Parrot Fish With Oscars, Dempseys, And Convict?

[Jackiee]

I have a 5" long parrot fish,
i'm thinking about buying a tank from a man who wants to get rid of his 2 oscars, 2 jack dempseys, and 1 convict with the tank also.

Would they kill the Parrot fish?
And would they even be able to live together?

 

[TheDarkGoby]

Well, even if they weren't aggressive towards each other, I'd imagine an african cichlid and South American cichlids would have in-compatible water chemistry.

Also, the aggression would probably depend on the size of tank you have, and the type of decor you have.

Other than that, I don't know if I could help you further due to my limited knowledge of Parrot Cichlids. Hope this helps!

-TDG

 

[Jackiee]

Well, even if they weren't aggressive towards each other, I'd imagine an african cichlid and South American cichlids would have in-compatible water chemistry.

Also, the aggression would probably depend on the size of tank you have, and the type of decor you have.

Other than that, I don't know if I could help you further due to my limited knowledge of Parrot Cichlids. Hope this helps!

-TDG

It would be a 55 gallon tank.

And correction, he has 3 Jack Dempseys, not 2. oops.

Both of his oscars (one black and orange, one albino) are 9-10 inches long.
2 of his Jack Dempseys are about 4 inches long; One of them is 5-6 inches long.
His convict is about 3-4 inches long.



He's willing to sell his 55 gallon tank to me, with a stand, including the fish, along with the gravel, filters, heater, and decor for 175 because he wants it gone. It's a great deal!

I've seen pictures of all the fish, the tank, and the stand, but I'm going to check it out this weekend.
I'm a sucker for Jack Dempseys and Convicts (even though I prefer South American New World Cichlids)
but I really don't want them to kill off my parrot fish.


If I only decide to take the Albino Oscar (my favorite), 2 of the Jack Dempseys, and the convict, would it be possible to add certain South American cichlids to the tank later? Such as rams and some other New world Dwarf cichlids?



I've looked up online the water paramters for both oscars and parrots, and they overlap together, so I don't see why they wouldn't be able to live in the same tank if there end up not being any aggression issues.

 

[Proxo]

175 is a very good deal, think i need to get myself bargain hunting

Isnt 55 gallon a little on the small side for 2 oscars, 3 jacks & convict?
I'm a noob when it comes to oscars but i see alot of posts with people saying 75g Minimum.

I'd guess the jacks would be okay in there, depending on the sex of them..
but like i said, i'm a noob here and still learning to become master fish keeper hahaaa

 

[Jackiee]

Hahah, yes I thougth so too.. Just the oscars alone is 20 inches of fish. If I even took any of the fish, it would probably only be the one albino oscar, a jack, and the convict. But that's taking a risk of them beating up or killing my parrot fish. I found this bargain on Craigslist by the way! It's a good place to look. I posted a "wanted" ad just last night and have had numerous responses already just within that time period. I'd prefer a 75 gallon anyways. As tempting as this deal is, I may pass it up to push for a 75 and keep my parrot safe.


My original idea consisted of having some Discus fish, angels, etc. anyways and that'd be completely out of the question with Oscars and what not in the picture.

 

[Sussex Cichlid]

There is no way in hell that is ever going to work. 55g is minimum for one Oscar. I wouldn't think of putting those fish together in any thing less than 120g. So I think you have done the right thing in deciding to pass on this deal. Shouldn't this be in the New World section?

 

[TheDarkGoby]

I second. An Oscar needs a minimum of 55g, and then if you have them in a 55g tank, they need to be alone.

 

[Jackiee]

I did pass on the deal,
he does have his tank way too over stocked and those fish were just too big.
I've decided on a 75 gallon now anyways.

And sorry, I don't know why I added this into African cichlid, I thought I posted it in South American. oops.