Ok, i have a 8-9 inch Oscar with some other bigger african cichlids in a 75 gallon tank. I have tried to make the tank look nice, but any kind of plant or "decor" i put in the tank, my oscar just goes into rage and flips it over or rips it up. I have been trying to think of ideas for a new set up that he wouldn't want to rip up. I was wondering if anyone has this same problem or if you guys have any ideas on what would look nice in there but still be pretty solid so he almost couldn't rip it up. Thanks!
Oscar Tank Questions
- Thread starter MaxRady
- Start date
Davo86
Cichlids, Catfish and Oddballs
firstly do you mean you have the oscar with other bigger american cichlids or as you said africans ?
the majority of plants aren't going to stand a chance with larger cichlids around however you could try adding plants that are rooted into bogwood or rocks, (a customer of mine has successfully done this)
african cichlids prefer a sandy substrate with rockwork and caves,
with larger american cichlids though you'd be better with a few pieces of bogwood, one or two plants and a few rocks,
the majority of plants aren't going to stand a chance with larger cichlids around however you could try adding plants that are rooted into bogwood or rocks, (a customer of mine has successfully done this)
african cichlids prefer a sandy substrate with rockwork and caves,
with larger american cichlids though you'd be better with a few pieces of bogwood, one or two plants and a few rocks,
yeah well i am pretty sure they are african...but i could be wrong. the fish i have are ablack tiger oscar, one that i know is an african cichlid (bluish with dark stripes) a firemouth, a couple of black convict-jack dempsey hybrids, an orange peacock, and a jack dempsey. I have sand in the tank, but just some fony caves and driftwood that dont look very creative. I want a more natural look to the tank but i am not really sure what they would like. i was hoping to find some ideas here.
Sounds to me your tank is overstocked. New world cichlids shouldn't be crowded. I would just have the oscar and maximum 2 other small cichlids in the tank. Say the oscar, 1 con and 1 FM. Rehome the rest as it will be much better for all fish involved in the long run.
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
it's a reality of keeping Oscars that the tank will not look how you want it, it'll look how they want it; Oscar's are right little trouble makers, notorious plant eaters and tank re-arrangers.
That being said there are some things you can do.
plants like anubius and java fern which are attached to bogwood or rocks tend to last better than others. Well established plants with a massive root system will also work better. We had a couple of big amazon swords that we'd grown on in a planted tank, transferred them to oscars tank and they flourished. The root system was about 10" long so it was well anchored into the sand and the plant was so resilient that it didn't mattter if oscar occasionally ate a few leaves from it. that being said he was much more tolerant of plants than most oscars are. Get really big bits of decor, we had some bogwood about 1.5 foot long. He couldn't shift that however hard he tried so it stayed where I put it.
Regarding the size of tank and stocking. a 75gal is really the minimum tank size for an Oscar, this means that you can't have a lot of companions in there with him, literally just like 2 other fish max.
You shouldn't mix african and american cichlids, they like different water parameters so you'll be damaging one or other or both of them by keeping them in the same water.
Also bear in mind that at 8-9" your oscar is still young and will most likely be relativley tolerant of other fish. Once he reaches 10" (approx 1 year to 18 months old) he's v likely to become agressive and intolerant of tankmates, anything that can fit in his mouth is gonna get eaten and he'll probably try with anything else. so depending on teh size of the con's and firemouth there's a chance he'll go for them.
That being said there are some things you can do.
plants like anubius and java fern which are attached to bogwood or rocks tend to last better than others. Well established plants with a massive root system will also work better. We had a couple of big amazon swords that we'd grown on in a planted tank, transferred them to oscars tank and they flourished. The root system was about 10" long so it was well anchored into the sand and the plant was so resilient that it didn't mattter if oscar occasionally ate a few leaves from it. that being said he was much more tolerant of plants than most oscars are. Get really big bits of decor, we had some bogwood about 1.5 foot long. He couldn't shift that however hard he tried so it stayed where I put it.
Regarding the size of tank and stocking. a 75gal is really the minimum tank size for an Oscar, this means that you can't have a lot of companions in there with him, literally just like 2 other fish max.
You shouldn't mix african and american cichlids, they like different water parameters so you'll be damaging one or other or both of them by keeping them in the same water.
Also bear in mind that at 8-9" your oscar is still young and will most likely be relativley tolerant of other fish. Once he reaches 10" (approx 1 year to 18 months old) he's v likely to become agressive and intolerant of tankmates, anything that can fit in his mouth is gonna get eaten and he'll probably try with anything else. so depending on teh size of the con's and firemouth there's a chance he'll go for them.
Davo86
Cichlids, Catfish and Oddballs
well your oscar, jack and jack x convict are all american cichlids whilst your peacock and unknown blue cichlid are african so i think firstly you need to decide which type you intend to keep, their requirements and natural habitats are simply too different for you to keep them together.
Also a fully grown oscar will need 75G so that will limit the space even more,
i would either keep the oscar and the firemouth and 1 of the con/jack crosses as shroob suggested
or keep the jack Dempsey, firemouth and the jack convicts.
darknirvana217
Fishaholic
Your best bet is to get large heavy malaysian drift wood pieces. Though he will still probably to move them, he may not be able to move them as much as lighter woods. Also as far plants go, Anubias Bateri seemed to work with mine. Its a srong hardy leaf plant that can take a lot of damage. If your not into real plants, try buying plactis plants that have gravel siliconed around the base. Some of my lfs sell these. They are difficult for fish to uproot and move around.
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