How to Stop My Tiger Oscar From Fighting With My Other Fish

The tiger Oscar, which belongs to the cichlid family of fish, is indigenous to South America and found in aquariums across the United States. If housed in a large enough tank and fed properly, an adult Oscar fish can grow anywhere from 11 to 15 inches in sizes. Its size, coupled with a naturally territorial nature, make the tiger Oscar a potential threat to the other fish in the tank, especially ones that are smaller.

Instructions

    • 1

      House the Oscar fish, and any other fish, in a tank that is large enough to accommodate them all. The size required is dependent upon the size of the Oscar fish and the size and number of other fish living in the tank. For instance, a single Oscar fish requires a tank that is at least 50 gallons.

    • 2

      Remove the tiger Oscar and the other fish from the tank and rearrange any plants, rocks, wood and ornaments found inside of the tank. Oscars, including tiger Oscars, are very territorial fish and rearranging the items found in the aquarium will confuse the fish, making it forget what it has dominated in the first place.

    • 3

      Choose tank mates for the tiger Oscar that are able to defend themselves against your aggressive fish. Suitable fish to place inside the tank include Salvini, Jack Dempseys and Texas Cichlids. These fish are relatively the same size or bigger than tiger Oscars and will be able to take on the tiger Oscar. Avoid fish that are much smaller than the tiger Oscar as these will eventually become the large fish's next meal.

    • 4

      Remove the tiger Oscar from the tank and house it in a separate aquarium. This is the last best option if you have a tiger Oscar that is overly aggressive and is attempting to fight all the other fish for territory and food.