Oscar Wiki

 [cbui]Introduction
[ci]Oscars are the most common large and aggressive cichlid found in aquaria and one of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby. They are known for their vibrant personalities as they have a long memory and can be trained to perform tricks with their owners. Oscars are usually the go to if you’re looking to get into large South Americans and personable fish. They are also potential candidates for a beginner’s first fish as they’re large, hardy, fun and generally not too hard to keep as long as the keeper can accommodate their size.

[bcui]Appearance
[ci]Though the red tiger Oscar is by far the most common strain that is closest to one’s from the wild, breeders have developed many colorful strains. These strains include albino oscars, which trade the darker black for a bright white and feature red eyes and the red Oscar, that’s body is entirely red. Other, less common strains such as the lemon Oscar and the black Oscar exist and many color variations can still be bred but simply are yet to be common place. There are also long fin Oscars which like their name states, feature much longer fins than their standard state and veiltail Oscars that have their red pattern displaying through their tail instead of just on their body. The Oscar also has a few cosmetic differences from other large South American cichlids as they do not receive significant humps on their forehead also known as koks that other similar fish would receive as they become more dominant. [IMG=Z4U] [IMG=K8Y] [IMG=P5T] [IMG=S5N] [IMG=X3C] [IMG=N2S] [IMG=Q2R] [IMG=A7S]

[cbui]Geographical Range and Habitat
[ci]Oscars live throughout the Amazon River where they are known to be found in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. They also occupy the river systems of Tapajós, Tocantins, Orinoco, Approuague, and Oyapock. The water typically ranges in 22-25 Celsius/72-78 Fahrenheit and 6.0-8.0 in ph. They typically inhabit shallow waters in canals and ponds covered in either mud or sand. They will often dig in the substrates and decorate their territory. These locations usually are covered with plant matter and large tree roots which they’ll claim their territory within. In the wild, they typically feed on small fish, insects, worms and crawfish that inhabit the area. Fun and unfortunate fact: in South America, Oscars are in fact viewed as a Delicacy.

[cbui]Healthy Behavior
[ci]Oscars are a slow, lumbering and intelligent fish that will defend their territory from foreign invaders but are not as openly aggressive as many think they are. They may rest or slowly swim around the aquarium. If they spend enough time around their owner and the owner interacts with them enough, they can be trained and will do certain tricks including being pet, following the hands of their owner and even jumping through hoops even though it is not recommended to train them to do so. Watch for common diseases and sunken/enlarged bellies to ensure your Oscar’s health.

[bcui]Tank Set Up
[ci]Oscars require a tank with proper filtration and heating to their temperature requirements. In the wild they live with slow flow so they may prefer that but will do ok in situations with higher flow. A lid is highly recommended as they could possibly jump out of a tank, especially if trained to jump. They will move and maybe even destroy plants when they’re older but will tolerate them when they are younger. They should be offered a sandy substrate that allows them to dig in and build their own territory. A good amount of hiding space to allow them to feel secure is also recommended.

[cbui]Tank Maintenance
[ci]Oscars are a large fish with a somewhat high bioload to accompany that. Because of this, weekly water changes of at least 50% or more should be done for them to keep them in perfect health, though they are forgiving. They will not eat algae so if you have algae in your tank it is likely you will need to remove that with tools. They will root through substrate but their tank will still accumulate particles meaning they should be gravel vacuumed.

[cbui]Hardiness
[ci]Oscars are exceptionally hardy fish that can live for many years. They are not especially prone to many diseases though of course are susceptible to them. They are often kept in tanks with aggressive fish and in the wrong environment they can become injured or even blinded though this does not especially impact their livelihoods as long as they are treated for those injuries and still are kept in a healthy aquarium.

[cbui]Diet
[ci]This species is often blankety stated to be an omnivore though this is not exactly the case. Though they will eat plants, this is often when other sources of protein rich live foods are not available. They have developed methods of eating that are not commonly used by omnivores. One of these is called thanatosis, or playing dead to catch prey. Typically, you do not play dead to catch a strawberry. Their most typical method, especially for an older specimen is to wait exactly by the top of the water for something to fall in, when they’ll dive upwards to snag it. They are mainly known to prey on different types of Amazonian catfish like the whiptail, pencil and the banjo catfish. In aquaria, they should be offered a healthy cichlid pellet that contains a lot of protein and some plant matter to accommodate their dietary needs.

