New Oscar...... Is This A Safe Match With My Other Cichlid?

[Scott MacAdam]

well i just got back from the pet store and i now have a very small oscar.... the thing is i also have another smaller cyclid and he is defenatley a bit agitated with the whole "New Fish in the tank" thing. well the Oscar is about 1 inch long and the other is about 3inches long(by the way.. this "other Fish" i'm not sure of the proper name but is is green/black and is rated to grow about 6 inches max and is defenatley a cyclid.) .... so i figured the oscar would be at a disadvantage from the start. so in he went with the other fish and at first all was fine and the kept to seperate sides but the "Other" cyclid started flaring fins and turned a bright green! this was when i became cautious...... so it swam over to the oscar and before i kenw it the little oscar had scared it off....... is it possible the oscar could be the dominant fish although there is a large size difference? also there was NO confrontation, no nipping..... he just turned around and the other fled like crazy back to it's hiding spot..... this is not what i had expected.... also i have a 10gal i COULD put the oscar in for a little while untill he grows an inch or 2. This is where you guys come in!!!! please give me some input!

thanks alot everyone!

 

[starrynightxxi]

i don't really know anything about cichlids, but it will help those that do a lot more if we know the tank size, and also if you could post a picture of the other cichlid you should be able to get it identified and that, also, will help with whether or not the oscar will be okay with it.

as for the oscar in the ten gallon, if he's little, then it should hold him alright but he would not be able to live in there permanently as they get way to big for a 10.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

yes i know that they get big so i was hoping the ten gallon could serve as a residence for about a month or 2 if needed. as for a picture..... maybe i can find one on google because i seem to have a SLOW camera that likes to take blurred shots! lol! i'm off to google!! BRB

 

[Scott MacAdam]

this seems to be very close except mine is MUCH darker but i remember when he was very small the he was about that color

 

[plantropimunity]

that picture looks like a kribensis. i would not keep an oscar with him, as the oscar will get to a size where the kribensis would make a tasty snack in between feedings. look at it this way: when i am lucky enough, i go fishing in the everglades. one of the fish i go for is oscars. i use flies about the size of an adult krib, and i catch more oscars than i can count. i would not advise keeping an oscar in anything less than a 55, with even that being on the small side. if i may ask, how do you know that your first cichlid will grow to six inches without knowing what it is?

all in all, oscars are awesome fish to behold, and i dont blame you for your interest. i dont see why you couldnt keep one that is only an inch long in a ten gallon for a month or so, as long as you are using that time to prepare a new home for the oscar. i didnt catch the contents of your tank, or its size. these details could help in helping you.

 

[SamUK]

yes i know that they get big so i was hoping the ten gallon could serve as a residence for about a month or 2 if needed. as for a picture..... maybe i can find one on google because i seem to have a SLOW camera that likes to take blurred shots! lol! i'm off to google!! BRB

you have an oscar in a 10 gallon?

in a month or 2 he would of doubled in size and youll need atleast a 55 gallon.

 

[Fella]

yes i know that they get big so i was hoping the ten gallon could serve as a residence for about a month or 2 if needed. as for a picture..... maybe i can find one on google because i seem to have a SLOW camera that likes to take blurred shots! lol! i'm off to google!! BRB

you have an oscar in a 10 gallon?

in a month or 2 he would of doubled in size and youll need atleast a 55 gallon.

I would recommend at least a 75g.

 

[SamUK]

i was starting small lol.


but yea 75 gallons is what youll need when he gets his growing started.


and he will.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

nonononono.... it is in a biger tank now but if there is any bulling there is a QT 10 i could put him in untill he is bigger by an inch or so then he'd be fine in the tank with the others..... that's all

i repeat.... NO oscar in a TEN gal! hahahaha! ( but maybe for a very short time due to his size (1 inch)

as for the other fish (possibly a krib......) well i remember getting it at walmart an looking at thier info sheets on it and it was rated for 6 inches.... the main reason i got it....lol.

i wanted a larger fish to put in a 30 long... he seemed a good fit... although now i've got a big tank with a few dojos and that Ciclid and of course the new oscar....... think he'll be ok??

today i saw the other start to dominate... he latched onto the tail of the oscar....... this is why i'm thingking the safest place for him now is the 10gal untill he's a little more mature..... any ideas??

 

[b.c.f.c]

it would be a great help to know what size tank the oscar is in at the moment?

 

[Scott MacAdam]

that's the thing..... not sure of the size.....lol i'll put the measurments into the calculator and come up with an answer later if i can ever find my measuring tape.......But i think he will be going to the ten for a few weeks because as of now he has lost a bit of his tail fin..... so i may look into rehoming the other ciclid for he has only givem me trouble...hahahah but he would make a great single fish.......so good looking... i'm not sure ... it may be fine once the oscar gets a bit biger and commands a bit more athority, if you know what i mean.... any ideas though

 

[SamUK]

find out what size tank you have and ID the mystery cichlid.


kinda important.


does it look more like this?

 

[Scott MacAdam]

nope... i'll try for a pic of my own...... give me a few min

 

[Scott MacAdam]

ok this is what i got.... sorry if they are blurry... keep in mind that he is very darkly colored in comparison to when i bought him some time ago.... if this is normal ... i don't know.... Thanks again guys!!

I threw 3 of them together in paint and saved it as one file... so here it is..

When he is lighter colored he is a green with a black stripe along his side paralell to his body length

oops i'll resize that

 

[jayjay]

It's spelt 'cichlid' lol not cylid.

Also 75g is minimum for 1 oscar alone IMO.

Put krib in google if it looked like the other picture you posted.

Also can't see the pic.