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Fish for Sale
Oscar
(Velvet Cichlid) (Marble Cichlid) (Standard Oscar) (Red Tiger Oscar) (Red Oscar) (Albino Oscar) (Peacock-eye)
Albino Tiger Oscar and a Tiger Oscar
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Scientific Name |
Astronotus ocellatus |
| Type |
Cichlids |
Family |
Cichlids, Cichlidae |
Subfamily |
Percidae |
Other Names |
Velvet Cichlid, Marble Cichlid, Standard Oscar, Red Tiger Oscar, Red Oscar, Albino Oscar, Peacock-eye |
Minimum Tank Size |
30 gallon when small, but upgrades must be done quickly. The bigger tank the better, 75 gallons is necessary to keep a single adult specimen. |
Tank Level |
Middle, but will swim to all levels |
Care |
They are messy with very large waste and need frequent water changes. |
Behavior |
Territorial, especially when paired up for breeding. Reputation to be aggressive, but are less aggressive than most other cichlids, and are actually pretty peaceful if paired up with other relatively robust species. Can live in small groups. Smart, messy, will up-root plants, learns to recognize their owners and learns when it's feeding time. Will sometimes swim to your hand if you put it into the tank. Have been known to let you know when it is hungry by putting on a performance, swimming to the surface of the water, opening and closing it's mouth. Needs some stimulation, or it may become bored and stressed, becoming more susceptible to illness. Their tanks should not be barren. They like to play with heaters, snails, and ping pong balls. Likes to dig in the gravel. They will most enjoy being in a room where they can see you often. They like to watch their owners. Loves to eat, can be taught small tricks. |
| Compatibility |
Can be kept by itself or with other cichlids of the same size. Said to do best with other Oscars, but people do keep them with some types of barbs, Synodontis catfish (known as upside-down cats and squeaker catfish) and clown or tiger loaches, and sharks. Also pacu, silver dollar, annostomus, large arowana, wolf fish and Polypterus of similar size. Will eat smaller fish. |
Life span |
10 years |
Size |
12 inches (30 cm) Grows up very fast |
Aquarium |
Tank must have a lid so they do not jump out. Lower light, as they like to eat at the surface of the tank. Will tear up live plants. Rock formations are a must, as these fish are intelligent and must be given the opportunity to rearrange their surroundings. |
Water chemistry |
Freshwater |
pH |
6.0 - 7.5 (neutral) |
Hardness |
dH: 5.0 - 19.0 (soft to hard) |
Temperature |
75°- 86°F (24° to 30° C) |
Feeding |
Carnivorous - Not picky. Likes to eat live smaller fish. They do well on live food such as, feeder fish, worms, crickets, brine shrimp (only as a treat, as brine shrimp has very little nutritional value). They will accept a variety of foods such as cichlid flakes, cichlid pellets, frozen foods and krill. Food formulated for cichlids must be a staple part of their diet because of the nutritional value. Feeders and insects do not often contain enough nutrition to keep an Oscar healthy. Care must always be taken when using feeder fish, as they are often poorly fed and can carry diseases. |
Sexing |
Hard to tell |
Breeding |
Minimum of 55 gallon tank. Breeding pair form a strong bond after numerous "trials of strength". They then become loyal to one another. Broods of around 1000 eggs are laid on a pre-cleaned site, such as a slate. Parents protect their young together. Usually good parents. |
Origin |
Amazon River basin, South America |
Extras |
Oscars are the kind of fish people call "true pets" - personable, active, and very intelligent. They enjoy activities and will actively seek out their owners. As they get large quickly and live for a long time, anyone who owns one must be willing to keep it for the duration, as large fish are often euthanized at pet stores because they are too large for the average enthusiast and therefore difficult to sell. |
Tiger Oscar
Tiger Oscar
In the wild Oscar's eat live
food and will very much enjoy being fed live food in their tank. Be
careful where you get your feeder fish from. The common goldfish or
guppies traditionally sold at fish shops are undernourished, making
them less nutritional for the Oscar. If you are going to feed your
Oscars feeder fish, keep them in a separate tank for a while to make
sure they are disease free and feed them nutritious food so those
nutrients can get passed on to your oscar. Pellets can also be fed
to Oscars. The more common choices of live food are krill, prawn,
shrimp, small fish, crickets, all sorts of worms, and crayfish.
Tiger Oscar and an Albino Tiger Oscar.
Albino Tiger Oscar.
Albino Tiger Oscar.
Tiger Oscar.
Albino Tiger Oscar.
A Tiger Oscar and an Orange Cichlid in the Wood.
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