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I just need to know because i plan to get me a 55-75 gallon tank if i get a 75 then ill get 2 o's if i get a 55 then ill get a o with a catfish but i need to know which catfish is a good partner for a o

Originally posted by daoscar
I just need to know because i plan to get me a 55-75 gallon tank if i get a 75 then ill get 2 o's if i get a 55 then ill get a o with a catfish but i need to know which catfish is a good partner for a o

Your best bet is a Pl*co -- However, put your new Pl*co in while the Oscars are still babies! That way, as the Oscars grow, they won't munch on the poor Pl*co. If you put a Pl*co in with grown Oscars, SNACK TIME!;)

--Mark:cool:

i have a 2 3/4 inch oscar is that still a baby

that sounds small enough.

Basically if an oscar is put ina tank while its still young with another fish it would normally eat, the two grow up and they become friends if you would.

It would ignore the fish it grew up with so to speak.

Basically get the pleco in now and the o will grow up with it and make it a friend and not lunch as mark says

I wouldn' bet my life on that. If the pleco gets big enough, he can hold his own, but to maintain a degree of peace, it's best to provide a refuge or 2 for when Oscar gets grouchy. IME if Oscar can eat a tankmate, he probably will sooner or later.

Originally posted by DanRad
I wouldn' bet my life on that. If the pleco gets big enough, he can hold his own, but to maintain a degree of peace, it's best to provide a refuge or 2 for when Oscar gets grouchy. IME if Oscar can eat a tankmate, he probably will sooner or later.

I wouldn't bet my life on it either -- however, even though there are exceptions, I've found it to be true! Here's a quote from my website:

I went over to an LFS and purchased a baby Oscar, about 1 inch in length, and brought him home and put him in a 50 gallon tank that was already occupied by a Blue Gourami, who was, at that time, about 1-1/2 inches in length. Of course, over the next 12 month period, the Oscar grew to about 5 inches and the Gourami stayed about the same size. The Oscar never bothered the Gourami, nor did he act aggressively at all. I assumed, then, that Blue Gouramis were ideal tankmates for Oscars. Filled with confidence, I went down to the LFS and got another Blue Gourami, brought him home, put him in the aquarium, and -- ten minutes later he was being digested by the grateful Oscar. But then, to my amazement, he continued to leave the first Gourami alone!

True story! I even accidentally repeated the experiment:( with a pair of Giant Danios and an Oscar named Ricky recently. One Danio is long gone, but the other little feller is Ricky's best friend!

I can't find any literature on this trait, but at my website I've received quite a lot of email through the years from Oscar keepers with similar experiences. Also, quite a few times I've suggested putting in Pl*cos with baby Oscars to newbies, no one's ever gotten back to me with sad tales. So, I don't know why it works, but it always seems to!

YMMV -- (Your Mileage May Vary --)
We all know, though, that as soon as we think we've nailed down a consistant Oscar personality trait,:D an Oscar will come along that proves us wrong! But I think, for the most part, this is true.

--Mark:cool:

I added an 8" tiger O to my 90 gal which already had a yellow lab, a pleco, and a pictus cat, and a 5" dempsey. They have all been living together peacefully for about 4 months. No one bothers each other. I dont know if I have a docile O or what.

Originally posted by runedawg
I added an 8" tiger O to my 90 gal which already had a yellow lab, a pleco, and a pictus cat, and a 5" dempsey. They have all been living together peacefully for about 4 months. No one bothers each other. I dont know if I have a docile O or what.

I think it's the 90 -- plenty of room, poquito aggression. My only concern is the Pictus, they are so hyper that they seem to irritate Oscars. He may end up taking dives towards the Pictus eventually!

--Mark:cool: