Oscar Fish Info

Reading up on oscar fish info is very interesting and a prerequisite if you are planning to buy one. If you've ever come across an oscar fish, the first thing that you'll notice is its color. The scientific name of this fish is Astronontus ocellatus, and it belongs to the Cichlid family. It is a freshwater fish, and is found in rivers like the Amazon, Orinoco and La Plata.

The bright orange oscar fish, is sometimes also called the peacock cichlid or the velvet cichlid. If you notice its scales, you will realize that it moves with such speed, that it gives the impression of being velvet. And its tail is reminiscent of that of a peacock's tail. The oscar fish has a very strong personality. Their characteristic oscar fish behavior includes their ability to recognize their owners and they are even known to accept fish food directly from their hands. The oscar fish is a very strong fish and has the ability to change its fish tank settings, if it does not like something. This it does by lifting and throwing the thing (rock, plant) out of the tank.

Types of Oscar Fish

Types of oscar fish include the Tiger Oscar, Albino Oscar, Lemon Oscar, Lutino Oscar and Yellow Oscar. These fish are very easy to breed and therefore there have come to be varied cross breeds in the same. This could turn out to be a very interesting hobby for several oscar fish enthusiasts.

Tiger Oscar: The tiger Oscar has a chocolate brown base with orange and crimson markings. These form crimson and orange splotches, circles and bars as markings on its body.

Red Oscar: This fish is characterized by the formation of large red and crimson patches on either side of its body.

Albino Oscar: The Albino Oscar has similar colorings as that of the tiger Oscar. In that manner, it retains the red base and markings but the brown is replaced with an ivory white color.

Oscar Fish Care

Having information on Oscar fish is essential if one wants to keep them as pets. A single oscar fish will grow up to the size of 16 inches. If proper care is administered, they can live for 10-12 years. There are certain guidelines that one must follow, in order to expend the most adequate care.

Aquarium Size
Being a very aggressive fish, the Oscar requires at 35 gallons of space. And therefore the size of an oscar fish tank should be about 40-45 gallons.

Contents of the Aquarium
Place an under-gravel filter at the bottom of the aquarium. Then add about 3-4 inches of cichlid gravel (enough, so that it can support the contents of the tank). Add water to the tank after it has been conditioned. Which means, tap water should be allowed to sit for 24 hours and all impurities and contaminating agents should be cleared of it by using a water conditioner. One can also add certain specific products that are meant for cichlids so that the mineral content of their natural environment is duplicated and it becomes easier for them to adjust to the tank's environment.

Once this is done, add the water to the half way mark and place all the plants, ornaments and rocks into the tank. All the objects that go into the tank should be cleaned so that no impurities remain and does not leads to contamination of the tank.

Place the tank in an area where there is minimal influence of the external environmental factors - Like temperature, light and noise. Make sure that it is never placed under direct sunlight. Also, make sure that the stand on which the aquarium is placed is sturdy enough to support the weight of the aquarium.

Water Temperature
The water temperature of the tank should be maintained between 74-81 degrees F. It is important to place plants and ornaments in the tank because the Oscars are very aggressive fish and the presence of other fish in the tank can cause them to be highly aggressive. In order to reduce stress therefore, plants are placed in the tank so that the fish can use them as hiding places.

Diet of the Oscar Fish

The oscar fish is a voracious eater and likes to feed on live food. One has to make sure to feed it a high protein diet. So also fitting water filters becomes important as oscar fish produce lots of waste. Make sure that the oscar fish is fed fish only once a day. If the fish is fed more than once, it will result in an increase in waste production. Supplement it with other frozen and fried foods instead. Make sure that the water is changed every 20 days and any uneaten food materials are immediately cleaned up or it can result in your fish developing oscar fish diseases like 'hole in the head' disease. If a clean tank is maintained, and the diet of the fish is carefully followed, you can prevent this from happening.

Water filters are very crucial when caring for oscar fish because they are voracious eaters hence they produce more wastes. oscar fish can exhibit highly aggressive behavior especially if there are other fish in the tank. To reduce stress, have a bunch of aquatic plants that will serve as hiding places.

I hope this article has been a good read and had provided you with required data. You can refer to the varied pointers from the oscar fish info and set up an aquarium at your place.