Ok So I found out that its a South American fish. (been doing research) With that being sad. What would I need to do to get it to its most natural enviroment in my tank.

First off. I'll get my 150 soon. (As soon as I can somebody to sell my 65 gallon too).
I got my Fluval FX5 on the way.
I got a powerful heater

Tankmates wise.
Now from here on out... im lost. I wanted to keep my balas with them. But I thought that they may not come from South America. I would love to have a silvery colored fish, and something as colorful as the Oscars. (I was also thinging about my two convicts, I could put them in there. They are about as tough as the Oscars, I would think).

Now, decor wise. I would have loved to go with my castles and all. But to look at something closly resembling a real lake is more relaxing.

Also, is sand better than gravel? Is it easier to clean or harder. If I didn't get sand maybe I can find some black gravel or something.

Any help.

I also understand that even rocks can drop or add to the PH level and certain fish need certain acidi/cph levels. If somebody can help me with it then I'll be gratefull.

well your right about balas, they are asian in origin. as for your convicts they are central south american cichlids and can be housed with oscars. if you have a pair of cons i would worry about them too much i would be more concerned for the oscar.

as for substrate the choice is yours. both sand and gravel come in various colours and both have their pros and cons. personally i use sand for the asthetics but others will have different likes.

both wood and some rocks can affect your ph levels so care should be taken when chosing these but anything you buy from a pet store should be marked as to what it can or will do to your water.

and when it comes to other tankmates the choice is yours. there is nothing wrong with mixings types of fish as long as the water and dietary requirements are similar. basically it comes down to personal preference. but be sure to do your research before you buy.

You should test your pH coming straight out of your tap, that could save you a lot of hassle. Most of the South American fish live in a low pH. However they can quite happily survive in ph between 6.0 and 8.0. As long as your pH is between 6.0 and 8.0 then I shouldn't worry unduly. Ph is quite complex and it does fluctuate quite a lot.


The Amazon basin is huge, there are many different waterways that probably look quite different to each other. Oscars often inhabit the flooded rainforest so you have to decide what you want your tank to look like. My tank has got lots of wood, dark substrate and a few rocks. Inland lakes probably have a lot of vegetation and light-coloured substrate.

Balas and Oscars will do fine, even though they are from opposite sides of the world.

Gravel is much easier to clean than sand, IMO. With gravel, you can just stick in a python and clean it up. With sand, you have to carefully skim the top. Also, sand will clog up filters.

any tank decorations will depends on owner's preferences.
sand my look great to others, while others prefers on gravels.

in my case, i want the look of pebbles but i don't like it to be
that loose so i mixed up, gravel and sand and it perfectly match
the way i like it.

So, what are other fish that usually swim with Oscars in the Amazon. Except Pirahnas. I know there Cichlids.

if you want some graceful swimmer, an angel fish is a good mate too.
i have one until i separated them due to spawning. my angel used to
take all wigglers of my oscars.

if your looking for tankmates for your oscar ive attached a link that tells what other members have in their tanks with their oscars

www.oscarfishlover.com/index.php?option=...atid=17&id=19510