Jauch21 wrote: ^^^^ best response so far. I like it. Any stocking suggestions Darth? Should I just stick with the O

For an oscar,

severum
chocolate cichlid
kelberi peacock bass
johanna pike cichlid
Geophagus "surinamensis" (typically these are mislabelled altifrons or abalios)
green terror
red bay snook
nicaraguan cichlid

I would look at no more than 3 of the above plus the oscar.

I have to second the red bay snook idea. Even though it is a central American cichlid it is very calm and never really has issues with others. It strikes hard at food like a bass yet is not so huge that it would not work in a 24" wide tank.

I had never seen a red bay snook. I'll have to look more into them. I'm going to take my time and get the tank up and running and try to locate the fish I decide on to introduce them at the same time.

Check out the cichlid profile section of this site

daddadoo7 wrote: Check out the cichlid profile section of this site

Yep, just added recently: www.oscarfishlover.com/forum/cichlid-profile-information/305889-petenia-splendida-red-bay-snook#399684

Still, new here but the best tank mate for an Oscar is for sure another Oscar, you don't need an breeding pair while Oscars often bound homosexual pairs but at least they harmonize with each other.

Single keeped Oscars always depend to be tyrans i there tanks but this changes if you find another Oscar that he allows in the tank. May you could put the fish for several hours out of the tank and change your hardscape so there is no territory.
Another nice and semi, aggressive cichlid that could be keep in a small group together with Astronotus would be Mesonauta festivus or M. insignis, they prefer the middle and surface water region and act very interesting in a group out of 5 to 6 fish.

For Plecos, there is so much more as salafins.

Scratch the 200. Waited and found a steal on a 240! Picking it up today. Then to build a stand.

Spent all day building a stand. Back to work tomorrow. So hopefully be up and running next week

I really do not want to drill out my new tank. Is a sump necessary for a tank this size or can i just upgrade canisters? Currently own two fluval 406's

I filter a 7ft 265g with a pair of FX's. Fairly heavy stock of adult cichlids. Good water change and gravel vac sched and all is good.