Hey guys. Ever since I was new to fish keeping I've always wanted to keep two types of fish Oscars and Arowanas. Although I can't afford to get a tank large enough for arowanas I can afford a tank just large enough for oscars. So I was wondering in a US 75 gallon aquarium could I fit more than one oscar? And if I can only fit one what and how many tankmates would you suggest?

two would be the max. they say 55 gallons for one and 25 for every other. u might be able to get away with adding a catfish in there too if u keep up on cleaning and have decent filtration.

if you want to do just one. id say 2 or maybe even 3 smaller tankmates. and remember as your fish get bigger, your really gonna have to crack down on waterchanges and possibly even twice a week.

if u dont want as much work, just get one and another fish like a severum or firemouth. thats probally ur best bet.

thanks MetalHEad for the advice.

75 us gallons converts to about 60 imp gallons. i not positive but i beleive the 55 gal for one oscar is measured in imp gallons. however a tank of your size would be perfect for one oscar and tankmates. perhaps like metalhead some severums or catfish (that dont get to big), or clown loaches, the list is huge. but whatever you choose do the research on the fish to assure they are compatible and try not to overstock. also make sure your filtration is big enough for what you choose.

Ok so I've compiled a list tell me what ya think.

1 oscar
2 severums
3 clown loasches
1 mid sized pleco
1 senegal bichir

If this list is overstocked plz tell me!

for those of you that don't know bichirs are snake like fish that are quite peacfuk as long as thier tank mates aren't small enough to eat. they grow about 12in and thier pretty slim fish.

personally i would forgo the bichir and clownloaches and keep the med sized pleco and one severum but thats just my opinion of course

you're probably right necromancer4 it is a bit overcrowded. Im just so used to stocking for community tanks that I just might have a tendancy to overstock for cichlid tanks. how bout I get two oscars in with two to three pictus cats. I really would prefer not to get a huge pleco. does anybody know any alge eaters that not only don't grow to massive size but something oscars won't eat.

yeah, a pleco would eventually outgrow the tank, but there are algae eaters that grow 6-10 inches depending on the type and are slim as well. they are actually called algae eaters. (Siamese, Chinese, etc.) my experience with them has been actually terrible. ive had them multiple times for the same reason ud be getting them and they just didnt live. no aggression or water quality problems, just death. my friend bought two a couple days ago and one was already dead by the time we got home. maybe they stress a lot? idk.

pictus cats make excellent oscar tankmates. i have one with my os and he does a great job cleaning around the tank and is fun to watch as well, as they constantly swim. they dont get big and will not be eaten because of their spikes and speed. however make sure the cat is bigger then the os when u get them because os grow very fast and pictus cats grow somewhat slow. i think ur best bet is to just get one becauses thats all ya really need.

as for birchers and severums, i have not kept them but i would like to. ive heard many good things about both fish. surely my next round of fish, or tank would include severums and birchers.

it sounds like you like variety, so hears a decent idea.
1 oscar
1 bircher
1 severum
1 pictus cat

ya might be a tad overcrowded, but it would be well worth the work.

Thanks for the ideas! Im actually not going to get a bichir and I was hoping 2 gold severums would be ok. The rest of the list will stay the same but I am going to try to find a small but oscar proof alge eater. Oh and does anyone knoe how big severums can get? I've heard mixed responses, some say 8in and some say 13in.

i have a chinese algea eater in with my oscars and he does the job for now. but i've read that they will become less effective for algea removal as they grow(mine is about 5 inches now and can grow to about 8-10)
as for the sevs they can grow to about 12 inches in lengh but they dont grow as fast as oscars

yeah I had a chinese algea eater in my first tank. The first 3-6 inches it ate alge and kept my tank algea free. Then at around 7 or 8 inches he began eating fish food alot of it. He out competed my two corys. I had to feed them spretly. He got so fat he literally exploded leaving a fat fleshy carcass. I'm looking for something in the bristlenose pleco range.

Severums get to about a foot long, not as bulky or messy as an oscar tho. I would ether have an oscar and a severum or an oscar and some of the smaller fish mentioned