Basically i have been keeping a oscar for about two months now so i am very new to this game, i have kept all maner of fish before, catfish, plecs, barbs etc etc but obviously oscars are a touch different,especially this one!!

I know you have probably heard this before but she is approx 9" not a clue how old, she was, so the story goes, kept in a tank too small and her spine twisted, the guys at the fish shop rescued her, nursed her back to health and then put her on the market, pre me, she sold twice and was returned twice as she attached and killed tank mates... anyway, she is a tiger oscar and recently has coloured up lovely, suggesting she is happy.

I have a 190Ltr corner tank, with external filters now! which i was told would be fine but regardless i am upgrading to a 6 x 2 x 2.

Here is the nasty bit. The other night i inherited a albino oscar from a friend, its a babe, three inches but as the new tank is on its way in a week or so i took it, again, being free and needing a good home.

I decided to place it in the corner tank and the mature oscar went nuts!
(To explain, she didnt even react to the other fish going in with her)When the male albino went in, she started flairing her gills, mouthing it and rapidly changed colour, almost matching the albino, i have to say it was very impressive though very very scarey. I wasnt too sure what to do so i lifted the oscar out and transported it to my 4ft tank as a temp measure, which it and the larger occupants seem fien with... unfortuntely the ocar has decided it likes the smaller for its dinner!

Ultimately i wanted to pick anyones brains on the 6ft tank and having the two oscars in there as obviously the albino will need the space!

Is there anyway you can think of that these two fish, or mainly the large female may accept the other in a larger tank, i am thinking about putting some secure mango branches in so the smaller can find shelter away from her until she accepts it but considering her history i wonder whether this may be a non starter and i should stat thinking about two six foot bleeding tanks!!!

Thanks All, hope someone can point me in the right direction

good choice on a larger tank, you are right, for two oscars a large tank is a must.There are a few things you could try to help them get on but its all a bit of hit and miss. as with people if you dont like someone no matter where you see them you just dont like them and this could be the same with fish. you could try glass or plastic screen or clear egg cartons as a way to keep them apart. the fact there is a size difference maybe a problem but the small 1 will grow fast. put the small fish into new tank 1st and a wk or so later add large fish. or move your contents in corner tank,add new things,flower pots, any thing to make tank different from how it looks now. this is to make large fish feel not at home,if you get what i mean. as large fish would have set up a area it thinks is hers. put colorful things around out side of tank to take its mind off small fish. It may sound mad but it can and dose work. keep moving things around for a few days. give small fish a place to hide so large fish cant get to it..good luck

Thanks Marcus, thats a great help and reassuring to know. Lets just keep my fingers crossed when the new tank arrives... do you know anything about plants with then, she destroys everything that goes in the tank but i wondered about some form of hardy climbing plant, perhaps around teh mango branches?

Its all fun this!! problem is i absolutely love Oscars!!!!

plants are a it or miss thing with oscars. some dont bother with them but other totally destroy them. if i were you i would try first with artificial ones and if they dont rip them out then maybe try real ones. the only sure fire way to know is to try.

good day lambpie!

first, it is not establish size difference between
the two oscar. do not mix any two oscar if the size
of one is less than is 1/2 of the other. the smaller
fish will just end up to be another dinner of the bigger one.

2nd, make sure to feed them both before mixing to lessen aggresiveness.

3rd, introduce hiding place as previously recommended.
eventually, they will like each other if they are male & female.
if both male, they will establish territorial superiority, thus, banging
the smaller one once in a while.

Ta Very much for all the advice, its a great help... today i have decided to try and find someway of seperating the oscar that is in my four foot tank (The smaller one) as, for what ever reason it has decided it is not as placid as it first appeared and instead of eating normal food prefers the taste of my smaller fish!!! Hey ho, i guess i kinda expected that to happen anyway so i am not too shocked and lets be fair... as we all know, we love our Oscars more!!! regardless im still going to set up a temp tank just in case it sets its sights on the laregr fish too!!!

Does anyone know where i can lay my hands on a cheap second hand or even better a free tank, filters etc, i know you often find them coming up... infact thats where me 6fts coming from so keeping an eye out but just on the off chance????

Also!!!!! I mentioned before about the large oscar changing colour, i am really very interested in finding out if anyone 3else has ever experienced such a rapid change by one of theirs?

there are many things that affect oscar colors:
1) water parameters
2) foods and environment
3) maturity

when i had a lemon oscar, i noticed the sudden change in color
at their 14th month old when the golden yellow markings on the
side became noticeable.

today, my white oscars (but not albino), one of them is becoming
brown but the other one remains greyish white. no changes on their
eating and daily attitude.

Thanks, they are truely fasinating creature!! its was almost like she had a hit flush!!! anyhow... back to normal now being a terror so i guess all is good!!