What do I need to know about keeping arowana with oscar fish?

Thanks for reaching out about your arowana. These are tough fish to co-habitat in an aquarium as they tend to eat other fish and can be territorial. Introduced fish must be large enough to not appear as prey and not too timid, or will hide and not compete for food. This readily depend on how large your arowana is at present. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out. Oscars are fairly aggressive and will try to eat each other, depending on their size. Be prepared to separate if needed and monitor interactions. Keep them well fed and provide plenty of hiding locations. Good luck.

Arowanas need large tanks due to their size. They also require powerful filtration to maintain water quality. Water changes will also be critical to water quality since they produce a lot of wastes. Use only conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. A home test kit should also be used to monitor water chemistry. Minimum tank size should be between 130 and 150 gallons. Adults will need larger tanks. Keep a cover in place as they are accomplished jumpers. They should be kept in "soft" water and, being tropical fish, maintain temps between 75 F and 86 F. Feed a varied and balanced diet including krill, shrimp, mealworms, nightcrawlers and feeder fish. Food can be fresh, frozen (thaw it first) or freeze dried. Lastly, these are aggressive fish, so tank mates must be chosen carefully, if at all.

Probably not, for a few reasons. The first is tank size. Unless you have a large tank, upwards of 150+ gallons, 2 Oscars can overwhelm a smaller tank and filter with their bio load (wastes). Ideally, you want at least 55 gallons per Oscar. Another reason against it would be that if you end up with 2 males, it is likely they will be fighting constantly until one is injured or worse. Lastly, the long fins on the fan tail will invite nipping which will cause injury and may lead to infection.

As long as thee oscars are small there will be no problem, however they grow very fast and they will eat all your other fish except the gouramis. So yes, you will need a separate tank for them and preferably at least a 40 gallon tank. The same is true for the parrots, another cichlid species.

Get a section of Plexiglass that is as wide as the tank. Drill holes in it to allow for water flow and use it as a tank divider. It isn't ideal since aros need large tanks, but it may allow for healing and for the two to acclimate. You may eventually need to separate them though because your cichlid is going to act like a cichlid.

These catfish, and most fish, should not be handled frequently if at all. They have barbs, for self defense, that can injure you. If you must handle them, wear gloves and gently scoop them up from underneath. There may be some concerns keeping all these species together in one tank. Arowanas get very big and require large tanks. They can also be quite aggressive and may go after the Discus and Angels. The catfish, being a bottom dweller, may be safe. Another issue may be water hardness. Discus and Angels come from soft, acid water while Raphaels prefer hard water. Also, the Aro, Discus may do better in warmer water than the Angels and Raphael. These are all impressive fish and a joy to keep, but you consider the natural environment of each species before placing them all in the same tank.