# whats the deal wit oscars?



## Heartless-Dealer (Aug 3, 2003)

im thinkin bout getting 3-4 RBP's and 1 Oscar. Is this even possible...i know the oscar gets big and all and can usually defend himself, but when i saw pictures it looks as if he does not even have teeth.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

oscars do not have true teeth-- they have a tough filament "plates" instead that grow in their mouths.

Oscars are not very aggressive, but then again neither are RBPs so they might very well get along fine, theres lots of people out there who keep oscars with rbps, although some people aren't quite so lucky.


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## Heartless-Dealer (Aug 3, 2003)

LoL ... i know RBP'S arent the most aggressive pirhanas out there but to call them "not so aggressive" is such an understatement its unbelievable.

P.S. what do u think is the most aggressive Piranha?


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Heartless-Dealer said:


> LoL ... i know RBP'S arent the most aggressive pirhanas out there but to call them "not so aggressive" is such an understatement its unbelievable.


 its true, if RBP's had any aggression, they'd tear a weak fish like an oscar apart. As it is most of them seem to behave more like gigantic Neon Tetras.


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## Heartless-Dealer (Aug 3, 2003)

ahaha gigantic neon tetras...thats really good.. but like i said what u think is most aggressive piranha?


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

most of the serrasalmus species are considered more aggressive than most pygos.... if i had to place a bet id say elongatus


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Heartless-Dealer said:


> ahaha gigantic neon tetras...thats really good.. but like i said what u think is most aggressive piranha?


Throw an average central/south american cichlid like a midas, red devil, trimac, jack dempsey, texas, etc in with a rbp and there's a very good chance the rbp will hit "bitch" status instantly, if it isnt outright killed over time. None of those fish have anywhere near the teeth of an rbp, but they got something it doesnt-- aggression. If the rbp had aggression it could tear any fish similar to its size apart, but it doesnt.


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Rbs can be just as agressive as any other pygos out there. There is no difference in my book.

Back to the hand of the issue, Oscars in a piranha tank is a gamble. But one thing you can relie on is that you need a damn big oscar to scar off the piranhas


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## Heartless-Dealer (Aug 3, 2003)

yea thats what i was thinkin...maybe get a slightly bigger oscar so that the piranhas dont mistake him for a feeder fish...
















o and by the way i would put money down that the P would f*ck up any of those chiclids u said.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Heartless-Dealer said:


> o and by the way i would put money down that the P would f*ck up any of those chiclids u said.


 if it would, then u DEFINITELY couldnt keep an oscar with it now, could you? In fact, if you were so sure it could, then you wouldn't have even bothered to ask the question because you would have thought it would be retarded.


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

> Rbs can be just as agressive as any other pygos out there. There is no difference in my book


you tell them


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Death in # said:


> > Rbs can be just as agressive as any other pygos out there. There is no difference in my book
> 
> 
> you tell them


 key word: CAN


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## pcrose (Mar 9, 2003)

very diff occasions the reds can treat it like it was one of their own but it wont last forever they will get eaten one day


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

RBPs can be very aggressive - dont forget that, after all they are still considerd dangerous to humans









I do not reccomend keeping cichlids with piranhas as usually it ends up in just piranhas








Please dont do it









also Oscars get large and require 75 gallons of space - do you really have that spare?









I think that S.elongatus is among the most aggressive of all piranhas and I also believe that some of the cichlids mentioned earlyer in this post would be a match for a piranha of any species, however my money would usually be on the piranha


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## iLLwiLL (Jun 13, 2003)

I had a pair of oscars living with 3 cariba for a couple months before I moved . . . I wouldn't recomend it, but my oscars survived the rough journey. they also got the sh*t knocked out of them (and their fins) on a regular occasion, but the oscars never really instigated any trouble with the cariba . . . I think thats how they survived.

~Will.


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## CoolD (Apr 16, 2003)

red bellies are no sissys
they are capable of as much carnage as any other piranha and from time to time they will remind you that they are infact worthy to be in the piranha family







. But out of all the piranhas they show the most restraint.


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

I just put a 3" Oscar with my 5 reds and 1 Caribe all 4". The Oscar lasted 10min. As soon as the Caribe chased the Oscar it was all over.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

throw an equal-sized midas cichlid with your redbellies and _then[i/] tell me how tough they are







_


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> throw an equal-sized midas cichlid with your redbellies and _then[i/] tell me how tough they are
> 
> 
> 
> ...


_
whats the point?

RBPs are aggressive - we all know that, we also all know that midas are aggressive.

we also know that mixing cichlids with piranhas is not a good idea.
so why would we add am aggressive cichlid with a piranha or equal size?_


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Innes said:


> piranha45 said:
> 
> 
> > throw an equal-sized midas cichlid with your redbellies and _then[i/] tell me how tough they are
> ...


