# 75 gallon stocking (and my own stupidity)



## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

Hey all!

So I've been keeping Africans for quite a while and really enjoying it. As my tank 'aged' I had fewer and fewer fish, with several dying of old age and nobody really breeding anymore. I've got some that are 6-7 years old. I've got two Pseudotropheus sp. Ace (white tail) that are 6+ years old, and some Cynotilapia afra that are pushing 5 years. So it's a tank of old fish and, as comes with age, I've lost a lot. So I moved what was left to a smaller tank.

I had been toying with the idea of a larger fish in the 75 and I decided I wanted an Oscar; so I began to research tank mates and other ideas. I actually read on an aquarium website associated with an oscar specific forum that Convicts were the 'best' tank mates for an Oscar. So I decided on one Oscar and one Convict. I went to the LFS with the intention of getting the Oscar and maybe coming back later for other fish; and here's where I did something stupid. I listened to the advice of the LFS employee without verifying it. He said I ought to get both fish now, and I should get a BIGGER convict, and a SMALLER Oscar, because the Oscar is more aggressive. Well, more research revealed the opposite is true and even that Convicts and Oscars aren't the match made in heaven I was led to believe.

So, as you can probably guess, after a week I NOW have a single Male Convict, I no longer have an Oscar. The male convict is about 60% of full size.

So what I'm looking for are suggestions. Take the Convict back and get an Oscar? Tank mates for the Convict? More convicts? I'd actually like a 'group' of Convicts but he was the only 'bigger' convict at the LFS, the rest are all very small. Could I introduce smaller convicts into this tank? Can I do multiple male convicts or is there a reliable and hardy "fry eater" I could incorporate into the tank? Something else?

Just looking for suggestions and kicking myself for letting the LFS talk me into doing something I knew I should've researched first.


----------



## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

A 75gal is pretty much the minimum size tank to keep a mature Oscar. If you are wanting an Oscar I'd take the Convict back and dedicate the entire 75 to the lone Oscar. You could perhaps get away with a few bottom feeders but that's about it.


----------



## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

CjCichlid said:


> A 75gal is pretty much the minimum size tank to keep a mature Oscar. If you are wanting an Oscar I'd take the Convict back and dedicate the entire 75 to the lone Oscar. You could perhaps get away with a few bottom feeders but that's about it.


Okay so what about stocking options to go along with the Convict? I think the wife has essentially vetoed returning the Convict. She's already named the mean little bugger. Tank is heavily over-filtered, as it was from the African days. And weekly 50~60% water changes.


----------



## greenterror85 (Feb 19, 2015)

The oscars that I've had in the past were big babies. Only aggressive to real small tankmates or other oscars. As far as the Convicts....they can be pretty mean. You can put an oscar in with the convict but make sure the Oscar is much bigger. My friend has a tank full of convicts. It seems that if you overstock a tank with convicts, that the aggression goes down like you would do with African cichlids, but that would have to be a big tank. I've always read that the overall best tankmate for an oscar is a severum. I guess Severums get about as big as an oscar and can hold their own against them.


----------



## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Mebbe try a pair of convicts and let them populate the tank..

Or could try some of the other smaller aggressive CA's. Try and get same size or bigger.. perhaps a Salvini, Jack Dempsey, Green Terror.. Might only want to pick one or 2 of those at the most.


----------



## dantedevotee (Mar 16, 2015)

Good tank mates for oscars-severums,chocolates,uraus, dempseys, firemouths the list goes on & on. I like to put oscar's in the medium agressive cichlids, but like people thier temperments vary from mild to wild. Convicts tend to be on the agressive side i have seen them get along with wide diferences in size ,Convicts in any number will pair of and breed like crazy. Good tank mates for convicts-jewels, dempseys, assorted central am. cichlids. Convicts are tough customers and will hang in thier with some of the smaller central's. As for how many fish in a 75 start wih small fish and adjust as they grow, yes you could just keep 2 oscars but if you start small you could put a dozen fish and adjust as they grow. Also i find it much more enjoyable to watch the interaction between the fish then watching 1 lone oscar grow out.


----------



## Wanton (Dec 5, 2014)

1) Add Jack Demsey and Green Terror.

2) Sell pay per views.


----------



## VeilTailFishGirl (May 15, 2015)

I too bought into the Oscar and 1 other aggressive fish route. I bought an Oscar and a JD from our LFS at their recommendation (those little oscars know how to suck you in) and consequently have watched their love/hate relationship develop into stronger bouts of hate. So our 75 gallon tank was divided some days, they would each occupy a side and flare at each other if the other dared "cross the line" (despite many line of sight breaks) and other days they were side by side in the same tunnel. But I was getting tired of torn fins and lips and decided to do something crazy.

I crowded my tank and it has been so much the better.

After searching for months for some veil tail oscars I finally found some that wouldn't become a snack. But I knew throwing them into that pit of despair would end up in a lot of torn fins. So I needed a bully bigger than my 8in Oscar and 6in JD that wouldn't end up hurting anyone. So I hoinked three 12in koi out of our pond and let them loose in my carefully manicured planted 75 gallon tank (and yes, I've read that Oscars and plants don't mix but I have had no such issues). The plants are very much rearranged as the Koi are more like bulls in a china shop, however, because the JD and the Oscar could not get them to engage in normal combat behavior, they became submissive to the wagging and rearranging. I held my breath and added the two 6in veils who the Koi seemed to accept as offspring, circling them whenever the JD or Oscar got too close. After 3 days, the Koi were returned to their pond (on account of them attempting to spawn) and the tank was the most peaceful I have seen ever for over a week.

But I was feeling bad for the JD as the Oscars were all bonding and decided to be even more crazy. I added 1 wild caught 5in Chocolate and 1 4in Green Texas to the mix without the Koi decoys, and they are all doing great. Aggression is way way down (not gone) and I see our fish a lot more often.

I know that we will need to upgrade to a much larger setup (looking at a 300g) as everyone approaches the 12in mark, but what is important to me is that they are not ripping each other to shreds. They all look great now, even the veils have untattered fins.

Anyone else have positive experience with crowding? I should note that I have filters sufficient for a 220 gallon cichlid aquarium on the tank and add additional nitrifying bacteria with each fish add. Water quality remains stable.


----------



## Ryan_R (Aug 20, 2014)

Once you have a pair of convicts, you have a problem. No more fish aside from dithers and perhaps "bottom feeders". Other "substantial" fish will get beaten up by the convicts, as they're notoriously aggressive when spawning, and good gawd when they have fry.

Best option for everyone humans and fish is to get a smaller tank for convicts and build around them.... then get an Oscar for the 75g. Or let the convicts have the 75, and get an even bigger tank for the oscar. 

-Ryan


----------



## jdrake5839 (May 20, 2015)

I have an Oscar and a Convict together in the same tank and while at first it was a bit hectic, they all seem alright for the time being. Granted, the convict got some scales missing from a nip to the forehead but all and all smooth sailing. Currently the tank is stocked with an Oscar, a Jack Dempsey, a Convict, a Firemouth and a Green Terror.


----------

