Hi everybody.

I have a pressing question that has just occurred to me. It is not definite but I may be getting 2 more Oscars to add to my tank, I currently have 1. My Oscar is roughly 4inches so he is still a baby so to speak but I am worried about putting 2x2.5inch Oscars in the tank with him, I know that Oscars generally try to eat anything they can get in their mouths even if it is only partially. Can I keep these three in the same tank or will this situation end in cannibalistic tragedy? Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

thank you.

it all depends what size is your tank and would they have hiding places. I myself have a 14 inch and two 5 inch oscars in a 125 gallon amd they have actually al bonded together so it all depends if i where u id move stuff around in your tank first then add the other two just for the reason the 5 inch oscar has already set teritory let me know how it works out

provided your tank and filtration is big enough the introduction of more oscars(125 gallon +) isnt all that hard. like jd says try rearranging your tank and introducing the smallers oscar first then after about 1/2 hour put the bigger one in with them. be prepared for any bad fights that might occur and have a back up plan in case they really dont get along.

the biggest problem you could run into is when they become sexually mature if you get a breeding pair from the three the 2 that pair off could make life very difficult for the third wheel. have a back up plan on what you might have to do if this happens preferably somewhere to rehome the odd man out.

its not always easy to introduce another fish into an established tank but it can be done

I would advise only keeping two Oscars together. It's not a foregone conclusion that you would run into problems keeping three together, however, there is always at risk that you may have problems.

moving stuff round will be your best bet. i added a smaller oscar to a big oscar just a couple weeks ago and i found that feeding my big oscar a little more than usual helped them both get on. i think it was becouse he wasnt as hungry so didnt want to eat the little oscar. good luck

Oscars will eat anything they can get in their mouths, A 4 inch oscar will not have a big enough mouth to eat a 2.5 inch oscar.

All fish are different and some are more aggressive than others so nothing is guaranteed but i doubt you will have trouble introducing 2 2.5in oscars to a 4 inch oscar. As said the trouble could occur when they get bigger. Oscars are good without other oscars and are mostly good is kept in pairs from a young age. I have been told that when kept in a big enough tank oscars get on great in groups of six or more

Hi
If you get more then 1 oscar try to keep it in even numbers. Like 2, 4,6.
If you get a odd number then likley the other o's will bully him and maybe hurt him.
Just be careful b/c oscars are very territorial. The problems normally don't come until later on once they hit puberty(Maturity). They may get along great as babies but once they grow larger just watch out.
Amy:)