Oscar Fish Tank mates, Considerations, Compatibility, Challenges

Many people believe in keeping more than one fish type in their aquariums. If you are a keeper of Oscar fish you may also find it necessary or satisfactory to keep other fish species alongside the Oscars. This article gives insights into what you should be aware of before submerging yourself into keeping more than one fish in your aquarium. If you are yearning for knowledge about factors to consider before going for Oscar fish tank mates; examples of tank mates to be kept alongside Oscar fish; and challenges associated with keeping Oscar fish with tank mates, you are in the right place.

Oscar fish

What to Consider in choosing Oscar fish tank mates

To successfully keep Oscar fish with their tank mates there are several factors that have to be put under consideration to achieve optimum success. The most common things that you may have to consider are as explained here below. In fact, focusing on all or most of these factors is a near guarantee for successful keeping of Oscars with other fish species.

Tank size - The tank in which the Oscars are placed should be large enough to accommodate all of the fish kept in them. The Oscars are known to pollute water at higher rates. This, therefore, means that the introduction of new species would result into even higher rates of pollutions. Before introducing other fish as tank mates you should probably ensure that the tank size is large and the quantity flowing curbs rapid pollution. In this regard, fish tank size becomes one of the most crucial factors to consider before choosing Oscars tank mates.

The tank size also provides the Oscar fish and their tank mates a good opportunity to live in aquariums that imitate natural conditions in water bodies such as rivers and ponds. In such rivers, for example, Oscars are known to swim near the water surface to mid-deep waters. The tanks should be larger in size such that there is no aggression when fish collide of depths swim. For example, the best tank mates may be the first that feed and stay at the bottom of the fish tank.

Preying - Preying is another factor that should be considered before choosing suitable tank mates for Oscars. The Oscars have large mouths and may therefore attempt to feed on any other fish smaller than their own mouths. Though small Oscars may not show preying behavior when reared alongside other cichlids, growth into maturity may result in a large difference in size thus creating perfect conditions for predation.

Food supply - Food supply is also another important factor to consider before settling on the tank mate to be reared alongside Oscars in an aquarium. You must be able to supply sufficient food for al fish to avoid unnecessary aggression between the Oscars and other tank mates over food.  The Oscars are known to be a greedy cichlid species and will, therefore, tend to feed on all food material present in the aquarium at a rate higher than other tank mates.

It is also important to include fish that are not shy to become Oscars’ tank mates. Such fish would compete effectively for the food inside the tank without being intimidated by the Oscars. Shy fish, on the other hand, would be intimidated not to eat and would die of hunger. To reduce intimidation, it is advisable to distribute food throughout the water tank surface to reduce instances of conflicts between tank mates.

Aggression – Aggression is a crucial factor to consider before settling on any given fish to become tank mates for Oscars. Oscars, although considerably less aggressive, are known to attack other fish species. Therefore the keeper of Oscars should ensure that the new fish species being introduced does not in any way becomes victims of aggression. This particular factor therefore should be considered with reference to how the species interact in their natural settings.

Challenges Associated with Oscar Fish Tankmates

There are numerous challenges associated with keeping Oscars together with tank mates. Most of the challenges are usually associated with the various factors discussed here above. Some of the challenges are as discussed here below. It is worth noting here that successful endeavor to keep Oscars together with their tank mates involves addressing the challenges or reducing their impacts generally.

Predation – Predation may become a challenge in case tank mates that are not known to be carnivorous turn out to be such. Predation may also be caused or encouraged by other factors such as tank size which increase frequency of aggression and hence predation. Shortage of food supply may also result in predation.

Food Scarcity – Keeping with the nutritional needs of the Oscars and their tank mates may be a serious challenge for their keeper. Tank mates may create unprecedented budget constraints as far as feeding them is concerned.

Aggression – Even though there are many measures that could be put in place to minimize cases of predation, it is clear that bring together two different species does not mean that things would go on as usual. It is natural for all species to be selfish insofar as access to resources is concerned. Even though there are many species considered to be less aggressive violent relationships among the tank mates may be witnessed and may pose a serious challenge to the keepers of Oscar fish.

Choosing Oscar fish tank mates may be a very challenging endeavor. Before settling on a certain fish species to be Oscar fish tank mates, one should put under consideration the various requirements and where possible to put in place mechanisms to address the challenges inherent to Oscar fish tank mates.

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