Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows how fast these guys grow ?

Just bought 2 of these and another kind of cichlid to cycle my new 405 litre tank and have been in there since sunday but just wondering what their growth is like.

Reason I got the bigger tank is for my 6 inch oscar but as these new guys are just over an inch in length I dont want them to be an expensive snack.

The oscar does have a nice temperament to him and there is an evil jack dempsey in the current tank with him that is nipping at the oscar but the oscar doesnt do anything except swim away.

Also how would an oscar this size react to a 2nd young oscar being added to the tank ?

Thanks
Steve

My chocolate grew very slowly.. And my Africans killed her.. So in my experience they don't grow near as quickly as Oscars...

And adding another Oscar is always nothing more than trial and error.. You can add one and all will be fine, or you can add one and all hell will break loose! Make sure you have a back up plan!

I have got the tank that the other oscar and JD are in at the moment and was thinking about putting the 2 chocolates and the other cichlid in there till they grow so I can move the other oscar into his new home.

How do you think they would take to the change in tanks ? Dont want to kill them as they are lovely looking fish even if they are babies.

Also what is the best way to move fish from one tank to another ? Never had to do it before.

about moving your fishes, you need to follow the regular process of tank setup, cycling, water testing, test with some feeder fish for a week, activating your filters biological cycle, and finally put your fishes in them

ps. just about physically moving, there is an awesome video in the videos section about using a towel to cover the fish while moving it, it reduces the aggression the fish shows splashing water.

update: I just chked OFL's videos and a few old buddies.. didnt find that video.. but the logic still remains.. I use it and it works a charm

Both tanks are cycled mate its just one is a 405 litre with the 3 small cichlids and a catfish and the other is a 150 litre with an oscar, jd and common plec.

Just wondering if I could swap the fish in the tanks around. Both tanks have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and daily checks show below .10 nitrates per litre/gallon not sure which measurement it is but its the lowest on the chart next to 0.

How would you go about aclimatising the fish to their new homes since they are not in bags like in the fish shop?

if your moving the fish from one established tank to another established tank and the fish you are moving are still relatively small then all you need to do is make sure the water temps are the same(within a degree or two) then simply use your net and transfer them.

The temps on both thermometers are pretty much the same, were talkin .5 of a degree difference.

Not too sure about ph but will check this in both tanks to see what the difference is. If there is a difference between the two would this cause issue with both sets of fish ?

a difference in ph could become a factor when transfering your fish. i agree you should check this as well before you move them.

Ok ph in the old tank is 6.4 and in the new tank is 7.4.

I done full water tests on new and old tanks, new tank 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, nitrates 15mg/l. Old tank freaked me out as it was 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites but 160 nitrates. As you can imagine im pretty shocked as I do a 20% water change once a week on this tank.

I want to get my oscar in the new tank as soon as possible. Would the ph change from one tank to the other cause lots of problems or would I be best raising the ph in the current tank to match the new ? How can I do this as ive not needed to do this before.

Sorry about the large amount of questions but its freaking me out a little

I had a chocolate in with my oscars and he was 2 nervous and got bullied. However this is only one case so you cant say they are all nervous.

Great looking fish though

i was just about to make a post abouts chocloates!

There is one in one of my LFS, looks really nice with green red yellow and purple showing, about 4 inches. From what i've read they should get on with O's mine is pretty chilled, Choc's do get pretty big from what i read, round the sizs of O's. Anyone know how long to reach full size?

I would also like to know how quick they grow.

I have 2 in with my oscar and he does at times look like he is about to attack them but they hide under rocks ect so they cant be eaten.