# 2 Oscars (1 red 1 tiger) and 3 Blood Parrots



## Mstone9942 (May 1, 2012)

Hello everybody!! Im new here,
I have 2 Oscars both female I believe. Red is about 4-5 inches and Tiger is about 5-6...3 Blood Parrots with one being 5 inches and girth of the biggest Oscar and the other two 3 inches. They are tank mates with a pleco sucker fish and 2 bala sharks. I have a 110 gallon and they have all lived together peacefully during the 9 months. Recently after we purchased a new light with blue actinic and led we noticed how much more lively they have become as well as responsive to us. We didnt know the importance of the light but its made all the difference in the world.

We iniatally had 3 Oscars and 2 Parrots but the male larger Oscar ruled the tank and the blood parrots hid for the most part and the 2 other oscars stuck together and wasnt very active. 2 weeks ago we got the new light and gave away the big oscar and purchased the bigger Parrot after talking with a individual fish store owner and taking his advice. Well so far he was right as the money. The two Oscars along with all three Parrots go crazy when I come up to the tank and are very very active. My two smaller parrots stick together and nit pick sometime at the bigger Parrot and both Oscars when they get around there corner but get put in there place when push comes to shove. They all seem much more happy with their tank mates.

Of course the two bala sharks are 2-3 inches long but have always kept there distance. (They were bought to help keep the cichlids busy and keep them from being aggressive toward each
other)

Any food advice? My Oscars like the jumbo sticks ok but both Oscars along with my Parrots no longer seem very interested with the cichlid pellets after getting frozen blood worms (expensive)...Just curious as to what other options thats fairly price efficient I could go with or any problems to keep a eye on in the future


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

too small a tank for those fish. 2 oscars together is never a good idea (unless theyre a pair) balas prefer to be in schools and get over a foot each. 6 inch for an oscar thats over 9 month old is not good sign


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## Mstone9942 (May 1, 2012)

I will get rid of Bala sharks then...I assume 9 months more like 6-7 since I bought them....The big Oscar ate almost every bit of the food that was put in there and they were just fed pellets...It wasn't until last month that I've looked into improving the tank and getting the others to come out and eat...Two Oscars should do fine in that tank...It housed 3 full grown Oscars before with nothing else but a pleco and they lived over 8 years....I will get rid of Bala Sharks as they get bigger and see how it goes....The Oscars are not the aggressive fish in the tank and get bullied/pestered by the Parrots the majority of time but they are the eaters and will grow much faster and bigger than the BP....Any other advice or thoughts are welcome


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## Mstone9942 (May 1, 2012)

So we will be housing just 1 Oscar 5-6 inches with the three Parrots....After taking him out is it possible to add a small to medium size cichlid in his place? I have a 6 inch JD that's beautiful and would love to add him...Guy at Aquarium said I could try and see how it goes but def would keep a eye out...Said if the JD was super aggressive I would notice it right away....Any other ideas? Maybe a smaller cichlid that gets up to just 4-8 inches


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## Reemer (Mar 14, 2012)

I would recommend a firemouth, personally. They can hold their ground but wont rock the boat. I think they get to the range you're looking for size wise, and they're amazing looking fish.


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## Mstone9942 (May 1, 2012)

I will look into the firemouth! It looks like the most common is the dark grey with green/blue coloring...I did see a few other colors in google images though...Do these cichlids vary color wise?


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