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Astronotus Ocellatus (oscars); *cichlid
Topic Started: Oct 27 2005, 09:26 AM (771 Views)
ZombieSlayer
JD Master
Co-Administrator

Astronotus Ocellatus

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*Photos donated by: BigOrangeO

Scientific Name: astronotus ocellatus

Common Name: Oscar

Color morphs: Red, Albino, Lutino, Tiger, Common, Gold, Lemon, Ruby Red These colors are achieved through breeding specific color morphs together over a long period of time.

Other colors: berry, pink, and purple. These are artifical colors normally done by striping off the slime coat and soaking the fish in a dye. Another method is to inject die into the skin of the fish. This is not only cruel, but often the color fades away (not always completely either) and the chances of the fish getting a disease or dying is increased greatly.

Origin: Central America (Brazil and Paraguay) and South Florida (introduced into the wild population some time ago).

Adult Length: 12-14+"

Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons for 1 adult and 80 gallons for 2 adults.

Water Requirements: pH 7.2-7.6 GH/KH 11-13 Temp 74-78F

Diet: Omnivorous. A cichlid pellet should be the staple/main food for oscars. Supplement with worms, krill, crawfish, beef heart, beef tongue, algea pellets, fruit (passion fruit, oranges, mango, and kiwi), along with insects (as long as they are pesticide free), and a variety of frozen foods (bloodworms, krill, beefheart, veggie).

Sexing: No visible markings distinguish males from females. The only way to sex oscars is by venting. Females will have two different sized 'holes' (oO) while the males (oo) are almost the same size.

Breeding: Temp should be around 76F for the best chance of a successful spawn. Clean water is also very important. The two fish will lock lips, chase each other around the tank, and generally look like they're fighting. There can be lots of rubbing against each other, vibrating, or running into each other as well. A nice flat piece of slate makes for a good place to lay eggs, however minus that both fish will dig a pit until they hit glass.

General Information: Oscars need plenty of swimming room. Long and wide tanks are preferred over tall tanks. Oscars are often misunderstood and labled as "aggressive". In fact most oscars are only aggressive when they are in a less than ideal enviroment or spawning. Oscars have a wonderful personality (almost dog like) which is quite popular amongst cichlid keepers. They recognize their owner and always are happy to see him/her. Oscars can be trained to eat out of your hand, ring a bell for food, and play with 'toys'. Oscars are commonly labeled as "tank busters" and for good reason. At 12"+ and being quite fast they have been known to bust out of tanks when spooked or mistreated.

Suggested reading: Unfortunately there are no up to date books written about astronotus ocellatus. Those that are in print are out dated.
240G tank with 1 oscar and 3 bala sharks and 2 raphael catfish
50G tank with a 6" male JD
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