Oscar Help

[mrjames]

i couldnt resist buying my first oscar yesterday. hes just a baby and is no bigger than my thumb so no threat to my malawi tank atm. few questions tho:

!) i have a clown loach in my tank, and as you know they are very very slow growers so hes still only about 2 inches long. i know the oscar will overtake him greatly in size and will this mean he will become food?? because he will then be able to fit the loach in his mouth?

2) what cichlids can i keep with him in the long run?? i have a fairly large red devil malawi and a golden cichlid to that id love to keep. if he grows up with them like im planning will the be ok together??

3) last but by no means least. i have a kissing gourami in my tank thats about 8-10 inches (hes massive lol) will the oscar be a threat to him in later days because hes a fish i also seriously love n dont want to loose.

please help. thanks

james

 

[BigIan]

the clown loach should`nt become food within the next year or two. but when the oscar is fully grown unless the clowns alot bigger he may well be come food.

when the oscar starts hitting a foot or so in length he may well become VERY aggressive towards his tank mated but that all depends on his temprament, if he sees other fish as a rival he will atack them.

what size is your tank as when all those fish are fully grown its going to be VERY heavily stocked

 

[mrjames]

4 foot long by 18 high and wide. can anyone tell me what gallon that is??!! eventually i want to have another tank setup for my malawis and have a pair of oscars in my four footer.advice please lol!!

 

[cichlidmaster]

It's about 70 gallons (US).

Also, what is a "red devil Malawi"?? I am pretty well schooled in African and New World Cichlids and have never heard of this.

CM

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hmm, well 70g is just maybe almost big enough for 1 oscar..... and that's it. Your gonna need a much bigger tank if you want to keep all those fish, like 6'2'2 or something like that. Also Malawi and NW cichlids shouldn't be kept together as they have different requirements in water conditions.

 

[SamUK]

hmm, well 70g is just maybe almost big enough for 1 oscar..... and that's it. Your gonna need a much bigger tank if you want to keep all those fish, like 6'2'2 or something like that. Also Malawi and NW cichlids shouldn't be kept together as they have different requirements in water conditions.

that above covers it.


shouldnt really buy a fish jus because you cant resist it.


you need to have a proper home to keep it in.

 

[mrjames]

any thoughts on the kissing gourami??

 

[Miss Wiggle]

any thoughts on the kissing gourami??

well size wise it'd be fine with an O, but I don't think it's agressive enough to be able to stand up to an Oscar if it turns nasty. I wouldn't say it's a definate no no, but I do think it's risky. If it's a prized fish you'd be very sorry to loose, then don't risk it.

I'm sorry but I don't think you've thought this through enough, you shoudl always research fish before you buy them, and an oscar is a very bad impulse purchase. I think you have to seriously reconsider your stocking or get another larger tank.