What fish are best for mixing with oscars? Practical pairing tips shared
The oscar is one of the large tropical fish species, and it is hardy to keep, so most aquarists choose to keep it in mixed tanks. Mixed keeping of oscars has gradually become a popular trend. To successfully keep these different fish together, you not only need sufficient knowledge and understanding of the different fish. Below, let us take a look at what is best for mixing with oscars.
Blood parrot fish
The blood parrot, commonly known as the red fortune fish or fortune fish, has a whole body of bright red, a chubby body shape and soft fin rays. Its color is bright red and very appealing. Adults reach 15-20 cm in body length, with a broad and thick body that is oval in shape. During the juvenile stage, the body color is grayish white; adult fish have a bulky body shape and are pink or blood red. Blood parrots are robust and sturdy and will eat almost anything, such as artificial feed, flakes, pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, water fleas and so on. Because they have a wide diet and are always eating nonstop, and because they have extremely strong adaptability to water quality, keeping them alive is very easy.
Clown knifefish
The clown knifefish is also known as the bowback knifefish, seven-star flying knife fish, oriental knifefish, flower knife fish, etc. Its body length is 80-90 cm. The front half of the body is broad and thick, the tail is pointed and small, and the back is slightly arched and raised. It is distributed in India, Myanmar and Thailand. It has a fierce temperament and likes to eat live small fish and shrimp. It is suitable for keeping in a large aquarium. It is a nocturnal fish, so it does not like to swim during the day and is active at night hunting for food.
Ruby cichlid
The ruby cichlid belongs to the African cichlids other than the Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria cichlids. Its body shape is larger than that of the shorter cichlids. Its whole body has brilliant blue spots and a large black spot in front of the caudal peduncle. Its name comes from the brilliant red color that appears during their breeding period, and in fact some individuals of this species remain bright red all over, but they are very hard to see on the market. The ruby cichlid is carnivorous and piscivorous and will eat small fish. It prefers to be active in the lower layers.
Silver shark
The silver shark, also known as the black-finned bag-mouth fish, can reach 30-40 cm in body length in nature. It has a relatively large food intake, grows quickly, has a strong physique and is easy to keep. It requires a large aquarium and a cover to prevent jumping. It has a gentle and lively temperament and likes to swim in schools. During the juvenile stage, it can be kept with other species; when grown, it can be kept in groups of the same species or with fish of comparable size.
Giant gourami
The giant gourami is also known as the warship fish, long-finned perch, etc. Its places of origin include Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and so on. It belongs to the family Osphronemidae under the suborder Anabantoidei of the order Perciformes. Fish in this family are generally relatively small in size, but the giant gourami is the giant among fish in this family. Adult fish reach 20-69 cm in body length. They are oval in shape, with a grayish-brown body color, pelvic fins modified into two long filamentous fins, and each fin is light red. The keeping water temperature is 22-26 degrees C, and the requirements for water quality are not strict. The breeding water temperature is 26-27 degrees C. The tip of the male's dorsal fin is pointed and long. It is a bubble-nest egg-laying fish. Float a few aquatic plants on the water surface of the aquarium, put in a pair of parent fish, and the male will produce a large amount of foam on the water surface and place the fertilized eggs into the foam to hatch. The female lays 500-1,000 eggs each time. It has a gentle temperament and is easy to keep.
Note: Oscars cannot be kept with small fish such as neon tetras and cardinal tetras. Moreover, generally speaking, the pairing principle for mixed keeping with oscars is to make the oscar the main fish, and the other paired fish are best kept in even numbers or as male-female pairs. The density depends on the size of the fish, and the total number should be controlled at 6-12.