Oscar fish care

Oscar Fish Care

                      If you have an Oscar fish in your aquarium and want to know how to do oscar fish care this post will provide you with a comprehensive guide on it. Oscar fish is a tropical freshwater fish originating from South America and this species belongs to cichlid family. Oscar fish is one of the most commonly available aquarium fish. In some parts of the world where it originates Oscar fish is also consumed as food. Oscar fish are generally considered to be a tough fish and are not recommended to be kept as a pet by a non-experienced aquarium hobbyist.

Tiger Oscar

                      Oscar fish care is very important because they are known to grow up to 18 inches in their size. Like all other cichlids, species oscar fish is also very aggressive. Although Oscar fish doesn’t go well with other fishes in an aquarium they can still co-exist in an aquarium with other freshwater fishes like Arowana, Pleco, Silver Dollar, other cichlid’s, etc. But it is highly recommended to keep Oscar fish in an aquarium with their own species only to prevent them from eating or killing other small fishes in the same aquarium. They are generally seen to be aggressive during their mating and feeding time.

Red Oscar

                      The most commonly available species of Oscar fish kept in a freshwater aquarium are as follows;

• Albino Oscar
• Yellow Oscar
• Red Oscar
• Lutino Oscar
• Tiger Oscar
• Lemon Oscar                       

                       Oscar fish (Astronotus Ocellatus) can grow up to 10-12 inches in size depending upon its species. They grow rapidly in size as compared to other freshwater species. Hence make sure you have plenty of space for your Oscar fish in your aquarium. As they grow they will compete with other fishes and may stress other fishes of your aquarium. 

                        Important Factors & practices to keep your Oscar fish happy & healthy are as follows:

• Water Condition: Oscar fish are intolerant to cooler water temperatures. Oscar fish requires temperature ranging from 23-27°C. Hence a water heater is needed for Oscar fish to maintain the optimal water temperature in your aquarium. This will also help in maintaining the ammonia level in the aquarium. Apart from the water temperature, a single oscar fish needs at least 55 gallons of water for it to properly grow in an aquarium.

• pH Level: The pH level is different for different varieties of oscar fish and it ranges from 6.0 to 8.0 which is slightly acidic.

• Water Filtration: Oscar fish produces a lot of waste whether there are 2 fish or more than 2 pairs of oscar fish in an aquarium. Hence you need a very good water filtration system installed in your aquarium. And a regular weekly partial change of aquarium water is very highly recommended. It will help them to not get stressed due to the low quality of water and below par oxygen levels of your aquarium. 

• Feeding: Oscar fish are omnivorous and feeds on literally anything. But you must maintain a proper diet for them so that they can meet their requirement of nutritional food in their diet. Generally, you can feed them with a balanced diet consisting of flakes, pallets, brine shrimps, bloodworms, insects, feeding fish such as goldfish, plant debris, green peas, etc. Just make sure to feed them a balanced diet of meat and vegetation.

                       In case you have any queries related to this post or if you want me to get any more information on Oscar fish, you can comment in the comment box & I'll try to answer your query at the earliest.