[cbui]Compatibility
[Ci]This species of fish is not suited to community tanks. They are aggressive and should be kept with species that are similarly sized or at least are fast and strong and of the same aggression level. However, they are not nearly as aggressive compared to other common large cichlids. They can be kept with similar sized species like jack Dempseys and even smaller specimens like fully grown Convicts and Firemouth Cichlids. They also should not be kept with species that are wildly more aggressive than them such as Adult Red Devils, Flowerhorns or Dovii. If overstocked properly, they can be kept with a plethora of species.

[cbui]Imported vs Wild Caught
[ci]There are not a ton differences between wild caught Oscars and ones bred in aquaria. Of course there are no special strains of Oscars in the wild but the major difference would most likely come from their pattens and behavior. Having to survive and hunt for food will make wild Oscars more aggressive and more likely to kill tank mates. Wild Oscars also may feature paler colors and less common patterns. [IMG=E1A]

[cbui]Sexual Dimorphism
[ci]Sexing Oscars is a bit of a skill to develop as breeders often know how to do it as well as they know the backs of their hands but to the common eye it can be hard to spot differences as they do not display any external markings or body part shapes that differentiate them. During breeding, females display a Ovipositor, or a tube that females use to lay eggs but this is not always visible. The main way to tell is by observing their body shape. Males often are a bit larger and bulkier than females are which is pretty much the most consistent difference.

[cbui]Negative Genetic Modification
[ci]While these fish are exceptionally hardy, they have been manipulated genetically in some ways that make them significantly weaker for the pleasure of humans. As previously mentioned, there are long fin Tiger Barbs. While this is not the worst type of long fin fish, Oscars can be aggressive to each other making their long fins highly susceptible to attack. If the Oscar is kept alone, it is not a significant problem but it can cause them problems in group settings with other fish that may attack them. Additionally, another common variation of Oscar called short bodied Oscars exist. This is essentially the same as what a Balloon Molly has, where it’s spine is significantly shortened to create the desirable affect for owners. This can lead them to having more trouble swimming and generally shorter lifespans. [IMG=V0J]

[bcui]Common Misconceptions
[ci]Oscars are one of the most popular fish in aquaria and come with a few misconceptions. They are not especially fast, nor are they the most aggressive fish in aquaria. They mainly prefer meat in their diets. They also can easily be fought off by other fish. They can be kept together and in large amounts by using overstocking and in fact can be trained without the use of food as an incentive. To anyone that finds them at a chain store, they do not stay small and require large tanks to keep them in. To any community keepers, they are not extremely hard to keep and are in fact easier than a lot of other species that are community fish.

[cibui]Sources
[ci][Main image|https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKSMHQoJemnivb4XkM8ivhhAS4bhIZODaktgozQ8w2py-7pZCskQ]
[ci][Background image|http://cichlidtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/oscar-batik.jpg]
[ci] [Albino Oscar|https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/03/4b/23034b1599372f58a13e47d1b2f0c5be.jpg]
[ci] [Lemon Oscar|https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSBUdnD9MGPQ6pKbALmyfzB0ju-ULWioTgAhNgFwmA0Bfm0mQo5]
[ci] [Red Oscar|https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Red-Oscar.jpg]
[ci] [White Oscar|https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/White-Oscar.jpg]
[ci] [Red Oscar|https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Black-Oscar.jpg]
[ci] [Veiltail Oscar|https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/29/7c/fd297cbfe31c9b4247964119b7b6ae88.jpg]
[ci] [Wild Oscar|https://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=181462]
[ci] [Short bodied Oscar|https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0K-ukFNwnEk/maxresdefault.jpg]
[ci] [Sandzaquatics|http://aminoapps.com/p/p8s8r9]
[ci] [The FWC|https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/oscar/]
[ci] [Seriouslyfish|https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/astronotus-ocellatus/]
[ci] [Fishbase|https://www.fishbase.se/summary/3612]
[ci] [Aquaticcommunity part 1|http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/oscar.php]
[ci] [Aquaticcommunity part 2|http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/oscar.php]
[ci] [Liveaquaria part 1|https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/1090/?pcatid=1090]
[ci] [Liveaquaria part 2|https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/1092/?pcatid=1092]
[ci] [Liveaquaria part 3|https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/2937/?pcatid=2937]
[ci][Liveaquaria part 4|https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/6580/?pcatid=6580]
[ci] [Redlist|https://www.iucnredlist.org/]