[CoolHandLu]

I've got a sole baby Oscar (2.5 inches) in my 75 G tank, and plan on adding 4 or 6 dither fish - probably silver dollars, though I'm not sure. Plus a bottom feeder - probably a striped raphael (sp?). Given that stocking level, can my tank support another Oscar to keep my current one company? I've heard that Oscars get lonely - which sounds pretty anthropomorphic - and I'm VERY sensitive to overstocking a tank. Still, I know these animals are VERY intelligent and maybe this "lonely" business isn't so silly. Thoughts?
Brian
PS On another note - do I have enough filtration? I've got 2 Penguin 350s and a cannister filter (Eheim 2215). thanks!

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Personally I wouldnt do less then 100 for one oscar alone, and 200 for two oscars. No clue how big silver dollars get, but it seems a bit crowded already. Although, my moms ex boyfriend had a pike and oscar with some other fish in a 55 show tank, but he took terrible care of his animals. (The pike lived in a cooler its own size for a month for trying to kill the precious oscar, that all my mom could get her boyfriend to agree to do instead of just killing it.)

 

[Gump]

no raphael cat, it will turn out bad when the oscar gets big enough to eat it and it will try. and a 135 should be okay for two oscars. dithers should be fine while the oscar is small but once it gets 8-10" it should probally be alone in the tank or with a pleco or something like that. Keep cories, raphaels, and pictus cats away from fish like oscars.

 

[Daz]

Welcome CoolHandLu :wave:

Forget the dollars they can actually become quite nippy. For the bottom go for a Plec of sorts. just read the above post.

 

[CoolHandLu]

GalaxyGirl - that's a TERRIBLE story about the pike. What in the world are people thinking? Re: bottom roamer, I know that many pleco's can get pretty huge and they are pretty messy to boot. Any suggestions on smaller plecos (yet not so small as to become a meal when my Oscar gets bigger)?

And I hear ya loud and clear re: 75 not being big enough for two Oscars. 'Nuff said. Still, it would be nice for some color/flash to get a small set of schooling fish - is this still possible without overcrowding in a 75 w/one Oscar and a medium sized plec? I assume my filtration is ok, right?
Tanks! (pun intended)

 

[GalaxyGirl]

GalaxyGirl - that's a TERRIBLE story about the pike. What in the world are people thinking?

I know! I nearly cried when my mom told me that story. She didnt ever want to get in the middle of him and his animals (this was in the 80's btw), so she at least saved him from the front lawn where he was initially thrown. She couldnt do much else =/

Good luck with your oscar! I want pics if you get one, I absolutely love them.

 

[sxcsamman]

just my 2 cents
i disagree with oscars needing 100g each they need 55g with 75 being prefered. i think if you chuck on another filter go with the silver dollars i got a school of silver dollars with my o and theres no problem's and i don't think that they get lonely

 

[saint]

if you get silver dollars its recommended to get 6 or more, otherwise they tend to skit out.....

daz ive never known my silver dollars to get nippy... mine were just stupid tho.... if something startled them they would skit out and run into the drift wood or into the side of the tank..... thats why i gave them to my brother that had a few silver dollars aswell