I plan on having a single baby Oscar, 2”, in a 125 G and am considering a companion fish or two. I was given a 4-5 yr old Jack D and a Tiger Oscar that are terrific companions, however I find the Jack D to be a rather sedate bottom dweller. Are there other compatible species?
Good companion (s) for one Oscar?
- Thread starter Jacky12
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes, a lot. You can try Severums, Silver dollars, Red Hooks, Firemouth meekis, Acaras, porthole cichlids, arrowanas, parrot cichlids or Rainbow cichlids just to name a few. Then there are the catfish species.
So, a lot of choices.Andy, what do you think of this? I have no plans of using live fish but am curious. A few people told me to never use feeders in my tank with one Oscar and other species. They said the Oscar Will quickly outgrow the other fish & devour them! They said to use raw shrimp and the like. Makes sense to me, does it to you?
Yeah, the responses I received at FB were pretty much the same as yours. I did find a good Oscar group.
Yeah, the responses I received at FB were pretty much the same as yours. I did find a good Oscar group.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
If their concern was the Oscar outgrowing it's tank mates then they had the wrong tankmates with their Oscars. I've kept Oscars with other fish and fed the TANK live feeders and everybody did fine because they all grew at basically the same rate. As I've said about live feeders, they are not a necessity if you can furnish the nutrition that they supply by other means. Oscars are like aquatic garbage cans. They eat whatever they can find. It's not the food that you feed that makes them grow as much as how much food you feed. It won't matter if it's shrimp, pellets or live foods, the fish will grow based on their nutritional intake. In general, fish that grow up together don't usually eat their tankmates when they get enough other food. So if you start them all off together small, the odds are in your favor of success. All the fish that you mix should grow to a size that no one in the tank can eat by swallowing whole.
The best you can do is to feed a multitude of foods so that the fish do not get accustomed to eating only one food. When you feed only one food, the day WILL come when that one food will not be available and THAT is when you will have troubles. Fights can break out, fish get moody, territorial disputes get exacerbated, etc. all because the fish is hungry.
Make sense to you?
Not really. I must be missing something. What fish grow at the rate of an Oscar? I understand they can grow an inch a month. I have severums & parrot fish & they don’t grow that fast & will never get as big as the Oscars. I’m unfamiliar with other species mentioned.
Are you saying the smaller companions would soon get too big to be swallowed up?
I will be certain to set up a full buffet for everyone!
Are you saying the smaller companions would soon get too big to be swallowed up?
I will be certain to set up a full buffet for everyone!
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
The growth rate of most cichlids is fast when young but slows once they hit a certain point. For example, Jack Dempseys and Jaguar cichlids grow quickly to about 4-5 inches then their growth slows so they may not reach maturity until 1 1/2- 2 years. Green terrors will grow quickly to about 6 inch then slow. Texas Cichlids also grow quickly to about 4 inch then slow. Arowannas will outpace Oscars but they are also larger than Oscars at maturity. The key is not necessarily how large they get but the shape of the fish. As long as the fish can't fit into an Oscars mouth, it's growth rate shouldn't be an issue. So compare the shape of your Severums and your Oscars. Sevs are usually too round to fit into the Oscar's mouth even when small- medium size. Obviously, the bigger the Oscar you have, the larger the Severum should be. You also need to match the aggression level of the tank mate. A more aggressive fish specie will be better able to hold off a faster growing Oscar if it tried to eat them. A more passive, slow growing specie may not do so well with a larger Oscar. So there are good tank mates and poor tank mates.
Hope this explains it better.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
In my opinion, Arowana should not be kept in aquariums. They grow to 3 feet long and jump. They are regularly found dead on the floor or rolling around the tank after sustaining a head injury hitting after hitting the coverglass.
Some Ocars will accept tank mates, others won't. Adding fish to an Oscar's tank is risky and doesn't always work. So you need to monitor the fish closely for aggression and remove the newcomber if it looks like it's in trouble.
Some Ocars will accept tank mates, others won't. Adding fish to an Oscar's tank is risky and doesn't always work. So you need to monitor the fish closely for aggression and remove the newcomber if it looks like it's in trouble.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Good to hear no nibbling! My new 8 yr old girl Pink refused some nice fat scallops I offered her. I had to fish them out of the tank with a net. They were diced into nice bite size chucks. I’ll try shrimp next time, and only a single morsel
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
We all have different opinions on Arowanas. Large tanks can handle them. There are many hobbyists these days with "monster" tanks that can handle large fish. A 6' tank is fine for raising one as long as you understand that at some point, it will either need to be rehomed or your tank upgraded to a longer, wider size. Yes, they do jump but it also can be said for Oscars ( as I told you of mine) so if you use netting or screening on top, there's little chance of concussion or floor flopping. ( Sorry mr. cat.
)
There is the myth that when an arowana jumps out of its tank/ pond, its sacrificing its own life to protect its owners.
The way I heard that myth is before the aworana made the leap, she carefully constructed a hoist to return to the tank with the Christmas Turkey or a puppy.
I don’t think I’d want a fish that would outgrow a 6’ long tank, but I was just chatting with a guy who installed an above the ground 1000 G pond in his basement for Oscars. He says they have clear side viewing panels.
I don’t think I’d want a fish that would outgrow a 6’ long tank, but I was just chatting with a guy who installed an above the ground 1000 G pond in his basement for Oscars. He says they have clear side viewing panels.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's a good one Aiken. Never heard that before.
If anyone who wants to keep one does their research, they'd find out that they jump out of the water for the bugs they eat. There are tons of videos and spots on nature shows that show this. I haven't heard of any protecting their owners, short of their size scaring an unaware intruder
LOL
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Like I said, there are a lot of monster tank owners these days.
I've even been toying with the idea of a 950 gal tank for a school of Altum Angelfish. Mature ones are 18"-20" tall ( tip of Dorsal fin to tip of Anal fin) so you properly need a tank 3'-4' tall.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's the plan.
Or else I need to clear out a large section of the last hatchery to make room.
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