Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Baby tiger oscars

6K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  SeaHorse 
#1 ·
i recently bought 2 baby tiger oscars from my local pet shop, i have had them for just over a week and they do not seem to be settling in as well as i aould had hoped, they both came from the same tank at the pet shop with another 3 oscars in with them. they are both roughly 7 cm. one is slightly smaller and is getting picked on i can see like a 'fish fillet' on one of his sides.... also they are not as active as i expected. please help me i really would like to keep them together and make sure they have the best enviroment to live in
 
#2 ·
Oscars need very large tanks, as they get large, quickly. Oscars do best as a solo (large plecos make good tank mates in most cases) or in a very very large tank with a large group of them to spread out their aggression. Oscars can and will kill one another.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to TFK!!
I had 3 Oscars and 2 Bala sharks for many years in a 90 Gallon. Way too small for those 5 fish. Eventually I moved the Bala's and one Oscar died. So I had 2 in the 90. I would not do any less than that in tank size.
Yes come to think of it there was likely a Pleco in there all along too. Yes a good tank mate but equally dirty.

You didn't mention your tank size...? If your tank is reasonalbe I would have been inclined to start with 3 as in most cases you tend to lose a fish here and there. And might have aquired a m/f in that mix. JMO.
Good luck with them. Hope he pulls thru and they settle down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: smileyfuture
#9 ·
They are both doin much better unfortunately I think I had a small electric leak from the filter set up in the tank. I noticed with putting my fingers in the tank gave them a tingle I unplugged the unit then it did not tingle I replaced it and they already seem a lot happier... as for the smaller one and his sores I'm not to sure they seem to be getting better and i will be watching them closly .. he still swims a bit funny has a bit of a bob going as he moves forward but he only dose it Evey now and then.. correct me where I'm wrong but any info I have found on this happening says its just babies getting used to life the hang of things lol...
Also I am digging up on every piece of info I can get I really would like to understand my fish more

Thanks for the advice
 
#4 ·
I had great luck with my 2 Oscar's in my 55g plus a Jack Dempsey, Red Parrot, Raphael Cat, and Common Pleco. Its obviously not correct by the book, but it worked for several years with absolutely no problems. Some people will disagree, but I'd keep a pair of Oscar's in a 55g again without a doubt. Your tank just may be too small.
 
#6 ·
The above is a very bad idea all the way around, and I would be extremely surprised, if above tankmates lived but a few week's month's. The average person could expect a very high probability that the fish would be very short lived.(die of sickness from poor enviornment )
Seasoned aquarist's, as well as any book on the above mentioned fish would say as much.
OP is not wanting to know how to provide poor enviornment for their fish.
Do research the need's of the Oscar's either here, under our fish profiles,,, or nearly any other forum that cater's to large cichlids.
 
#5 ·
I have seen Oscars work as trios or with a few other large cichlids but every time I have ever seen two oscars kept together one ends up beating up on the other. When I kept two they got along until they were both over 12". Then one day the larger of the two got very aggressive. I ended up getting rid of the smaller one when he was literally chased out of the tank and on to the floor. That was in a 75 gallon tank. If I was going to keep then again I would probably keep 3 in at least 90 gallons.
 
#7 ·
^100% agree and I would not consider several years a long term success considering the life of these fish. The OP should not aim for bare minimum. These are living creatures that deserve a certain standard of living. 1 oscar should be in a 75 gallon minimum and for a pair 125-180 gallon tank. These guys get very large and need a lot of room and filtration.
 
#10 ·
I love Oscars! I think they are the big goofy puppies of the fish world. I did not choose them this time with this tank's set up because many years ago all we fed ours was feeder goldfish... and I didn't want to get into that again. I read recently that they should in fact not get those but get pellets. So I may some day get another. I would likely rescue a med sized one from a LFS if I saw one. Love them. (I'm kind of overrun with Mollies at the moment, but I've sold fish back to the LFS before and made some cash.)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top