Today i bought myself a gorgeous jack dempsey and 3 clown loach to go in with my 2 oscars.
problem is, which was my mistake, the jack dempsey is on the small side, (2inches) and my oscars are now about 5 inches.
i turned the lights off so they could settle but noticed that the oscars left the clown loach's (3inches) alone and went straight over to the JD, they have not attacked it but the JD seems really scared and is just sitting in the corner looking like a lost dog, i have changed my layout in my tank to suit all the fish but obviously its going to take time for them to get to know each other, do you guys think the JD will be ok?
i really didnt realise the size difference between the oscars and JD.
i'll have to get some photos up tommorow once i turn the lights back on.
do JD's grow quickly?
i know i should of got a bigger 1, BUT the little 1 got looked amazing and i fell in love with him/her straight away.
by the way, the clown loaches have made themself at home already lol

If your Oscar is 5 inches, and the Jack is 3 inches, I very much doubt the Oscar will be able to eat it, in fact I'm absolutely positive it won't. However, Oscars have got very big mouths and it wouldn't surprise me if they could get the Jack partially into its mouth. Once it's in there, it's not coming out until it's dead.

I'm talking from experience here, my Oscar grabbed hold of a 4 inch bristlenose catfish and would not let it go, it was too big for the Oscar to swallow but it was pretty mangled by the time it came out.

I had never Jack Dempsey's before so I couldn't tell you what the growth rate is. Hopefully it is fairly quick. The problem is, Oscars grow very quickly so a lot of fish if put in at a small size with baby Oscars don't grow as quickly, so can become a target for food a few months down the line.

Are you aware that clown loach can get very very big? They can reach 12 inches so do require large aquariums. On the positive side, they will take many years to reach this size so at least you have got time on your side.

yeah i have done loads and loads of research on clown loaches and i'll have an even bigger thank before their to big.
im just a touch worried about the JD now, i feel really bad for buying it knowing that its smaller than the oscars.
it still seems scared,(swimming in the corner)
I think he's big enough to not fit in the oscars mouth, but im worried that the oscars will grow alot quicker than the JD, then things can change.
so hopefully someone can let me know their growth rate.

the only ideas i could share is that try to re-arrange a.s.a.p.
the decor inside the tank to distort territorial domain of the
oscar. there is a big chance they will get along well. regular
feeding is a must to avoid oscar getting hungry.

jacks grow at the same rate as oscars!!

ur jack will be fine. they are really smart fish and know when to take cover. ur better off like this because jacks are more aggessive then o's, although at times (and sometimes not) they can be kept together. being that your jd is small you wont have to worry about him hurting your o. just be sure to put a couple nice caves for him to chill in and hes fine. oscars arnt as aggressive as people make them out to be, and he wont go hunting down the jack.

if i were u, id be more worried about ur clown loaches. although they are probally fine now, you need to remember that they grow veryyyy slow. and oscars grow very fast. by next year, your o will be 12 inches or so, and ur clown loaches will be 4 if your lucky. so thats suttin to worry bout. oh, dont forget about that jd who will be just as big as ur o by next year

let him get used to the tank, even then he'll still take cover, but he'll be protecting that spot

UPDATE....
Woke up this morning before the lights went on and noticed the Jack swimming around with the oscars, i was amazed.
after the lights went on at 9am, i noticed the jack went abit off again and swam into the same corner and is still there now, so do you think it'll be a good idea to leave the lights off today so he can settle better?
also, the clown loaches after finding a hidden spot under some sea rock, they have not come out since, they were there all last night and are still tucked away under there now.
would this be because of shock of new tank or because their scared of the oscars?
i dont mind them hiding for a few days until they settle but surely clown loaches dont hide away all the time do they?

the jacks i have in my tank no longer bother with any of the tankmates they are now with. the male did have a problem with my albino oscar when housed with him but since he was moved no more problems. as for how fast they grow like metalhead said they do grow quickly not as fast as an o but fairly quick.

personally i would be more concerned for the oscars than the jack. as he matures he will become more aggro but the oscar will have the size so it should be alright but you can never tell for sure.

give the loaches some time to adjust to their new home and you should start seeing them out and about soon.

since my last post, 1 of them has started coming out and swimming about but the other 2 are still tucked away, i'll just give them time.

tiiiime is on my side ...yes it is....(rolling stones)........... yes mate its a waiting game for a week or two ..

good song come to think of it.
yeah i know mate, 2 of them come out now and again but 1 of them wont come out for nothing.
its no rush though.

if you did "tons and tons of research" you would know you need at least 5 to 6 clown loaches in the same tank. they are schooling fish.

the largest clown loach on record is 11'' by the way... and named marge.

clown loaches love to hide when they arnt cruising the tank. i have this little house i made out of 3 rows of stacked rocks with a peice of slate on top theres this little ledge on the inside where 2 of them snuggle in. the other one usually swims around underneath the house. i wish my jack was smaller then my os when i got it. id probally have 2 very nice fully grown o's if i did