Oscar/Salvini/Convict - 75 gal.
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Thanks, cage.
In a nutshell, my previous convict had a clear size advantage over the salvini.
Convict was easily dominant over the salvini, and he remained fairly vigilant about letting him know it. This in turn created constant friction between him (the convict) and my oscar (who was put in the position of having to constantly 'referee' things).
This time around, I have purposely designed things with the aim of ensuring that the convict starts off at the bottom of the pecking order and stays there. Oscar and salvini are currently together in the tank, whereas the convict (despite what my sig. says) is still in a different tank. All of this should help for establishing and maintaining a more 'natural order' of things (i.e. where the pecking order is oscar--->salvini--->convict).
Aquascaping changes made yesterday should also help...
BV
In a nutshell, my previous convict had a clear size advantage over the salvini.
Convict was easily dominant over the salvini, and he remained fairly vigilant about letting him know it. This in turn created constant friction between him (the convict) and my oscar (who was put in the position of having to constantly 'referee' things).
This time around, I have purposely designed things with the aim of ensuring that the convict starts off at the bottom of the pecking order and stays there. Oscar and salvini are currently together in the tank, whereas the convict (despite what my sig. says) is still in a different tank. All of this should help for establishing and maintaining a more 'natural order' of things (i.e. where the pecking order is oscar--->salvini--->convict).
Aquascaping changes made yesterday should also help...
BV
The aquascaping in this tank will play a huge role in whether or not the setup works.
Excuse the cloudiness (pic was taken right after rearranging the tank).
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Salvini mostly sticks to the cave on the left side of the tank. He can use the one on the right as well, and the oscar can't get to him there either. Both caves are of sufficient size to allow a full-grown male salvini to occupy them (some excavating may be required on his part, depending on how big he gets).
What I'm envisioning is that the convict (not yet in the tank) will end up with whichever cave the salvini is not occupying.
BV
Excuse the cloudiness (pic was taken right after rearranging the tank).
Salvini mostly sticks to the cave on the left side of the tank. He can use the one on the right as well, and the oscar can't get to him there either. Both caves are of sufficient size to allow a full-grown male salvini to occupy them (some excavating may be required on his part, depending on how big he gets).
What I'm envisioning is that the convict (not yet in the tank) will end up with whichever cave the salvini is not occupying.
BV
Plant is fake. Thanks!
That's ^^^ what happened during the introduction! 
I kept a close watch on things after lights-out, and the salvini kept chasing the convict out of one cave and then the other (controlling the whole tank bottom, essentially). Didn't take long for the convict to just give in and start hovering at the top of the tank. He's a bit tattered, to say the least. He has some missing scales---some of which you can see were removed by the oscar during the video. Some tattered fins as well, which is a shame, because he's got such nice flowing finnage.
Question is...
IF/when it hits the fan, which of the two would you remove (oscar stays)? :-?
I have plans to be out of town this weekend, so I need to make a decision before leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'm obviously a fan of both sals and cons, so personal preference is basically moot at this point. Here's the big question (two, really, but they go hand-in-hand):
1) Which of the two would have the better long-term outlook in with the oscar?
2) Which of the two would the oscar have an easier time with and/or be more accepting of in the longrun?
BV
I kept a close watch on things after lights-out, and the salvini kept chasing the convict out of one cave and then the other (controlling the whole tank bottom, essentially). Didn't take long for the convict to just give in and start hovering at the top of the tank. He's a bit tattered, to say the least. He has some missing scales---some of which you can see were removed by the oscar during the video. Some tattered fins as well, which is a shame, because he's got such nice flowing finnage.
Question is...
IF/when it hits the fan, which of the two would you remove (oscar stays)? :-?
I have plans to be out of town this weekend, so I need to make a decision before leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'm obviously a fan of both sals and cons, so personal preference is basically moot at this point. Here's the big question (two, really, but they go hand-in-hand):
1) Which of the two would have the better long-term outlook in with the oscar?
2) Which of the two would the oscar have an easier time with and/or be more accepting of in the longrun?
BV
I feel for you. I'm kinda in the same boat. I have an oscar whom I'm trying to find a good tankmate(s) for. Actually it's very much the same. My tanks is a 70g and my oscar is 10" and just like you, no matter what, the oscar stays. I am currently trying a salvini(male I think), female JD, texas, and synsipilum (probably spelled that wrong). I guess I'd base my decision on what works best for the oscar. So far my JD is really aggressive so she won't be staying. The salvini is starting to show some aggression, but not toward the oscar. So far it actually looks like the synspilum is working out the best, but I know they get pretty big so we'll see. I previously had convicts (2) in with this oscar and one of them was actually attacking him. So I know I'm not that helpful but I guess I'd stick with the one that gets along best with the oscar
Actually, shef, what you wrote is quite helpful.
Since the oscar is staying, it makes perfect sense to keep whichever fish seems to be getting along best with him...thanks for your input!
I've been sitting here watching the convict get chased all over the place by both fish.
Salvini is relentless and forces the convict to stay at the water's surface. Even then he'll still attack him. Whenever the salvini lets up, the oscar is either swooping up under the con and attacking him or doing the 'show-down' move to him (the exact same 'move' he used to do when in confrontations with the previous convict I had to part with). And this whole time the convict is getting more and more tattered...
As a result, I've decided to keep the salvini and part with the convict.
I moved him to another tank a little while ago, so he should be just fine. Moments ago, when I glanced in on the oscar and salvini, I saw the two side-by-side within about 6 inches of one another---both attacking reflections on the back wall of the tank. It's the first time I've seen them so close to one another without any chasing happening, so that's a good sign. They even seemed to cooperate in their efforts to unite against the convict earlier, so maybe his short-lived presence in the tank will have led to some sort of camaradarie...
