise
1 rat
1 spiny hamster
3 cats
1 dog
1 brazilian red leg tarantula
1 goliath bird eater tarantula
1 red baboon tarantula
1 pink toe tarantula
1 columbian giant red leg tarantula
4 bettas
2 reef tanks (one at work and one at home)
Isn't life such a zoo??? LOL!! I use to have ferrets when I lived in Jersey. I miss them sooooooooo much.
faunachic
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Thanks. I will check into the different types of catfish you mentioned and find something I like. I believe I have seen the rafaels before and if they are what im thinking then i like them. I am planning on having a very large as soon as I get the money (which should be in the next few months).
I am looking into getting a whites tree frog someday, I think they are neat. I also thought about getting a sulcata someday, but not sure yet. I am hoping to rescue more ferrets soon. I have a huge cage (4'x3'x5' approximately), so I have plenty of room for more. They do make great pets.
I am looking into getting a whites tree frog someday, I think they are neat. I also thought about getting a sulcata someday, but not sure yet. I am hoping to rescue more ferrets soon. I have a huge cage (4'x3'x5' approximately), so I have plenty of room for more. They do make great pets.
AR15 guy
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have seen people who have kept oscars with all kind of catfish and pleco's fine. Even other cichlids much smaller than them. However, 9 times out of 10 a large oscar will eat anything and everything it can. Oscars are great fish...they just get to big and to aggressive.
My list of critters has gotten smaller lately. School and work tend to do that.
So here is my short list:
1 cornsnake
1 ball python
2 rats
2 dogs
2 cats
and 3 a 10 SW, 29 FW, and a 38 SW empty fish tanks. Actually they are all filled up with substrate and such. Ready for fish...just no fish.
My list of critters has gotten smaller lately. School and work tend to do that.
So here is my short list:
1 cornsnake
1 ball python
2 rats
2 dogs
2 cats
and 3 a 10 SW, 29 FW, and a 38 SW empty fish tanks. Actually they are all filled up with substrate and such. Ready for fish...just no fish.
ChileRelleno
Aquarium Advice Addict
Channel cats? Only if your going to be able to house them in a pond after a few years
....I would suggest some nice SA Cats such as the Jaguar Cat or Lace Cat, and then any of the larger Loricariidae's (Plecs).
Pictus can work with Oscars but they would ideally need to be adults.
With Oscars and other cichlids tankmates will always be dependent on the individual temperament of the Oscar.
ChileRelleno
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ultimately it'll depend on his temperament or his tankmates.
That said alot of similar sized cichlids are more aggressive than the average O, and care should be taken even with other O's.
a quick list of possible tankmates...
Various Cichlids, Bala Sharks, Tinfoil Barbs and other Lg Barbs, Silver Dollars, med-Lg Plecs, med-Lg Catfish such as Pictus, Armored, Synodontis, Shovelnose and ect, Clown Loaches... these and others are possible tankmates.
That said alot of similar sized cichlids are more aggressive than the average O, and care should be taken even with other O's.
a quick list of possible tankmates...
Various Cichlids, Bala Sharks, Tinfoil Barbs and other Lg Barbs, Silver Dollars, med-Lg Plecs, med-Lg Catfish such as Pictus, Armored, Synodontis, Shovelnose and ect, Clown Loaches... these and others are possible tankmates.
ChileRelleno
Aquarium Advice Addict
Additional excellent info here,
http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=2
www.oscarfish.com a nice Oscar specific site that I frequent.
http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=2
www.oscarfish.com a nice Oscar specific site that I frequent.
TCTFish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Shovelnose? Only if you're going to put him in a 500 gallon tank in a few years. LOL. I had to say it.
TCTFish
Aquarium Advice Addict
AR15 guy
Even your short list can be considered a zoo.
Even your short list can be considered a zoo.
faunachic
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
thanks everyone...u have given me alot of different options...im working on checking into them. oh yea, i might be able to get a 50 gal tank for free soon! That way he has a large tank for a good while till I get an even larger one set up.
