Oscar Tank Mates

[thomas112393]

hey i was wondering if i could put one oscar and a normal jack dempsy or an electric blue jack dempsy in the same tank. the tank is a 75 gallon and i have not bought them yet but they will probably be babies when i buy them. thank you for replying.

 

[minxfishy]

Whilst young you can get away with it, however, once they start to mature, you will likely get some aggression problems and possible death of one or the other, ideally an Oscar will need a 75g tank ALONE, and a normal JD approx the same, due to their aggressive nature, size and territorial requirements, so trying to keep them both together in that size tank, once they reach maturity, is asking for problems.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Yeah, as minxfishy said it would probably work while they were young. My GT and Oscar worked together while young. But dominance issues have a very high chance of rearing their head, if not from the Oscar then from the JD.

The main thing with finding tankmates for Oscars is that they are big enough for the O to not even contemplate them as food (and they have a big gob!) but getting all stock as babies should cure that. Remember O's grow approx 1" a month, so maybe get the O last.

I keep two (soon to be 6 but not at adult size ) Severums with my O, and he never bothers about them. He often comes around the corner and they will change direction, but I would as well to be honest He doesn't chase them unless we're in front of the tank with food/it's dinner time. And then it's only a "get away I want the food", not aggression. Obviously you can have the odd exception, but I find the Sevs are docile enough to not challenge the O, quick enough to get out of the way if need be, but tough enough to hold their ground if needed. Though my Oscar is top dog in my big tank - if everyone else accepts that then there is no problem.
So, I'd recommend Sevs. Mine are still juvis, but a lot of other people keep them together as adults, and I am confident they will be OK.

Otherwise when adults they will not appreciate anything skittish, or fast swimming. They may feel threatened/challenged by it.

My O also gets along well with my Nicaraguan, but they have only been together about 3 or so weeks. So far so good.

TBH when young an Oscar will probably get along with most things, but within a few months you'd have to be prepared to rehome anything that wasn't getting along.

I must add that my O is in a 168g, so over twice the size of your 75g, which your O will need if they are to be kept with anything else. 100g minimum really.

What other fish do you like?

 

[arobinson1984]

Agree with what has been said already. If you are wanting an oscar in a 75gal then I really wouldnt put any other fish in the tank with it, just make it his tank.

Also what filtration would be on the tank? You'd need good filtration for an oscar, ideally rated double so look at filtrs rated for 150gal



Andy

 

[Verminator89]

As an avid JD keeper i have to admit i'd be worried seeing you keep one with an Oscar, IME the Jack Dempsey is nowhere near as aggresive as people have made out, they are actually shy and timid fish with big personalities when kept with fish that won't bully them. Don't get me wrong the JD will give as good as it gets when picked on, but an Oscar (which grows faster + bigger) ultimately isnt a good companion. Go with one or the other in the size tank your looking at, or get a bigger tank as ChilliPepper says.

 

[thomas112393]

well so far i havent even stared to cycle my tank yet but i was thinking about getting some kind of filter like the fluval 405 or fx5 for my tank (that are also not as expensive lol). would you guys recomend these filter or a different one. but on the tankmate thing i was just think that the tank would be boring and eveyone that i talked to says that their oscar is much more active with a tankmate than just in a tank by itself. but i might look into severums. thanks

P.S. i might be ugrading my tank to a 120 gallon in the future.

 

[hamfist]

Lots of good advice already administered.

Stick with one oscar and nothing else in a 75.

Another option, is a Flowerhorn !! Again a 75 is ideal for one on it's own. They will not be lonely, and will love you forever ! rather more active than an oscar. Still very greedy and owner interactive. Not better, just slightly different.

As for filtration. An FX5 is perfect for such a tank. A Fluval 405 wouldn't really be up to the job. For big, messy fish you need very good flow rate. The FX5 is pretty unbeatable for anywhere near the price.

If budget is mega, mega tight, and you don't mind a bit more filter noise, and slightly less flow, then these .... http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-external-filter-2000-l-h-9w-uv-1216-0.html ..... are almost as good as an FX5 and half the cost. Are noisier though.

 

[star4]

The fluval 405 is a good filter I run one on my turtle tank, now they are messy The all pond solutions filters are also very very good I run one on my 400l coldwater tank.

 

[hamfist]

The fluval 405 is a good filter

Agreed, but not for a 75 gallon with messy fish IMHO.

405 ... flow rate 850 lph

Allpondsolutions 2000 ... flow rate 2000lph

FX5 .... flow rate 2300lph.

 

[star4]

The 405 is 1300l/hr flow rate, unless you have the older grey model which is 1100l/hr

 

[hamfist]

The 405 is 1300l/hr flow rate, unless you have the older grey model which is 1100l/hr

Oh well. I just googled it. The page I got to was obviously wrong. Still not in the same league, flow wise, as the other two.

 

[star4]

The 405 is 1300l/hr flow rate, unless you have the older grey model which is 1100l/hr

Oh well. I just googled it. The page I got to was obviously wrong. Still not in the same league, flow wise, as the other two.

I got that page too when double checking, then found a couple of others with the correct rate. I admit the flow rate is not as good as the others, but I have found the filtration capacity with the sponges and baskets is excellent.

 

[ChilliPepper]

My Oscar is by far the most interactive and active fish I have. I haven't had him on his own, the opposite, he has been with a lot of different fish. I don't see how this would dampen his personality though, they like to be top dog, so tank mates just need to respect that.

Have a Google and type in 'oscar fish', the first result that comes up is a great website full of advice/experience.

An FX5 at LEAST for your Oscar. I'd recommend two externals, or a powerhead for more litres per hour, but cheaper than buying a new filter.
Honestly, the turds Boris produces are mammouth. And they will only get bigger You cannot skimp on filtration for these fish.

They are worth the extra work though, can't imagine not having Boris now, he is the ultimate 'wet pet'. He waits to greet me when I come downstairs, and always has something to 'say'.

 

[thomas112393]

i think i will just get an oscar for now not sure what will happen in the future and i will also check out the website that you recomended. also how would i put 2 canister filters on my tank. i looked it up on youtube and it showed me an instruction video of how to set the filter up but the tubes like stretched along the back of the tank. would i just have two of the filter sucker and two of the jets in my tank or is there a way to connect them together?