Oscar + Rainbow Cichlid

[Big Vine]

Yes, I'm housing a smallish 2-3" rainbow cichlid in with my 6-7" oscar.

Had a situation where my rainbow cichlid trio (which includes a spawning pair) needed to be split-up. The non-paired female was causing issues with the latest spawn (and also did so with the one before that), so I've chosen to put her in my oscar's tank.

Triton spent the better part of yesterday pursuing her.
It started out as chasing, but then quickly turned into stalking; oscar ambush-style. She has taken refuge in and amongst some semi-floating vine plants I have suctioned to the side of the tank above a clay pot. Sometimes Triton corners her into the clay pot, but then ends up calling off pursuit and turning around as soon as he realizes that she has just managed to squeeze through the hole in the bottom of the pot!

Needless to say, she is still alive.
If he ends up catching her and eating/killing her, then so be it (Jess, don't cry ). If she manages to live long enough for Triton to no longer consider her a meal---if that's even possible---then she'll be in there for the long-haul on "clean-up duty." The food scraps Triton leaves all over the tank are more than enough to sustain her.

BV

 

[FishGeek]

LOL. No worries BV Iunderstand.

 

[jessey]

BV, my red tail black shark is still alive and well in bobo's tank! i thought for sure he'd be a goner within the first week, but he hides when he needs to and bobo doesn't show much interest in him. of course, your girl could still become lunch at any time... but oscars sure are funny creatures!

 

[Big Vine]

That's good that Bobo hasn't consumed the shark...yet, lol. *thumbsups
I've basically told myself that any fish less than half the size of the oscar might as well be considered a meal. Might not become a meal right away, but I've mentally prepared myself for that eventuality.

BV

 

[Big Vine]

I just bought a small 1" male convict from PetSmart...
He was crammed in a small tank with 2 others (female, I believe) and a 4" RD!

So I guess you could say he's a 'rescue' of sorts, lol.

He will be going straight into my oscar's tank as soon as he's big enough (I've got him growing out in a 20 gal. long which he has all to himself). Assuming the rainbow cichlid lives, then I guess that would put an oscar plus two other cichlids living together in the same 55 gal. tank. Of course, the convict won't likely go in until I've upgraded to a 75 gal., because he'll probably be too small to add him sooner.

Hopefully I didn't just make a huge mistake.
BV

 

[Katie217]

BV...
I honestly think you did... no offence but you need to stop buying fish on impulse!!

 

[FishGeek]

You know all fish are different and maybe Triton will be ok living with another tankmate. Oscars arent mean fish, actually they are big wusses, and as long as the Convict can hold is own it'll be fine.

 

[Katie217]

im not saying because of agression, its more of bioload etc (even in the 75, 12" oscar + 6" convict + 3" rainbow...)

BESIDES...
dont you want Triton to be the center peice fish? Then I'd just have him alone...

 

[Big Vine]

Triton will still be the centerpiece fish.
A convict and rainbow cichlid (assuming it survives for the long-haul) won't add much in terms of bioload when you consider the amount of water changes I'll need to do just for Triton alone anyway. I'm up to the task, lol.

Well, what I can tell you so far based on what I've seen is that Triton has been 'stale-mated' in his efforts to catch the rainbow cichlid. He barely tries anymore. All he'll do is lurk around it and eyeball it, swim slowly toward it, and then be left helpless as the rainbow cichlid simply swims around/under some plants/decor. At that point Triton just moves about his business and gradually drifts away...

Adding a convict might prove a little trickier in the sense that the little 1" guy I picked up probably won't be big enough to add until Triton's a monster. That being said, I think I'll replace him with a larger male convict instead. So much for the little guy being a rescue, eh?

I think it's better this way---I have a feeling that introducing a 3-4" male convict now while Triton is 6-7" stands a chance of going smoother than later when he's had a few months to grow and is 10"+. I won't get to raise it from a baby like I had hoped, but at least I'll know when I go to pick him out that he's a good specimen.

