drunkendj Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 I purchased two baby oscar's a few weeks ago and I'm not sure what other types of fish they can live with. There in my 20 gal but soon im moving them to a 75 gallon tank. Can anybody help me? So far in the tank I have two iridescent sharks and 2 plecos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzig Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 (edited) IMO, 2 oscars in a 75 alone. i have 2 oscars in a 90g (most likely same footprint as your 75), and consider that a bare minimum size for 2 full grown oscars (with optimum filtration). also as oscars grow older their attitudes towards eachother change. the 2 i purchased were of the same size 2" and got along great, as they grew to about 5" one of them started to establish dominance. They both get along but now have territories to which they seem to respect. I have read multiple posts about 2 oscars having to be seperated or divided due to aggression increase as they become juvies. One more thing is that oscars are very messy and heavy on the bio load so a strict water maintenence routine is a must. Opt for a good HOB + canister combo or 2 good HOB's and be ready to do a min 50% PWC's weekly. If you do house oscars with tankmates try to keep it to similar sized c/a chichlids. It would mainly be tank size/ fish temperment dependant. Also ID sharks grow well over 2ft in length. For Oscars specifically i have found this site very helpfull http://www.theoscarspot.com/ Edited February 26, 2007 by Danzig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkendj Posted February 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 (edited) K thanks. Another question. If I got cichlids as tanks mates for the oscars, how much is suitable? Edited February 26, 2007 by drunkendj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzig Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 I wouldnt add anything, but if i had to recommend, ide say 1 smaller convict with a good hiding spot. Maybe when your oscars are 6"-8" you could add a mating pair of convicts provided there are caves for them. While oscars grow quite large, they generally arent as aggressive as most other cichlids just hungrier lol.If you do add any other cichlids to their tank, make sure the oscars are larger and make sure the other fish isnt bite sized. the rest will be territorial/fish temperment dependant. Oscars are prone to Hole In The Head disease which is why i suggest optimum filtration, HITH diesease is due to poor water conditions, hard to fix, and often fatal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkendj Posted February 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Thanks for all the help. How much do convicts go for? Also, are they the most common cichlid? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 It's been my experience that oscars kept in too small a tank can quickly turn nasty....... I wouldn't put the oscars, sharks and plecos all together in a 75, not without several spare tanks ready to go anyway. And like Danzig said, just because they get along as babies, doesn't mean they will get along when puberty strikes. My oscar shares a 90 gallon with a pleco, and he's occasionally a bully, but nothing like when they were both in the 10 gallon! (typical newbie mistake) As for buying convicts or other cichlids, if you're in Calgary, try Gold's on 17th Ave. Price-wise, not sure, but I would expect under $20 each. Hope that helped, Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 You should update your info in My Controls to include your location. If it happens to be Grande Prairie, I have a convict or two you can have for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murmade Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 (edited) I would have to say even just the 2 Oscars in a 75 is overstocked...1 adult Oscar alone requires 55 Gallons of water to handle the waste given off, you may think you have a lot of time before they are fully grown, however they can average 3/4 to 1 inch per month of growth, and growing to a total length of 16" ish. A common 75 gallon tank is usually 48x16 so at fully grown his nose and tail will touch each side of the tank.Think of it like making two rotweillers live in your bathroom. At 16" they would be just over a 1/4 of the length of your tank. If you were to see how quickly mine runs out of room while pacing the glass you may reconsider. I have a 4" Green terror, a 4" Peacock, & a 11.5" Oscar who is just 1.5 years old, in my 90 gallon, I have 2 aquaclear 300's plus a cascade 1200 canister filtering my tank, In order to keep my water quality in check, I have to change 30-50 gallons of water per week plus full gravel vac. (and some days it looks like I took a crap in the tank---sorry poor taste but true)not to mention I'm constantly on the run from hole in the head disease, every now and then if I get slack with my maintnence you can see his nostrils start to erode. so I'm now very fussy with my water changes. I'm not trying to scare you off Oscars but rather I'm sick of going to many pet stores and seeing traded in Oscars that are 10" long with hole in the head disease, because people wern't prepared to house them. On that note my Oscar is the coolest, most personable fish I have ever seen, and would not get rid of him for any reason :thumbs: It's like having an underwater puppy dog. You'll get hours of enjoyment from them. As far as tankmates,I've had luck with convicts, salvini's, Green Terror, Even an African Peacock, as well as pleco's(careful with the plecos, they are crap factories and get big....quickly) all of these fish were 2" long and added when my Oscar was 7" long, but They were in the 90 before my Oscar so There were no initial territory issues. I hope this helps, Good Luck, I hope you enjoy them! Oh yeah check out www.oscarfish.com Oh yeah and the ID sharks get huge, If you are in Calgary, go to Pisces they have two in the giant display tank, they are around 2 feet long. I had one from a baby up till he was about 8"( 1 year) They are fairly blind( poor poor vision), scare easily, and once scared they dart around the tank at 10000 miles an hour, smashing into the glass till they Knock themselves out, or die, mine shot himself out of the tank one night, right through the lid where the waterfall is at the filter on the back. I found him the next morning, dried out on the floor, three and a half feet away from the tank. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=172 Edited February 28, 2007 by murmade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpty Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 2 oscars, 2 id sharks and a pleco will be overstocked when they get to full size. Oscars will be around 12", pleco the same or biger and id sharks can get even bigger then that. You will have a hard time keeping the water in good condition, if you can mangae to keep all those fish full grown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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