# Oscar and Jack Dempsey good tank-mates?



## marinerm10

Hello,

I was curious to know a bit more about Oscar and Jack Dempsey aquariums. I have been doing bits of research into this and found that on some other forums and in some books people hint at the two species being perfect tank mates for each other.

Obviously the same rules always apply, it depends on the size of the aquarium and the nature of the individual cichlid. But has anyone managed to keep adults from both species together peacefully? Even say a male Oscar and a male Jack Dempsey?

Post any photos of the mix if you can.

Thanks


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## grd1616

I had 2 jd's and 2 oscars together in a 175gal for almost 4 yrs and never had any problems at all. I had the jacks for about 6 mos then put the oscars in. It was an awesome tank and fun to watch especially when feeding them live food. But yes like you said there are always many factors. Tank size would be the biggest issue, one of each or possibly two of one and one of the other would be the way to go. Oscars really aren't that aggressive of a fish they're just so big and eat everything and anything so that's why their harder to keep with other fish but jacks can hold their own against the best of em. If ya end up having a tank with these two you won't be disappointed. Good luck and keep us informed.


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## marinerm10

Thanks for sharing your story. I am thinking of adding an Oscar to a 60 G with my male JD sometime in the future. Or wait until I can invest in a larger set up, re-designing the tank and move my male JD out and start fresh. Having one JD in on his own is fine but I want to get some more interaction going on in there and was looking to add some cichlids that could possibly provide a nice balance, limited aggression etc. Though I do realise there is a risk there. But with my Male JD alone and only being 2 years old, I don't want him alone forever !


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## Dj823cichild

I would wait till you got a bigger tank Marinerm10.


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## marinerm10

Dj823cichild Yeah your right, I will wait another few weeks to find a good deal on a new set up. 60 looks painfully small for a possible 12 + inch Oscar.


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## TheFishGuy

I've kept oscars and jds together for years, keeping them together now, but it's a bit unfair because they're in a 14' tank....


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## marinerm10

Sounds good. I am making plans to have an upgrade around christmas time. I own an Oscar but my friend is storing it at their house for the time being. Then I will create a Oscar/JD tank.


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## LSBoost

I have a JD and an oscar but never put them together because I fear that my JD is too aggressive. It almost kill a GT one time and it doesn't like silver dollars either.


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## Quan

In my experiences, you have to get a oscar that is a few inches bigger then the Jack. I had a 75G and the oscar and jack lived together for several years. Just give the JD a good place to hide.


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## justin3p0

dont rule the oscars out in fighting....

my oscar has claimed the lives of a few fish and its only like 7 inches or something....

got the best of a

7in red devil 
3in fire mouth 
10in oscar

i now keep this oscar alone


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## TheFishGuy

justin3p0 said:


> dont rule the oscars out in fighting....
> 
> my oscar has claimed the lives of a few fish and its only like 7 inches or something....
> 
> got the best of a
> 
> 7in red devil
> 3in fire mouth
> 10in oscar
> 
> i now keep this oscar alone


A point to always remember. every oscar is different! We have one now that is a major A hole, so much so he might be getting his own tank if doesn't stop nipping and biting everyone... The other four in with him are very passive to the other cichlids and fish in the tank...


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## Quan

> A point to always remember. every oscar is different! We have one now that is a major A hole, so much so he might be getting his own tank if doesn't stop nipping and biting everyone... The other four in with him are very passive to the other cichlids and fish in the tank...


In all my experiences with Oscars, they are the most passive of all the cichlids. Thats why if i plan on getting an Oscar with other cichlids, I have to get an Oscar that is bigger then the cichlids.


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## xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx

Quan said:


> In all my experiences with Oscars, they are the most passive of all the cichlids. Thats why if i plan on getting an Oscar with other cichlids, I have to get an Oscar that is bigger then the cichlids.


This is my experience as well. It's a good tip to point out that oscars mature at a larger size than most cichlids. So even a 7-8 inch oscar is not as mature as a 5-6 inch Jack dempsey. Otherwise I think the two mix well in a proper size tank.


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## justin3p0

yea well my oscar became very mean at 5-6 inches so you never know


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## TheFishGuy

I agree 100% that a 4" oscar is half the age of a 4" jack dempsey or many other cichlids for that matter. Of course there are plenty of species that grow at the same rate as oscars...


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## ClearMud

They go good together, but buy them at the same time or the JD second.


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