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Hey how are u guys doin???
I got a six foot tank with 2 albino oscars and 2 brazilianis and im tryin to introduce tiger oscars but the albinos just beat them up is there any methods of introducing cos im gettin really frustrated i got the tigers in a seperate taank now and they r back in tip top shape

p.s albino oscars 3" brazilians 4" tigers 2 1/2" HELP ME!

Cheers

Sounds like they have their territory established and are defending it.

Best bet from what I know is that your going to have to move things around so that the territories have to be reestablished.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

6 foot isnt very big for oscars, each pair generally want a territory of about 8 cubic feet, Its territorial overstock, it probably wont ever work. As pairs their tolerance of other pairs is limited to almost nothing. Most people dont risk more than one pair in a tank as pairs often eliminate competition for their own fry. This is as good as it gets too, they get worse when theyre older. You can try to stratify things but ultimately it may prove futile. Your average 6 footer will hold one pair of oscars and no more, yours are young, and thats the only reason none have died yet. In the end one fish, maybe two will end up ruling that tank. One pair is fine, two pairs might make it another year at best, 3 pairs will be armageddon. The fish are giving you the signs already, roll with it and give them what they need.Seperate accomodations per pair, or a much larger tank. In the world of oscars, a six foot aquarium is nothing. You could put em in a 12 foot tank and pairs might still be paranoid enough to kill each other. One male dominates, his mate is permitted, all others suffer, and if another male takes a shine to his female, god help it. Even the females for fight for their man.lol. Oscars with eggs or fry are typically nihilistic to any fish in the same aquarium. If you thought they were fighting now, wait till they get fry. Even you will be on the "to bite" list. They defend fry to the death, with complete commitment.


They will be 1 foot fish in a year or two,they know it too. Eliminating competition comes naturally to most oscars. This is 99% odds-on a situation you can do nothing about. This isnt cannabilism or predation, this is sexual territoriality and short of brain surgery nothings gonna stop it. They'll probably kill each other.These are not shoaling fish. Pairs only.


"dont buy too many oscars".

alrite thanks for that ill prob just give the tigers back before they suffer annilation lol thanks for all ya help

Cheers

is there anyone else that can survive with em?

Cheers

Well the short answer is no , unless you have a few tanks and can move fish away from harm if it doesnt work , Oscars can be serial killers when tried with multiple species, and by complicity can make you into one too.

Most people who manage to get them together successfully with other fish usually do so out of dumb luck or by persistantly killing fish. Sometimes the odd catfish or similar does get through the net as it were, and ends up completely ignored by oscars, but usually this rare situation is changed if the oscars produce eggs, and its odds on they will kill any other fish on principle.

Once oscars have started to establish territory as yours have , its pretty much a permanent no go area for other fish, unless of course you have colossal tanks and fish twice to three times the size of the oscars. Theres pretty much nothing they cant kill if they put their minds to it, calm specimens might accept large doradids and plecs, but territorial ones will pick apart pretty much any fish, easily taking apart cichlids just as large and powerful as they are. Sometimes adding such cichlids is just like pressing the "kill button".

Oscars are a popular enough fish, but they do seriously limit the other fish you can keep in the same aquarium. They make other fish's lives miserable. Reliably safe communities for oscars tend to be vast, and to own one would pretty much put you into the sizes used for public aquaria.

Look on the bright side though.With an oscar only tank, there is a very good chance fry survival will be good, and you get to enjoy the simply great sight of a large cichlid surrounded by a swarm of their incredibly cute young