From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Oscar fish
Astronotus ocellatus
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 540 L
- Lifespan
- 10-20 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Astronotus ocellatus |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Origin: | South America, Amazon River basin in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 35.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | semi aggressive |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | Decades of selective breeding have produced several established strains of what is otherwise a wild-type fish. The wild form is dark olive to near-black with irregular orange-red blotching and a distinctive ocellus — the eye-spot ringed in orange at the base of the tail that gives the species its scientific name. Tiger oscars carry heavier and more contrasted orange marbling. Red oscars are largely red-orange over a dark base, and Bahia red is a more intensely coloured selection of the same idea. Albino and lutino strains lack the dark pigment, showing white or pale bodies with orange-red patterning and red eyes. Long-finned or veiltail oscars exist across most of the colour strains. Specialists note that the long-finned form is a little less competitive than the others, which matters if it shares a tank. Avoid dyed and tattooed fish. So-called jellybean or painted oscars are injected with dye, the process has high mortality, and the trade continues only while people buy them. All the strains are the same species with identical requirements. The choice is aesthetic, apart from the finnage question. |
| Lifespan: | 10-20 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Very High
- Min Tank:540 L
- Substrate:Sand or large smooth gravel; sturdy decor; no delicate plants
- Plant Safe:Not plant-safe (uproots and rearranges)
- Filtration:Very high (large, very messy fish)
Oscar fish (Astronotus ocellatus) is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is native to South America, Amazon River basin in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The oscar is the closest thing freshwater has to a pet. It recognises the person who feeds it, follows them along the glass, takes food from the hand, and rearranges the tank to its own satisfaction — which is why it has been called a water dog for decades. It comes from the Amazon basin across Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela, and reaches 350 mm standard length. The specialist minimum for a single adult is a 150 × 60 cm base, roughly 540 litres. It lives ten to twenty years. The other side of the personality is the mess. This is a very high bioload fish that needs efficient filtration and weekly water changes of 30–50 per cent of the volume. It also has a documented habit of breaking equipment — the standard advice is to place the heater outside the tank, because oscars have been known to destroy them. Nothing about this fish is difficult. All of it is large.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- semi aggressive
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Oscar fish
Matched on family, then category, then water type