_
to demonstrate that rbp's are overhyped and overrated and can easily be bullied and killed by fish that are far less capable than the rbp's themselves_


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## deca (Aug 1, 2003)

This will throw a spanner in the works.

A p. owner I know put a rbp into his ocsar tank to clean out the p tank. The oscar killed the p. The oscar was around 8" and the p. was about 7".


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

deca said:


> This will throw a spanner in the works.
> 
> A p. owner I know put a rbp into his ocsar tank to clean out the p tank. The oscar killed the p. The oscar was around 8" and the p. was about 7".


 Im surprised an _oscar_ killed a p, but as for other cichlids out there who actually have _aggression_ killing p's, thats almost common.


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## Kory (Jun 5, 2003)

my red Oscar has killed one of my rbp's. my p's are pud's and get bullied by the O all the time. Although the O is 14 in and the p's are only 5 in makes quite a differnce i suppose


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> Innes said:
> 
> 
> > piranha45 said:
> ...


_
Reds are *not* overhyped: the only reason they tend to be more mellow than cariba for example is because in general they are less territorial (would be quite an issue in a shoal consisting of 100's of reds, don't you think?) Maybe that's the reason they get bullied around easier








Besides that, reds are one of only three species of piranha that are considered potentially dangerous to man: I guess that's means something, right?

The reason cichlids might seem (be) much more agressive is because many species are highly territorial, and will defend their territory with all means.

Reds are very agressive, but it's a different agression compared to cichlids... Reds are agressive when it comes to feeding, but will not instinctively attack any fish blindly whenh it comes to territorial disputes, unlike some cichlids do.

btw: what are we discussing in this thread? Temperament of reds, or wheter oscars and reds make a good combination?_


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## 521 1N5 (Apr 25, 2003)

Oscars are sweet


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> Reds are very agressive, but it's a different agression compared to cichlids... Reds are agressive when it comes to feeding, but will not instinctively attack any fish blindly whenh it comes to territorial disputes, unlike some cichlids do.


when referring to aggression, the vast majority of aquarists out there regard aggression as fish-to-fish compatibility--- "can you stick this fish with these fish or will they harass/kill each other?"

and obviously the thread is labeled one thing and we are discussing something else


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> Judazzz said:
> 
> 
> > Reds are very agressive, but it's a different agression compared to cichlids... Reds are agressive when it comes to feeding, but will not instinctively attack any fish blindly whenh it comes to territorial disputes, unlike some cichlids do.
> ...


That definition would make reds untolerable and agressive fish as well...

It only might take more time, because it's not about territorial issues, but about hunger, and as long as reds are well-fed, they don't feel the 'urge' to go out and kill other fish because they invade their personal space. But when hungry, they'll attack fish much larger than themselves, just like cichlids attack larger fish when they invade their territory.

Because reds might be easier to 'condition' to live with other fish (as long as they're fed well) doesn't make them less agressive... It's all about instinct, and as soon as instinct kicks in, reds as well as cichlids are very mean and intolerable fish...


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

I see your point... still though, they'd have to be REALLY damned hungry (several days/ a week w/out food) before they'd launch an offensive on another aggressive fish, and even then there's a high chance they'll just turn on each other instead-- they are very easily stared-down-- something has to run in fear from them before they'll try to attack it.


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## Poseidon X (Jan 31, 2003)

You would be better off trying with a dempsey. Just make sure he has a nice cave and he should do well.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> I see your point... still though, they'd have to be REALLY damned hungry (several days/ a week w/out food) before they'd launch an offensive on another aggressive fish, and even then there's a high chance they'll just turn on each other instead-- they are very easily stared-down-- something has to run in fear from them before they'll try to attack it.


I see your point as well...

All I wanted to say is that reds aren't the pussies many say they are: they are piranha's, and have their bad reputation not for nothing. I really don't remarks like "Reds are pussies", because it's simply not true (most are from disappointed people that bought them based on reputation given in the media, and realise there's more about them than just killing and raising hell). They do not kill on command, but that doesn't make them lesser or ghey fish, and they certainly don't deserve the repuation some piranha keepers try to give them, and need to be approached with a lot of respect: personally, I prefer being bitten by a cichlid, and not a redbelly


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

Very true


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> reds aren't the pussies many say they are: they are piranha's, and have their bad reputation not for nothing. I really don't remarks like "Reds are pussies", because it's simply not true (most are from disappointed people that bought them based on reputation given in the media, and realise there's more about them than just killing and raising hell). They do not kill on command, but that doesn't make them lesser or ghey fish, and they certainly don't deserve the repuation some piranha keepers try to give them, and need to be approached with a lot of respect: personally, I prefer being bitten by a cichlid, and not a redbelly


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