Youve got yourself a melanochromis for sure. it looks to me like a male auratus during his color change phase. not a good tankmate for your oscar at all.
the mbuna, the group to which your mystery fish belongs, require a high ph. i keep my mbuna tank at 8.0.
they also require a good deal of rockwork full of caves.
the auratus, or any melanochromis for that matter, are some of the most aggressive cichlids there are.
i have one in my tank, which is a 55 gallon, and i truly can say from experience, that they are incredibly beautiful, even during color changing when they turn almost black. i can also say from experience that when this fish makes up its mind to terrorize your tank, and it will, you will question whether or not you want it anymore at all. i recommend that you take both the cichlids back to wherever you got them and stick with smaller community fish if you have anything less than a 55 gallon tank. if you can, get a 75 or larger even.
otherwise, get used to fish dying. forgive me for being that blunt, but it is that simple. i speak from experience. cichlid mixing is an art form of sorts, and it requires that one take into account size, body shape and coloring, diet, habitat, water parameters, aggression, region of the world down to specific sections of the same lake at times i.e. mbuna and haps, which dont usually mix in a tank but live in the same lake, and various other factors.
i realize this could all be taken as negative, so i hope that you understand i have good intentions here. cichlids have been frustrating me for years, and i know i have more to learn myself. i encourage you or anyone to research thoroughly. with the right setup, these are amazing fish. good luck and keep up the questions. i read somewhere once, when you know everything there is to know, you will be ready to start learning. i couldnt agree more
/www.africancichlids.net/Malawi/Mela...terus/index.htm