BV

 

[FishGeek]

Well they way Im looking at it is everyone told me that it was ok to keep 2 Oscars in a 90G so why is it bad in a 75G to keep one Oscar and 2 small fish???

 

[Katie217]

Just not something that I would do...
to each his own...

 

[Big Vine]

It's all a question of bioload...
Your 'average' aquarist isn't typically prepared to consistently monitor nitrAtes and perform sufficient amounts of water changes in order to keep them at 'ideal' levels (which for me means below 20 PPM).

In a case where the aquarist is aware of the work required and is willing and able to carry out said work, then it simply becomes a matter of compatibility. And I have no question in my mind that an oscar, convict, and rainbow cichlid are compatible tankmates. Could the size (lack thereof) of the tank have a detrimental effect on this 'compatibility'? Sure, but not to the extent that I'd consider it an irresponsible setup to attempt.

BV

 

[Katie217]

well BV you say you will do the WC's now...but what about in a few months when the 2X weekly water changes get a bit tiresome?
its just something i'd strongly consider before adding more tankmates, who in reality, dont need to be there.

 

[Big Vine]

Tell you what, Kmuda has a thread called "NitrAtes: Show & Tell" (or something to that effect) over on the oscarfish forum. I've already begun posting a listing of the necessary information (see example below), along with a weekly pic of the test tube containing my API liquid test result for nitrAtes. I'll continue that on an ongoing basis.

Here's what I posted on Saturday:

Tank Size: 55 gallons
Days Since Last Water Change: 7
Amount last water change: 20%
Stocking: Oscar (6-7" TL)
Primary Method of Nitrate Control: Water Changes
Secondary Method of Nitrate Control: anubias, java fern

The posting for my next test results will also include 2-3" rainbow cichlid under the 'stocking' section, and is also likely to include ~3-5" convict sometime in the coming weeks (once the con has made it through a period of quarantine).

BV

 

[silver dollars]

You know BigV you can just keep the male convict in the 20gal and then consider getting a female and breed them? OR since the convict is a male and is aggressive/terratorial, you could put him in the 55G with the oscar and put the rainbow cichlid in the 20gal and think about getting another male rainbow? Just throwing out some ideas for the rainbows sake. But i would love to see some pics of the convict.

 

[Big Vine]

Some good ideas there, silverdollars.
Now that I've gotten an FM and a convict to add in with the oscar, I may very well end up moving the lone rainbow cichlid to the 20 gal. long (once the FM & con are done with their QT period). Or I may simply opt to trade her in somewhere and get something else altogether for that tank. Who knows?

I've got pics of the new FM & convict in another thread.
BV

 

[big54bob]

Id say ditch the con and rainbow and get a mate for the firemouth.

 

[Big Vine]

Bob...I'm all for 'pushing the envelope' when it comes to seeing what will work out in this tank, but I think adding a spawning pair would create a tad bit more chaos than I'm willing to deal with. Big difference between an individual FM and an individual convict with an oscar vs. a spawning pair with an oscar. Could it be done though? Probably...with a little luck. Then again, the same may be said about the mix I'm about to attempt.

BV

 

[FishGeek]

I was thinking the same thing BV. I think youd have a seriously beat up Oscar if you put a pair of Cons or FM in there. Oscars may be large but generally they are pretty wussy despite what you might think.

 

[Big Vine]

Yup, Triton's sheer size is the main thing he's got going for him.
He's got an attitude too when it comes to other fish in there, so hopefully that'll keep the con and FM in line long enough to establish a 'healthy' pecking order in there. No guarantees though.

The con seems like a war veteran of sorts, so I wouldn't put it past him to be capable of dominating in this setup. Then again, he's been co-existing fairly amicably with the FM thus far, so perhaps he won't turn out to be a bully. He seems so personable already...very 'dum-dee-dum' as he explores the tank and swims toward me at the front of the tank. I'm really taking a liking to him.

BV