The Oscar Fish
Oscars come in a wide variety of types: the tiger Oscar, the red Oscar, the pink Oscars, the veil tail Oscars, and the pink veil tail Oscars. Each Oscar has a different temperament, but they all have the same growth rate.
Size:
An Oscar's standard size while in adulthood is 12-16", their size will depend on the size of tank you have. While in the juvenile age, the Oscar is about 3-4" in length, but they have been known to grow an amazing 1"+ each month. People will buy a small tank thinking that'll have time until they need to buy a larger tank, but it's best to buy a tank that'll big enough for an adult Oscar. And as I said above, the Oscar can weigh up to 3.5 pounds.
Oscars have been found in:
The Amazon River, South American, the Orinoco River Basins, Columbia, French Guiana, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Water conditions:
The Oscar will tolerate its pH 6-8, and 5-19 for their dH. Oscar's water temperature should stay about 72 or 78 degrees F. It is important to keep your Oscars water at these conditions or it could cause illnesses and sometimes fatal results to you Oscar.
Foods:
Oscars are carnivores and only eat meat. Their diet should maintain: crustaceans, invertebrates, and other fish. Oscars will eat multiple times each day.
Life span:
The Oscar can live for over 10 year of age. When you buy an Oscar, you commit to that Oscar. Oscars aren't your average fish, they'll become attached to you and you'll become attached to them. Once you have an Oscar it's hard to get rid of them, for both you and the Oscar.
Oscar temperaments:
People say Oscars are very temperamental, but they are only mildly temperamental. The reason people say that the Oscar is aggressive is because they are known to eat other tank mates that'll fit in their mouths, although, other cichlids have been known to bully around the Oscar. Oscars are not aggressive to humans; they are rather peaceful fish to keep.
Size of tank:
Since the Oscar is a large fish, they need a large tank. The Oscar requires at the least a 55 gallon tank. It is best to get a long tank instead of a high tank. Oscars enjoy swimming side to side not up and down.
Gravel and décor:
Oscars like a soft sand for their gravel, it feels really good on their scales. I don't recommend that you use plants in a Oscar tank, because they uproot them. Oscars prefer rock caves, and drift wood.
All in all, the Oscar is rather easy to care for. They have large appetites, and they're hardy fish. If you like larger fish and you find them fascinating, then the Oscar is for you.
Published by TommiH
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14 Comments
Post a CommentI have 2 red oscars in 55 gallon tank with 2 jack dempseys. They get along good. Whats some other snacks I can give them besides shrimp and feeder minnows?
You need atleast a 55 gallon tank. that is the minimum, i have two in a 75 gallon and its just a hare small. but ok for now since they are under 5 inches. Brine shrimp, blood worms, feeder guppies, earth worms, and pellets are a great diet, but when they get 4 or 5 inches then you can start feeding them small goldfish. Goldfish provide a chase and roughage.
lol Pam what you said is exactly what hapenned to my five Oscars. Only one survived. He's been going for about 3 1/2 yrs now. I feed him everything from fish to bread to chicken....
PAM ..............posted that only male oscars have spoted tails, thats bull, there almost impossible to sex. I would love to see any proof of were she got her false infomation.
my gf's oscar fish lived for 15 years and just died recently...she was so sad she was crying....:(
I have always kept a oscar tank. They are easy to care for . And its amuseing to watch them grow & play. It is very important to that when buying them.You have a large tank. 65 To 75 gallon. They grow fastiy to their enviroment.. And when buying them .Buy in scrolls of 6 to 8 .Males have spotted tales. Females have no spots. if wanting to breed them. IT is hard to find pairs. If you are looking to breed. Most times it ends in death. And its usaully.the male that survies. so sometimes you only end up with one oscar out of the whole 6 to 8 you bought..BUT ONE LARGE OSCAR. WILL JUMP FROM & ROCK YOUR TANK. So be sure to secure your tank.When they become very large..
i just bought my oscar and its not eating...how come
i've just bought a oscar .its 1" long.i have a 2 by 1 feet tank.how long will it take to grow atleast 3".
some one tell me
oscars are really good fish. tthey set a fish tank off ,and they are not that expensive and easy to take care of. Ihave had my oscars for 3 weeks and they are already growing.
This is a continuation of my unfinished message.
Keeping it there for 2 hours a day for 3 days does the trick. The only problem is that it didn't like being netted and would sulk for a few days after that. Now i have started to do only partial water changes and am waiting to see whether it gets fungus. i love my oscar and hope to see it grow to its full potential (about 18 inches). Since they live between 15-20 years, i think it may reach that size. One word of caution to anyone who is feeding their oscar flakes or food pellets: if you start to feed them live fish they'll never go back to the previous food and it could become a bit expensive.