Friendly oscars?

Hey everyone. I know, I know. I've heard it time and time again. Oscars and Gourami are not friendly in a community tank. Is there any sort of fish that will live with them (most literally)?

I love Oscars and Gourami...They are beautiful, but I also have a very soft spot for Iridescents and other community fish!

Anyone have anything to say?

(something about "there is hope" would be nice!! )


Thank you!!!
_chi_

 

You can mix them with: Koi, Silver Dollars, Parrot Fish, Tin Foil Barbs... You may also be able to mix them with the larger African Cichlids if it is a large tank you have with a good bit of rock work.
HTH

 

Thank you!! After all, I had 2 different bettas that were very very docile. And every fish has it's own personality right?

 

I once had an Oscar & a Jack Dempsy that did well together...

 

gouramis do have quite the disposition.. Awesome looking but still a pain in the ars.. As missionsix points out Oscars are actually pretty peacefull just hungry buggers. I used to have convicts in with my oscar (I miss that fish, he was 13 + inches in the end.) Also had a clown knife but traded him in at 18 inches.

Your tank size and ability to have structures for other fish to hide from him will also determine what you should put in with them. Also Oscars love to rearrange a tank.

 

Well, I have a 36 gallon corner tank with lots of plants and a very large vertical piece of driftwood. A chunk of petrified wood as well.

Do you have any idea if they would do okay with Iridescent sharks (as well as other sharks)? Just...Mine died just a day ago and I was very close to him. He wasn't supposed to make it because he was very sickly and was missing one of his pectoral fins. Kisame was his name...Anyways, I love their happy-go-lucky attitudes.

_chi_

 

I second the Koi mix. I've got three 3" oscars (red, tiger, albino red) with a mix of Koi in a 75 gallon tank and they get along just fine. Tin Foil Barbs can get quite large so I wouldn't recommend it.

Now with that being said, I tried mixing my other large (almost 18") Red Oscar with a pair of same sized texas cichlid a few months back and that didn't go well. Constant territory battles, jaw locking, etc... That's just my fish Fred. He's quite the character and begs worse than my 4yr old Yellow Lab.

Here's fred a few months ago: Here. He's a few inches away from the heater in the back for a size comparison.

 

My fiance has an albino oscar and she gets along fine with the other fish. She has two iridescent shark, two Rafael cat fish, one pleco, another oscar, one tiger shovel nose catfish and one lg. black shark. she had to get rid of the other oscar cause he was being aggressive towards her albino oscar and the little cat fish and then she got rid of the lg black shark because he was being really agressive. so basically it depends on the atittude of the fish. the albino oscar has no problem with any of the other fish but the orange oscar was agressive towards everyone. start with one fish then go to the next would be your best bet.