Can i put Firemouths with Oscars and will they get along with a pleco?

Currently i have 500l tank with 2x 15cm Oscars and a golden CAE (will be giving him to the lps if no one on the forum wants him by the end of the month)

Filter is 1200 lph and i'll be getting another one at the end of the month,i plan on adding a syno and smallish pleco as well later next month.

I do 25% water changes twice a week.

So total fish will be 2x Oscars,1xpleco,1xsyno and 2xfiremouths.

What worries me is that it seems as if the Oscars might have paired up since they were sticking together when i got them at the lps and are still sticking together with one bullying the other one every now and again.

I plan on adding the fish 1 week from each other so the bacteria can adapt (should i wait longer between adding fish)

I hope to keep the tank at 6 fish,only worry is the slight change that the Oscars might decide to breed.

 

i seriously doubt the oscars are ready to breed,unlesd their stunted or something they still have some growing up and maturing to do.i suppose you could firemouths with the oscars provided they arent small enough to fit into the oscars mouths and you have some caves for them for when the oscars lose their heads.

 

I know they aren't ready to breed but the fact that they stay together is worrying for when they get older.

I plan on getting some clay pots,still looking for a decent cave system.I hear firemouths can grow up to 15cm so they should be fine if i get them around 10cm.

 

From personal experience I won't recommend you keep firemouths and oscars together as oscars harras the firemouths, but it is only my personal experience, I don't want to step on somebody else's toes who had success with this. The only other fish I saw that copes well wit oscars is silver dollars or tinfoil barbs and sydontis or a decent size plecostumus. Just my 2c.

 

dont worry about it,oscars are friendly guys who like company which is why i'l never understand how seem people keep a solitary specimen,i used to often find mine in the morning laying next to or on top of each other even though they didnt always get along.with most cichlids the usual method for getting pairs is to grow a minimum of 6 juveniles together letting them choose their own mates(cichlids can be very fussy)not saying its not possible any other way just more reliable.i dont know where you would find firemouths at that size i'v only ever seen babies.

 

aww,i really want to get another cichlid with bright colours that can get along with Oscars and not get eaten.

 

Get yourself a Blue Acara or Green Terror.

I have a big Green Terror and he is not aggressive like they make them out to be, but he wont take $h%t from any fish. They have great colors and are great characters.

 

I would not recommend green terrors with oscars.

 

I have 9 silver dollars, 2 tinfoils, 3 bala sharks, a pleco and a red spotted deacon in with my two 30+cm Oscars. Most of them are fully grown, with the smallest silver dollars at around 10cm in diameter. They all get along with no fighting at all. I have even had convicts in with them, so smaller fish like firemouths can be keft, just keep an eye out when you first add them as the Oscars are very curious at first and add some hiding places. Just my 2c

 

Just to add another spanner to the works. I have two common plecos with a Synodontis and the syno hammers the hell out of the common plecos every chance he gets. They are tough as nails and dont show any signs of injury but I really dont think they are happy.............considering finding them a new home.

 

How big are your pleco's?

I can take one of your hands if you want,i still need to get rid of my CAE :/

Not sure what he will do to a pleco,he might hammer him as well.

 

Got my Firemouths,Oscars are fine with them but my Golden CAE dislikes them allot.Often he will chase them and they would swim to the Oscar's little corner where they would do the classic Cichlid face off with the CAE and he would just stare at them.

The male FM is breathing a little heavier then the other fish in the tank and one of his eyes is a bit white along the sides which seems to be fight damage with the other firemouths he was with at the lps.

Some pics,it's a bit dirty because of the Oscars but it's getting cleaned tomorrow.Last cleaning and water change was Wednesday.

Extra filter for oxygen and filtration


Their little cave i bought:


Here is a pick where you can see a bit of white on his eye:

Another one:








Pics were taken when the Oscars were still investigating the firemouths,they were a bit scared because i had my hands in the water earlier to add the filter.