What does everyone think about adding fish from different areas that oscars inhabit, like mbunu, gouramis, loaches, etc. I've heard countless arguements where people disagree, but I want to here what you guys think.

Thanks, Artemis

Yes, a lot of debate about this. I have kept various fish from different parts of the world with no problems whatsoever. At the moment, I have got Oscars from South America, jade eyed cichlids from Central America, catfish from Africa, and Clown Loach's from Asia. Most fish are bred in captivity, Clown Loach has tend to be caught on the wild but personally I think a lot of fish adapt really well. I've had my Loach's for a few years and they are perfectly okay with the pH at 7.0 I think an ideal pH for them is around 7.2 to 7.6.


I can't see a problem anyway. Diehard fanatics would disagree I suppose

Yeah, I figured. I've kept clown loaches with African cichlids and Gouramis with SA/CA cihlids, but other than that, I haven't. I think, like you, that it's okay as long as they have the same basic water requirements.

I'm not an expert on loaches but I often compare them to the Canary, the miners used to take one down into the pits and if the Canary died first, they would know something was wrong. I think loaches are susceptible to poor water conditions. Having said that, I've had more problems with Oscars than the clown Loach.

Yeah, clown loaches are quite hardy. Then again, I got my first clown when I was brand new to fishkeeping. . .but i got my first oscar when I actually knew how to keep them alive:lol:

I have kept Oscars with many large Australian Native Fish such as Salmon catfish, tandanus, Saratoga (similar to arowana), and coal grunters without any problems.

As long as they can get along and they require similar water quality I don't see an issue. Many people warn about keeping African cichlids with South American cichlids because their body language is different and can lead to aggression - but the different water requirements preclude them as tank mates anyway.

My current Oscars are growing up with tinfoil barbs, earth eaters and giant danios (the last is an experiment - the danios may end up as food but I have a gut feeling that they will survive in a large school)

Hope this helps.