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u/69with_Mydad 1d ago
I believe most people “overstock” cichlids. This helps with their aggression. Tank water appears clean… as long as parameters are good, this isn’t as bad as you would think.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago
Overstocking Cichlids is fine, and totally normal.
Adding Oscars and a Flowerhorn…not so much
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u/69with_Mydad 1d ago
Good to know. I have 1 blood parrot that is aggressive to me lol.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago
Yeah, I think a lot of people underestimate how aggressive they can be simply because they’re “cute”
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u/69with_Mydad 1d ago
Yeah he’s got his own 40 gallon tank. My daughter really wanted one, so I made arrangements.
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u/retrogradePrecession 14h ago
I'm in the same boat, except a 55. I would like to find a couple of tankmates for mine. Have you tried adding anything?
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u/69with_Mydad 14h ago
Nope and I won’t lol. There are people who aware they are peaceful. I’ve seen someone add pencil fish and otocinclus/plecos. No shot I’m doing that
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u/pickledprick0749 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ayyy not even gonna lie I’m glad it ended up on this page. Oscar and flowerhorn shouldn’t be in there
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u/TurantulaHugs1421 1d ago
Yeah i saw this post earlier, i know overstocking is how it goes with african lake cichlids but op has flowerhorns and oscars that do not fit this system. Im pretty sure its not going to last long
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u/EducationalFox137 1d ago
Interesting conversation. I think cichlids are gorgeous, but have not had the guts to set one up.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago
If I could go back and start my 75 all over, I’d do cichlids. Just….not 2 Oscars and a Flowerhorn in with them. Lol
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u/EducationalFox137 1d ago
I know Oscars can be dirty, rotten scoundrels. And way back in my aquarium days, before I knew better I had a Jack Dempsey. He ate everything in the tank with him….even a red-tailed shark. Caught him red-tailed with that one. Happened to walk into the room and saw just the tail hanging out of his mouth.😡
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u/RedditSur4 1d ago
Theory behind overstocking cichlids is that the aggressive ones spread the aggression across all the fish and there’s less singling out.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago
I understand that, however, Flowerhorns are notorious murder machines. Oscars are dicks as well. This tank is a ticking time bomb
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u/RedditSur4 1d ago
Theory still applies. They can try and kill every fish in the tank, but because it’s overstocked it’s just not possible. And being in an overstocked tank changes behavior too. It’s not the best for the fish but if you cannot give a dedicated 75 gallon to each fish then this is the way to minimize damage.
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u/Weekly-Calendar676 1d ago
It's been a while but regardless of that don't Oscar's and African cichlids have different water parameter requirements? Also, unless this person has 2 more very large tanks the Oscar's and probably the flower horn will eventually be far too big to stay with the rest.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t have any particular large fish, but from what I’ve gathered, a single Flowerhorn needs at LEAST 75 gallons. Oscars I’ve seen 55-75 for a single; 90-100 for a pair. I believe the owner of this tank said it was 600L, so just shy of 160 gal, but still… Flowerhorns are incredibly aggressive, and Oscars are assholes as well.
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u/Weekly-Calendar676 1d ago
Yeah, I've cared for Oscar's and African cichlids before (a pretty decent pet store and a friend's 125 gal african cichlids tank) but never a flower horn. I totally get overstocking the tank and yes maybe there's a chance this person got the least aggressive Oscar's of all time but even being generous and ignoring the temperament, the cichlids in the Pic do not thrive in the same type of water. PH and water hardness are at near opposite ends. Also, it would be irresponsible not to at least have a plan to separate 3 fish that get big enough to eat the African cichlids whole.
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u/Jrnation8988 1d ago
Yes and no. The theory is that no one single fish can be constantly picked on/bullied. The Oscars and the Flowerhorn are going to be so much bigger than the others that they can easily kill at will if and when they choose. It’s like keeping a sorority of female Betta. It’s fine…until it isn’t.
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u/Armageddonxredhorse 1d ago
There seems to be some misconceptions here,so I'll help.
First I'll explain that purist hate the idea of mixing fish from different continents,so they've spread the rumor that south/ca cichlids can't be kept with African cichlids,which as it turns out is B.S, One of the original mixed continent tanks I helped a friend set up has almost all the original fish we picked out 30 years ago.
In regards to "needing different water" keep in mind that many of these fish are hatched and raised in the same water regardless of species,the water they're raised in is more important than the water on a continent they've never been too.
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u/Dull-Situation-9719 1d ago
New world cichlids can single out one fish they don't like and kill it, even in overstocked tanks.
Overstocking only works with rift lake cichlids, or when overstocking with single species.
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u/Civil-Housing9448 1d ago
These busy cichlid tanks just make me feel tired - and the flower horn seems like a really bad idea...