Thanks for following along, and thanks to all for the input.
Even though it didn't work out, I'm glad I tried. With the right mix of individuals, I think it's possible, but it just wasn't in the cards for these particular fish. For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend that anyone attempt this sort of setup unless they've got an immediate backup plan in place. Things can get nasty in a hurry, and the salvini and oscar can pack one heck of a punch.
My 75 gal. tank is now officially 'BV's Oscar & Salvini Tank.'
It'll be interesting to see how these two work out together in the long-run...opcorn:
BV
Since the oscar is staying, it makes perfect sense to keep whichever fish seems to be getting along best with him...thanks for your input!
I've been sitting here watching the convict get chased all over the place by both fish.
Salvini is relentless and forces the convict to stay at the water's surface. Even then he'll still attack him. Whenever the salvini lets up, the oscar is either swooping up under the con and attacking him or doing the 'show-down' move to him (the exact same 'move' he used to do when in confrontations with the previous convict I had to part with). And this whole time the convict is getting more and more tattered...
As a result, I've decided to keep the salvini and part with the convict.
I moved him to another tank a little while ago, so he should be just fine. Moments ago, when I glanced in on the oscar and salvini, I saw the two side-by-side within about 6 inches of one another---both attacking reflections on the back wall of the tank. It's the first time I've seen them so close to one another without any chasing happening, so that's a good sign. They even seemed to cooperate in their efforts to unite against the convict earlier, so maybe his short-lived presence in the tank will have led to some sort of camaradarie...
Thanks for following along, and thanks to all for the input.
Even though it didn't work out, I'm glad I tried. With the right mix of individuals, I think it's possible, but it just wasn't in the cards for these particular fish. For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend that anyone attempt this sort of setup unless they've got an immediate backup plan in place. Things can get nasty in a hurry, and the salvini and oscar can pack one heck of a punch.
My 75 gal. tank is now officially 'BV's Oscar & Salvini Tank.'
It'll be interesting to see how these two work out together in the long-run...
opcorn: BV
Even if you take out the JD that is too many fish. Let's see Oscar can reach 14" Texas anywhere from 10-12" Salvin 6-8" and the Syn. can reach anywhere from 14-18' If it were me I would keep the Oscar and Salvini and get rid of the Texas and Syn. Maybe you could add a convict or FM.
Exactly, shef!
Deciding between the two would have been tough, but these guys made it easy for me this time 'round. Giving up the con won't exactly be fun, but I know it's definitely in his best interests.
Now I can just sit back, relax, and watch the oscar and salvini...maybe I'll try getting some pics.
As for your situation, shef...
I agree with Trimac. I'm thinking the salvini would be the best bet too...mainly due to its smaller size (and the fact that he and the oscar seem to be getting along, based on what you've seen so far).
BV
Deciding between the two would have been tough, but these guys made it easy for me this time 'round. Giving up the con won't exactly be fun, but I know it's definitely in his best interests.
Now I can just sit back, relax, and watch the oscar and salvini...maybe I'll try getting some pics.
As for your situation, shef...
I agree with Trimac. I'm thinking the salvini would be the best bet too...mainly due to its smaller size (and the fact that he and the oscar seem to be getting along, based on what you've seen so far).
BV
Oh I know I'm overstocked. The JD is going for sure, mostly because she's nasty (pretty though), the texas is also on the list to go. I'm having trouble giving up the synispilium though, really nice fish and gets along with the oscar wonderfully. I've also been told they are slow growers . As for the oscar, I know they can reach 14" but mine is already 2 years old and is 10" and has been there for a while. I've been told some oscars just stay smaller. I'm not saying he/she isn't going to grow any more, it just seems rather unlikely that it will be a 14" one. But the JD and the texas are going to be going pretty soon.
The salvini hasn't attracted the oscar's attention yet, but it's still pretty small. It has started scraping with the other fish which are all bigger than it, so I don't know if that's a sign of things to come or not. We'll see. I always keep a pretty close eye on my fish.
The salvini hasn't attracted the oscar's attention yet, but it's still pretty small. It has started scraping with the other fish which are all bigger than it, so I don't know if that's a sign of things to come or not. We'll see. I always keep a pretty close eye on my fish.
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BV, I am sorry that eveythink didn't work out will all three of these fish. At least the sal is working out for now though and hopfully they will from now on.
shef, if you want to keep the synispilium then I would say you are going to need a bigger tank. As far as the sal scraping with the other fish, it could just be standing up for itself. It is hard to tell who is starting what.
Good luck to both of you.
shef, if you want to keep the synispilium then I would say you are going to need a bigger tank. As far as the sal scraping with the other fish, it could just be standing up for itself. It is hard to tell who is starting what.
Good luck to both of you.
That's my biggest concern with keeping the salvini as well. My oscar is by no means a pushover but like most of them I think his bark is worse than his bite. I've heard salvini's can be quite the nasty little buggers if they want to be!Big Vine said:My main lingering question is this---what happens if/when the salvini has grown and tries to take on the oscar?
BV
What I'm hoping is that they'll co-exist amicably for long enough that the salvini just doesn't even bother trying to 'oust' the oscar. BUT, if he does, what might happen with our precious oscars? What would be the expected outcome?
BV
BV
I'd expect a male Salvini to devastate an oscar if he wanted to. I've had two different males and they at one point both decided to make the tank there own. Note this was a 55 gallon, but there very unpredictable from my experience and when they do there damage they do it very fast.
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