Care Level: Easy
Temperature: 72 to 86F
pH: 5 to 7.0

Region:

The Oscar Astronotus ocellatus is a large, boldly colored South American cichlid characterized by its unique personality and striking intelligence. These handsome fish quickly grow to a maximum size of a little under a foot (12" or 33 cm) and are experts at commanding the attention of anyone observing their tank. The adults in the wild are normally a dark color with orange around the gills, on the sides towards the back, and with an orange-ringed black spot at the base of the caudal fin. The scientific description of this fish is truly fitting. The genus term Astronotus means "ray-backed, star-marked" and the species term ocellatus means "spotted or eye spot". Several common names used for this fish are also quite indicative of its appearance including Tiger Oscar and Marble Cichlid. In earlier times they were actually referred to as the 'Velvet Cichlid'.

Care:

Remember that your Oscar is primarily carnivorous (eats meat), so provide him with a high quality, high protein diet. Many high quality processed fish foods are available on the market today, and most frozen fish foods are also appropriate for feeding your Oscar.

In the wild, most Oscars eat primarily small fish, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and insect larvae, only opportunistically scavenging on an old carcass, nipping at the fins or scales of larger fish, or consuming plant matter. You are best off to try to duplicate this diet in the aquarium environment. Provide a wide variety of processed, frozen, and freeze dried foods.

Your Oscars should be able to consume all the food you offer within two minutes of feeding. If there is food in the fish tank after this time has elapsed, this contributes to poor water quality and make your Oscars more susceptible to disease.

Though Oscars will take live foods, feeding live goldfish is always a bad idea. Feeder goldfish are not a very nutritious food, and they are a good way to spread disease to your beloved Oscars.

To keep your Oscar healthy in your home aquarium, remember to provide them with plenty of clean, warm water. Your Oscar's temperature should be about 77° Fahrenheit (25° Celsius), and ideally should remain between 74° and 81° F (23.5° and 27° C), so you need an aquarium heater and a thermometer. Keeping your Oscar too warm for long periods of time will result in Oxygen deprivation, which can cause nerve damage, heart damage, and can seriously hamper the immune system. Keeping them too cool or exposing them to sudden chill can also hamper their immune system. An impaired immune system makes them more susceptible to many diseases, from easily treatable Ick to more difficult diseases such as hole-in-the-head.

Your Oscar aquarium should provide at least 30 gallons of space (about 114 liters) per Oscar, plus any space needed for any other fish. A minimum fish tank size of 40 gallons (about 152 liters) is recommended if you are keeping an Oscar.

Oscars will take live foods, feeding live goldfish is always a bad idea. Feeder goldfish are not a very nutritious food, and they are a good way to spread disease to your beloved Oscars.

Oscar can eat almost everything that falls into the water tank. Oscars mainly eat freshwater insects and crustaceans. They do not eat fish which means that they are not piscivores.

Even if they do eat fish, it contributes to a minor portion of what they eat and primary fish food of Oscars are catfish in their natural environment. So, you should remember this while choosing tank mates for your fish and should never put catfish in the water tank as mates for your Oscar fish.

Tank Mates:
Oscars do best if kept alone. However, you can select as tank mates other large South or Central American Cichlids, though it is imperative that you select ones that are neither too aggressive nor too passive, as the aggressive ones will beat up your Oscar and the passive ones will get beaten up... Some of the medium sized Pacu can also make good companions for an Oscar. If you do want to keep your Oscar with other fish, the fish should either be raised together or should be moved into a new fish tank together so that none of them have an established territory.