Oscars...friends or foes???

[Punkymom]

Ok, I recently had no choice but to move my Oscars from my 55 gallon into my 26 gallon temporarily. When they were in the 55 gal, the Tiger was constantly picking on the Albino. As a result of this, the Tiger is already almost 3 times the size of the Albino no joke! So I put them in the smaller tank a couple days ago and have not noticed any aggressive behavior between the two of them except for once when they startled one another and almost banged into opposite sides of the tank. I've been debating getting rid of the Albino one for obvious reasons. The fighting being one of them and the other reason being the fact that sadly the Albino is only my second favorite. So anyway, do you think this buddy stuff will last, or is it pull together and lets be friends because we don't know where the hell we are kind of things and then we'll hate each other again once we're comfortable??? BTW for those of you who are wondering, I'm doing bi-weekly water changes on it...25% so that's 200% a month. I think they'll be good on that regimen.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Even if the oscars aren't that large yet, 26 gallons doesn't provide much "roaming" space. As a result, there probably isn't enough territory for either to feel territorial about. My guess is that once they're back in the larger tank, the tiger will once again begin asserting his territorial bullying on the smaller fish.

Of course, these are cichlids we're talking about- so who knows what they'll do: they may wind up being best friends.

 

[kenor33]

I don't think they'll ever be buddies, it seems to be just a temperary passiveness because of the new environment and being netted. Every Oscar I have seen once he figures out that he can bully others and intimidate them has always gotten worse over time. plus the size difference means there's no chance of the Albino ever gaining any ground on the Tiger. just my 2 cents

 

[Punkymom]

Sorry I haven't been able to respond sooner. I haven't seen them fight yet, but now the Albino one has a torn fin and it's rather bloody. I could've happened just by him getting startled, but there aren't really any sharp edges unless he got caught somehow on the Pleco's dorsal fin. I doubt that's what happened. I don't know what to do...anyone want an Oscar???

 

[Fishalicious]

Bi- Weekly 25% water changes adds up to 200% a month? I'd think 50% a month. Correct me if im wrong or misunderstanding.

Dan