CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Hey everybody,
I'm new to this site, and generally new to fish keeping.

I had an oscar and 2 dempsey's in my tank, they are all quite small, they got along fine.  So I put 2 convicts in, they are slightly larger then the rest, even bigger then the oscar at this point.

Well they were in there together for the one night, then i came home from work and couldn't find my oscar, it had never used any of the shelter before, but it was hiding, and wouldn't come out.  I went out and bought a 10 gallon (i know small, but temporary) , heater, and filter, along with some MelaFix. 
So now the oscar is in the 10 gallon, and still looking kinda crummy, his black color has gone quite grey, and he's just resting on the bottom of the tank.  Was this the right thing to do?  or should i have taken the convicts out and put them in the smaller tank?
   Another thing, is now i'm worried about the dempsey's they're quite small compared to the convicts, should I put the oscar back in the original aquarium and put the MelaFix in there with the dempsey's included, and swap the convicts in to the 10 gallon?
thanks for any help!
-Miles

I should also say, that the oscar has torn fins and doesn't apear to have any flesh wounds.

HI, Milos, and welcome to the forum!  Convicts can be tough!  What size is the original tank that your fish were in?  How long have you had it?  Probably would have been better to put the convicts in the 10, but none of those fish can be kept in a 10 gallon indefinitely.  My concern with your strategy right now is that the ten gallon has probably not "cycled", and your Oscar may be in as much danger from ammonia and nitrite poisoning as he was from the convicts.  Please pick up some water test kits, and check those two levels daily for the next few weeks.  Ideal readings for ammonia and nitrite are zero for each.  How large is your Oscar, and how large are the other fish?  Approximate size in inches would help us give you better advice.  Meanwhile, change about half the water in that 10-gallon every day or so, and feed sparingly.  Good luck!

Hey, Yes I'm finding that out.  They can be mean!  The original tank is only 25 gallons.  Had it running for a week.  I have now put the convicts in the 10, but the dempsey's started beating on the Oscar, so I have them seperated in the 25 gallon.
   I took water out of the 25 gallon to fill the 10 gallon, so I image that it would be safe??
The oscar is maybe an inch and half, and the dempsey's are smaller then he is, maybe an inch.  The convicts tip of head to tip of tail, maybe 2 inches.

I know a 25 gallon is too small for the dempsey's and oscar, but I figured well they are so small that it would be ok and i'll be getting a larger tank in the near future.
The fish are also all new, and could be taken back.
   One of the dempsey's is now chasing the other around the tank, these things are tough!
So what I am thinking of doing, is taking the dempsey's back, clearly they will outgrow the tank.  I could put the oscar in the 10 gallon for now, and put the convicts in the 25.  I'm wondering tho, if there are 2 convicts in the 25, is that the limit of fish i can have in there?  Or is there more SA cichlids that would work with them?
Thanks for any help!

Why not put the convicts in the 10 gallon and the oscar in the 25 gallon?

Convicts grow to what? 4-6 inches? While your Oscar there is going to grow SUPER fast and be a 12 + inch beast. Oscar's do grow very fast.

I had 4 convicts in my 10 gallon tank for awhile and they lived comfortably. Your Oscar needs room to grow out in.

Your going to need a big big tank anyways. You should just get like a 120G or bigger tank and you can keep all 3!

this is the plan yes, and when the oscar gets big enough to defend himself i'll give him another go in the 25 gallon I think.  Unless i have the bigger tank by then.

I tried the convicts in the 10 gallon, and they lost all there color and just hid under rocks, they wouldn't come out to eat or anything.
So now the oscar seems very comfortable in the 10 gallon and the convicts look good in the 25 gallon.  And the Dempsey's are back at the store for now.
Thanks for the help!  I think it should be getting better from here.

Oscars, for all they get the reputation of being hard, are quite a mild mannered fish.  Your O will need to get away from the cons & the JDs.
Most ppl will recommend a 55g for an O, a 55g for a pair of JDs & around 25g for a pair of cons.  So I would suggest you are heading for MTS (multiple tank syndrome) or need to shed a few fish for the tanks you have, currently nothing you have is big enough for the O you have.  If you intend to keep the O, then, as Mark says elsewhere, you can have him in a smaller tank with good husbandry but I would prefer to keep my O in a larger tank with tankmates that he can 'bully'.  I have bully in apostrophes because they all know they are too quick for him !!