FishProfiles.com Message Forums

A friend of mine asked me what kind of New World to get in his 100 gal. He has a Jack Dempsey and an Oscar. He would like a 3rd Cichlid that is not an Oscar or Dempsey. I was trying to think of something that would be common so he could find it. However I am having some trouble.
Please help
Also he has two pelco so I think that something that hangs around mid to top of the tank would help fill it.

I'd say that tank is stocked to the brim as it is, especially if those plecos are both commons.

agreed... if they are commons then there is no room for addition... but if they are BN you could add a texas or rio grande cichlid.. that seems to be the only compatible species of cichlid... he could also add a full grown tinfoil barb or a large pacu... but someone else a littl emore experinced with larger cichlids could give a better alternative... ( i do have one large oscar... )

good luck.. but remember it is best to not over stock!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

as long as the plecoes arent giants, then he could also get a severum, or maybe a single convict or firemouth

severum, or maybe a single convict or firemouth

Only if he wants them to be killed. Oscars can and do kill just about any other fish they choose. Even the plecs might be in the firing line eventually, and if the dempsey irritates the oscar enough, its dead. 100 gallons isnt even big when your talking oscars. I wouldnt put most of those fish in with an oscar in 300 gallons, even then ,there would have to be some serious cover, largely designed to prevent the oscar getting access and giving the other fish a place of retreat.

Then theres the humane aspect of treating fish correctly, even if the oscar was relatively calm a severum would HATE living with even a mild level of aggression,it doesnt deserve to be in that position, ever. The firemouth will respond either with fear or get itself killed, and a convict might well force a fatal fight to happen. Potentially a full size oscar could even eat a half grown firemouth.

Id take the utter good grace and luck thats happened so far and not add more fish and change that dynamic. Annoy the oscar it could get completely territorial and kill eveything else that it has peaceably lived with so far. Probably worth buying a tank seperator too.

IME, Oscars are whimps and an adult male convict will handle himself easily against an oscar. If anything I would worry more about the Demsey as being the tank aggressor. First while the tank is 100G and I think enough room for another medium sized cichlid, the length of the tank is more important. Is this tank 4ft or 6ft. If it's 4 feet then I say your good where your at. You can try a convict but you will have teritory issues especially because of the plecs. If its a six foot tank then I would definitely do a convict or even a Salvani. Remember there are not really cichlids that hang around the middle as the ones I have kept enjoy the bottom. The only time I have seen CA/SA cichlids that hang middle to top are when they are either protecting eggs/fry or are the less dominant fish in the tank without a territory.

Sodenote:Why is there two pleco's on the tank? If they are commons tell dude to get rid of one and this will make another cichlid easier to do. If there are a smaller species like rubberlip or BN then there shouldn't be any issues, aside froma possible death by one of the cichlids.

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates-
I happen to have become a philosopher

i would listen to Longhairedgit over anybody.. he has a lot of experience with all of this stuff... way more than anyone... he is a pro!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

mmmm,i agggree that lh is a pro,but i agree with wi,ime,oscars are big,dopey whimps,even the nastyer 1s ive had,have been builed by convicts half there size,even the first pair of ba i had,the dud lsf strain,even they gave my oscars a hard time,becasue of there size,but lack of aggression,that was why i stopped keeping oscars.all the other cichlids kept on buling them,and the 2 i had were well over 10inches,robust BIG fish,ive often found that because of the size they get,and will eat ANYTHING,that fits in there mouth,they have sort of had a aggresive label stuck to them,but as i said,all the 1s ive had,in terms of aggresion,way down the ladder,now that tank is already full,and despite what longhair said,i would be worried about the oscar,getting bullied even killed by the jd,if that jd say its time to enlarge my territory,and this will come as it gets bigger,it will be curtains for the oscar,thats why the jd,was named after the famous heavy weight boxer,he was undeafeted,so that should explain what a jd is capable of.i had a pair of jds,that were tiny,and 2 oscars in a 206 gal,and as soon as the jds hit like 3 inches and decided to spawn,they damaged my oscars badly overnight,they would have been kiled if i didnt have such a big tank,and then a divider,that was the last time i kept oscars,just not aggresive enuff,for a tankmaye with a jd.

One on the Pelcos is a common and the other is a Gold Nugget.
Side Note to HOKES. Jack Depsey the Boxer was not undefeated. 82 Fights 66 Wins 51 KOs 6 Losses 9 Draws 6 No contests. Also Dempsey's exact fight record is not known because sometimes he boxed under the pseudonym, "Kid Blackie."

oh ok well i stand corrected,i was told he was undefeated,but anywho,you know what im getting at,a fish named after a boxer,should tell ya what it temper is like..

yea oscars are big dopey wimps,they will eat anything they can get in their mouths but a pair of convicts will destroy that oscar.

Est solarus uth mithas,My honor is my life

yup,VERY BIG but not real nasty,i think with oscars,it depends what tankmates they have,if they can beat them up or pick on them they will,but something a jd,forget it...

My point of view.
From keeping both oscars and convicts for a few years, and keeping them both together at one point, a large male or female convict could certainly stick up for itself, maybe even cause problems.
An adult breeding pair would simply kill the largest of Oscars..not to be trifled with.
A firemouth is not aggressive, just territorial, and would become victim to bullying by the oscar IMO.
James

IME, Oscars are just big whimps that are willing to bully other fish around at feeding time, and they can because of their size. Oscars aren't really 'agressive', so to speak... at least not in the way that JD's are.

Either way, IMO, the tank is basically stocked (assuming the fish are full grown and he doesn't want to upgrade to a larger tank sometime soon).

Just thought i would add that an Oscars natural defense is to act dead...not fight. They lay on their side and drop their colors to make the other fish think the threat has expired. They will lip lock with other oscars and maybe even the JD but only till they feel they have lost. This is what gets them beat up usually. They jump into a fight trying to hold their own and as soon as they lose the upperhand they sign up to be a punching bag.

poisonwaffle all of the fish are not fully grown they are in the 2-4 inch area.