Choosing tankmates for my oscar

[Corona]

I'm setting up a 125-gallon tank with an Oscar as the centerpiece and some Senegal bichirs for added interest. I'm looking for some unique schooling fish to complement my Oscar - something a bit unconventional. Any suggestions would be great, but let's rule out the usual suspects like silver dollars and tinfoil barbs.

[sidthy]

Honestly, I'm not a fan of keeping schooling fish with oscars.

[graye]

Oscars are natural predators, so adding schooling fish would create an incredibly stressful environment for them. Few people have tanks that are large enough to accommodate a school of sufficient size, allowing them to avoid the Oscar's hunting instincts for any length of time.

[Corona]

I was thinking silver dollars could work since they're pretty large, but I see what you guys mean about the stress. A school would supposedly distribute the aggression, but I guess that's not enough to make it a good idea.

[boomer]

I'm setting up a 125-gallon tank with an Oscar as the centerpiece and some Senegal bichirs for added interest. I'm looking for some unique schooling fish to complement my Oscar - something a bit unconventional. Any suggestions would be great, but let's rule out the usual suspects like silver dollars and tinfoil barbs.

I'm afraid that's a misconception. The Oscar's aggression won't be diverted by a school of fish. It's not that simple. The stress this would cause any shoaling fish is, quite frankly, cruel. Keeping them together would be a disservice to the well-being of the schooling fish.

[sidthy]

Imagine being a dollar in a tank with an Oscar - constantly on edge, knowing that predator is always lurking. Your every move is dictated by the cichlid's whereabouts. It's a life of stress and fear, not just for dollars, but for any open water fish.

[Corona]

Considering the Oscars aggressive nature, would something more feisty like convict cichlids or jewel cichlids be able to hold their own alongside it.

[tetraTim]

I've had dollars in with my Oscars in the past and even with a 14.5" jaguar cichlid, no problems at all. The dollars were around 5" back then, not sure about your Oscar's size but both dollars and Oscars grow fast. Saying that, your tank size is a bit of a concern as a shoal of dollars can get quite large and they can be very skittish.

[Corona]

No Oscar in the tank yet, just planning ahead, trying to get everything settled before bringing the big guy home, so the tankmates have time to establish themselves.

[sidthy]

Considering Convicts or Jewels - they have very different water needs, so it's crucial to choose fish that fit your water parameters. Both are aggressive cichlids, and if they breed, they might just send your Oscar running for cover. Instead, look into more peaceful cichlids, like Rainbows or Acaras, depending on your water.

Smaller cichlids can work well, especially if you provide them with plenty of hiding spots - just in case. But let's be real, if they're too big to be eaten, they'll probably be just fine. One more thing to keep in mind: juvenile Oscars are usually more problematic than adults.