Stocking A 150G

[nwcichlidnoob]

Hi all,
 
Just bought a 150 gallon aquarium (48 inch length) to house my one 2 inch tiger Oscar cichlid. He has been in his 55 gallon tank for all of 1 week and I am about to start cycling the 150 gallon soon. The tank will be filtered by a fluval FX5 canister. So here is my question: What in the heck should I put with this future monster?
 
I have read many different posts, but I would like some specific guidance on my tank being the 4ft version that is deeper than the typical 6ft tanks. I have read severums make nice tank mates, possible jack Dempsey's, Texas cichlid? I will probably get some silver dollars. Any advice on getting compatible mates that won't annihilate each other would be nice. Thanks in advance.

 

[sawickib]

Well since you have a taller tank your limited to less stocking, you could do some senegal bichirs maybe 2-3 i would buy them at about 2-6" at least but since you have a baby oscar i suppose baby bichirs could grow with him. I dont know much about cichlids, if you like geophagus and have a sandy bottom you could get 2 of those, and all that so i cant help much for the rest.

 

[Brahmza]

Geophagus 'Red Head Tapajos' would work alright in a tank that size. Severums would work well, too. I have both severums and the geo red heads in my 125g standard. Any non-aggressive fish that wont fit in the oscars mouth is a suitable tankmate, really, as long as they fit the water parameters/tank size.

 

[Wills]

Oscars are quite tough to predict sometimes, they can sometimes end up being in isolation in tanks because they wont tolerate any other fish in with them. Others are docile as anything and can be mixed quite well.
 
In my experience younger cichlids mix better than adults or sub adults, so long as they are not too small to be eaten by the Oscar thats generally whats best to add.
 
Assuming yours works out as an average, so not really passive but dominant enough to hold its own. I think 4 mid sized to big cichlids could be the best option for this tank that will spread the aggression out between the fish enough and its a good balance for the size of the tank. Severums can work, personally I would go for a Notatus or a Green, they are nice bulky fish and strong, I think things like Mouth Brooding Severus or Rotkiel might not be strong enough to deal with an Oscar. Geophagus are not the best tank mates as they are not that tough, and their jaws are not made for fighting with much stronger fish like the Oscar (should that happen).
 
You will be best off with all male fish as well, a mix of genders can cause problems, most cichlids can cross breed and create hybrids (its rarer in souths but can happen)
 
For me something like
 
1 x Oscar (male)
1 x Green Severum (male)
1 x Salvini (male)
1 x Jack Dempsey (male)
5 x Silver Dollars
5 x Hoplo Catfish
 
You could also look at getting some wild type Swordtails in there for top level dithers, wild type greens are quite big fish when adults and should be quite Oscar proof, as they breed the other fish will keep the population under control but you could get some surviving through to be adults. I would start off with 3 - 1 male 2 females.
 
Also your going to want to get an other FX5 on that tank. I have an FX5 and an FX6 running on my 135g 6 foot tank and my cichlids/ fish are not as big as the ones you will end up with. Its not too urgent while they are young but as they grow its going to be important.
 
Big big bog wood will be an essential in this tank to break line of sight - plants are going to get destroyed, Anubias and Java Fern may work but not guaranteed.
 
Wills

 

[AeonMapa]

Why not try for a breeding pair of Oscars? You can definitely get away with 2 if mated, and if they will tolerate each other, 3 Oscars will be within acceptable stocking ranges. A pair of Oscars will kill any tankmate possibilities though.
 
Like the others said, any semi-aggressive cichlid that wont fit in the Oscars mouth will work, and you can fit about 3-4 of them. Get them small as this greatly increases the chance they will tolerate each other when bigger. Nice choices would include the Red or green severums, green terrors, jack dempseys are all capable of holding their own but a bit smaller  so you could choose 2 or 3. Or choose one larger fish like a jaguar cichlid(relatively peaceful if unprovoked), texas, midas. two uarus could work as well, or chocolate cichlids
 
You could try something interesting too like a breeding colony of kribensis or convicts. They're small but can survive an Oscar provided you give them enough caves to hide in. And a breeding pair of these can very easily chase an Oscar off.  Just make sure that they don't overrun the tank!
 
Just be aware that all cichlids are unique and any one of those fish can prove to be a rogue that will take the whole tank for themselves, so be prepared to observe and take any necessary action.