[Rich76]

Hi, would a single, pair or triplet of Texas Cichlids be Ok in a 90g? And can they be different as in 1 green and/or 1 blue and/or 1 red Texas? Or should they be all the same?

 

[Oscar6]

Lets first address the fish. A true Texas cichlid, H. Cyannoguttatus(sp?) is the only Texas cichlid. What folks refer to as Green Texas are Carpintis. Nothing Texas about them. What folks refer to as Red Texas are man made hybrids of who knows what, but at least one parent should be a true Tex. You can name a fish anything you like, but a lot of what is referred to as Red Tex are plain Flowerhorns. To the question... 90g will hold a pair of Carpintis, but a 48x18 footprint is still tight. H.Cyanno are much bigger, and 90 will be too small for a pair, imo. Red Tex hybrids can be bigger still, especially if having some Red Devil/Midas in the mix. For certain Red Tex is far more violent, ergo more difficult to house in pairs or groups. 90g wont cut it imo. I have had all fish in question, I offer an experienced based opinion. I am sure some will say 90 g is huge, mix them all in, no probs. They would be wrong, imo,lol

 

[Rich76]

Thx. So what is a good mix of Central & South American. I'm also a fan of Green Terror, Oscar, Severum. I know I could do a solo Oscar in my 90, but I sure do love the colours of green terror and severums.

 

[Oscar6]

You cant just tell someone put this with that. Its always a coin toss mixing cichlids. There are some that offer a better percentage of success due to their relatively mild manners. Severum are a great fish to keep, but can also get rather large, 10+ins. GT can be hit or miss depending on what you get. There are true GT(kinda rare) and false GT. There are Saums and other Acara blends that are mass labeled as Green Terrors. You have to realize that 90g is not really a big tank to house a mix of medium sized cichlids. Again, imo and experience, 90g and a 48x18 footprint is too small for a large adult Oscar. I mean the big ones that hang around 14+ins and weigh well over 2 lbs. Not all get that big of course, some top out at 10ins. 90g will hold a small adult Oscar. On the Central side, you need to stay smaller still, as CA are for the most part more aggressive, more territorial than SA. In 90g you could likely get away with Convicts, Firemouth, T-Bars, maybe even a Nicaraguan. Fish that stay in the 5-6in range. A small female Dempsey may work in a small community. Its recommended to not mix CA with SA. SA just dont have the stones to compete with CA. SA Festae(red terror, mean) and Umbee(giant sized) are exceptions to the rule in general. Never any certainties

 

[Rich76]

How is 90g too small for a single Oscar when 75g is the minimum?

 

[Oscar6]

75 and 90 are basically the same tank, 48x18 with the 90 being a bit taller. I know that just about every forum everywhere will tell you that 75g is a minimum to keep an Oscar. As I previously stated, that may be true for a small-ish adult. A big Oscar, well over a foot long, 6-7ins tall and big girth is cramped in any 4ft tank. I consider a 120g with a 48x24x24 dimension too small for such a fish. I have had giant Oscars(just a few) that I have moved out of 72x18 125g tanks because they made that tank look small. I currently have a very big Red Devil, way over a foot long almost 7yrs old. Got it at 1in. The fish has progressively moved into bigger tanks as the years rolled by. Its final home, been in about 3 yrs is a 72x24x24 180g. Lives by itself, is quite content. The tank is in no way too big for this fish. Big cichlids do so much better when you can offer as much room for them as possible. Also easier on the fishkeeper, by having large volume and excessive filtration, tank maintenance is needed less frequently.