Oscars....?

Question

What type of aquarium environment is best, tank mates that do well with Oscars if any,# of fish total in 10 or 20 gallon tank,Oscars are currently about 2-2.5 inches(will move up to 55 gallon tank within 9 months or so),and anything else you think might be useful to know ??

I do not have any Oscars right now at all.I am just in the gathering information stages of things at this point.Felt this would be a good place to get some feedback on different fish to see what might be a fit or might not be. :)

Answer 1

You can't really keep anything else in there. A 55 gallon tank will hold ONE full grown oscar as a minimum. You don't list how many you have but you'll need a much bigger tank and sooner than 9 months. It's not just the size of your oscars, it's the amount of ammonia they put out. They are messy eaters (decaying food particles) and they, themselves, put out a lot of ammonia through urine, feces and respiration. You may be stunting them now..which can cause health problems. I have a 2" oscar in a 40 gallon long (same footprint as a 55) and will be upgrading in about 3 months for him.
You should read the article below from the oscarlovers website to brush up on your pet.
Compatible tankmates and their sizes are: synodontis catfish (7"), black lancer catfish (8"), clown loach (12"), tinfoil barbs (12" AND schooling fish), silver dollars (6"), severums (12"), jade eyed cichlid (6"), chocolate cichlid (12"), pumpkinseed (5-7"), banded leporinus (8") and sometimes Jack Dempseys (10").
The thing with oscars is that they're territorial...but not really aggressive. They'll eat smaller fish that they can fit in their mouths so you needed a larger tankmate. Unfortunately, many of the SA cichlids are not just territorial: they're MEAN. And oscar just isn't. They need to be with other fish that can stand up to them sizewise but won't be attacking and stressing him. That brings us to HUGE tank sizes just to establish territories and be able to keep the water parameters healthy. The oscars should also be smaller than tankmates when first introduced as they will grow MUCH faster than their roomies.
I love mine though :) I have a gold severum and a Dempsey to move into the bigger tank when they're a bit older.

Answer 2

A 55 is generally considered a great tank size for one adult Oscar. Two would be a tight squeeze indeed. A 10 gallon wouldn't hold even one for more than a month or so and a 20 for maybe 6 months.

Oscars are large and are territorial, but they are far from the most aggressive fish around. Good tank mates would include other South American Cichlids a bit smaller than the Oscars, such as Firemouths or Jack Dempseys. That said I would personally keep Oscars in a species only tank.

If you start with a group of young Oscars, expect a pair to form as they mature. When a pair forms, even large tanks will not keep tank mates at a safe distance. If you are only going to have room to house 1-2 Oscars, it's better to start with only that many and prevent the fighting that would otherwise occur. Or be prepared to remove adults and take them to a new home when the pair forms. Here's a link to a good forum about Oscars.
http://www.oscarfish.com/

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 3

I have a 55 gallon tank with an oscar and he is about 6-7 in. Do you feed him pellets or smaller fish? we feed ours pellets and we have two headstanders they are about 2-3 inces fully grown and a sucker fish and an emerald cat fish and a shovel nose cat fish. They all get along really well. I would recomend only putting 2-3 fish in a 10-20 gallon tank. and People at fish stores will tell you 1 fish per every 5 gallons. I hope that helps.

Answer 4

A pair of Oscars need a minimum tank of 75 gallons. They will grow to be big fish and they are messy. They are best in a tank with no other fish. Please do not put 2 Oscars in a 55 gallon tank.

DO NOT feed them feeder fish from the pet store. These things are riddled with diseases. If you feel you must use feeders (you don't have to) only use those that you breed yourself and you'll have less of a chance for disease.

If well taken care of they can live 10-20 years.

Oscars like to feel secure, so provide hiding places. You can make small caves out of rocks. If you use river rocks, you need to boil them for at least an hour before putting them in your tank.

FILTRATION, FILTRATION, FILTRATION. Get the absolute biggest and best filter you can afford. This is not something you should skimp on or it could have disastrous effects to your tank and your Oscars.

Oscars like to jump when they get excited. Be careful when feeding them as they get older as they can and will jump right out of the tank. Make sure you have a good, secure lid or you may come home one day and find your friend on the floor...not a pleasant thing.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Before anything, you need a bigger tank. Minimum of 70 gallons for 2 Oscars.

Answer 7

Get a large tank. Decorating it in an American theme would be nice (osars are American) but a random tank is OK. They would go well with large catfish. Nothing small except for food. Do not feed it worms too many times or it will get addicted and eat nothing else.