Toys For Oscar Fish? The 128 Correct Answer

Oscar fish like a variety of toys and decorations in their tank, including:

Smooth sand or gravel

Floating logs

table tennis balls

moss balls

water wheels

floating tubes

Silk aquarium plants

Live plants such as wisteria, java fern, java moss and marimo moss balls

To keep your Oscar fish safe and healthy, make sure all toys and decorations are free of sharp edges. Also, avoid small toys as your Oscar fish may try to swallow them.

Be sure to clean everything with cold, running water before placing it in the tank. Avoid using soap to clean them as the residue is toxic to fish.

A type of cichlid, Oscars are a very amusing species of freshwater fish to keep in your home aquarium. If you plan on cultivating this species, take the time to learn the ideal tank setup.

Oscars are a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish known for their large size and canine-like personalities. Keeping these fish in the home aquarium can be a joy, but it is important that you provide them with the proper tank setup to ensure they thrive. Because Oscars grow quite large, they will not thrive in a small tank and generally do not get along well with other cichlids. The key to ensuring your Oscars live full and healthy lives is creating a tank environment that mimics their natural environment. Before you can do that, however, you need to learn some basics about these beautiful fish.

About Oscars

Oscars, known by the scientific name Astronotus ocellatus, belong to the cichlid family, which includes over 2,000 different species. Other names for this species include velvet cichlid, tiger oscar, and marbled cichlid. The natural habitat of these fish is South America, where they can be found throughout the Amazon Basin in slow-moving waters, typically hiding among submerged branches and aquatic vegetation. Since this species cannot tolerate cool water temperatures, its range is fairly limited—temperatures below 55°F can actually be deadly for Oscars.

Oscars have been known to grow up to 18 inches in length and weigh in excess of 3 pounds at maturity. In captivity, this species generally grows to a maximum of 12 inches, but larger specimens have also been reported. In the wild, Oscars often sport dark-colored bodies with yellow-edged spots called ocelli, located on the dorsal fin and caudal peduncle. These spots are believed to serve to prevent fin biting by fish such as piranhas that share the Oscar’s natural habitat. Oscars also have the unique ability to change their coloration, especially when they’re feeling territorial or combative. Juveniles of the species exhibit different coloration than adults – they are typically striped with orange and white bands and have spots on their heads.

Tank size and requirements

Since Oscars in captivity typically grow to around 10 inches long, the minimum recommended tank size for a single Oscar is around 55 gallons. Ideally, however, a 75-gallon tank is best for an adult Oscar, and if you want to keep more than one, you’ll need a tank with at least a 100-gallon capacity. In addition to providing your Oscars with the right tank size, you also need to cultivate the right tank conditions. The ideal temperature range for this species is between 27 and 26°C and a pH between 6 and 7.5. Decorations in the tank should be sparse or large enough that the fish cannot easily move them, as Oscars have a habit of rearranging their tanks.

Recommended tankmates

Because Oscars are such a large species, care must be taken when keeping them with other fish – none of your fish are likely to do well if they don’t have adequate tank space. Before you go out and buy tankmates for your Oscar, you need to realize that it’s not strictly necessary. Oscars can do quite well on their own and are unlikely to become “lonely” if kept in a solitary tank. However, if you want to keep your Oscar with other fish, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to appearance:

Don’t buy a fish small enough to fit in your Oscar’s mouth (anything smaller than 5 inches is ideal).

Look for fish that aren’t overly fearful – they need to be able to compete for food in the tank

Avoid very fearful or shy fish – the Oscar can chase them in the aquarium and cause them stress

Consider bottom-dwelling fish that will avoid your Oscar (Oscars prefer the upper to mid-ranges).

It might seem like a lot of extra work to do the necessary research to find the ideal tankmate for your Oscar, but it’s definitely worth it. The last thing you want to do is introduce a new fish to your tank, only for your Oscar to bully it around (or worse, eat it). Given the requirements listed above, some of the best species for Oscar tankmates are Catfish, Silver Dollarfish, Firemouth Cichlids, Convict Cichlids, and Blue Mites. Avoid larger cichlids like Texas Cichlid and Terrors as these fish are likely to cause aggression issues in the tank.

equipment and lighting

While many cichlid species can be considered “messy,” the Oscar is particularly known for this trait. Because of their size, Oscars produce a significant amount of waste, which can contribute to high levels of ammonia and nitrates in the tank if you’re not careful. For this reason, it is important that you equip your aquarium with a high-quality filter system and carry out regular water changes to maintain high water quality. While mechanical filtration is important to remove solid waste from tank water, chemical filtration is essential to removing toxins like ammonia and nitrite. Many Oscar enthusiasts recommend canister filters for Oscar aquariums because they are easy to use and offer very efficient filtration – you can also customize them by choosing your own filter media to suit your tank’s needs.

In addition to filtration, heating is also very important in an Oscar aquarium. Because these fish originate from a tropical habitat, they require warm water, generally in the 77° to 80°F range. To achieve this, you need to equip your aquarium with a good quality aquarium heater. Ideally you should place an immersion heater near your filter’s return valve or use an in-line heater that connects to your canister filter to heat the water as it is returned to the tank. If using an immersion or hanging heater, be sure to purchase a shatterproof one, as Oscars can be destructive in the home aquarium. In terms of aquarium lighting, Oscars do not have any special requirements, but if you plan to keep live plants in the aquarium, you will need some type of lighting. However, the natural environment of wild Oscars tends to be gloomy and gloomy, so your Oscars can enjoy this type of environment as well.

More tips and information

Oscars are a naturally carnivorous species, so they should be fed commercial foods that are primarily meat-based. Live food such as insects, worms, crustaceans, forage fish and aquatic invertebrates are a good food source for this species, although in the wild they primarily feed on small fish and insects. Some Oscars will also accept frozen foods as long as they have been thawed first. If you feed your Oscar forage fish like goldfish, it’s best to raise the forage fish yourself so you can make sure they are healthy – if you feed your Oscar forage fish that have been exposed to a disease, they could pass it on to your Oscar .

If you are looking for a fun and interesting fish to breed, Oscars are an excellent choice. Just make sure you provide your Oscars with a healthy aquarium environment and you’ll be rewarded with a happy and healthy fish.

Are you thinking about getting an Oscar fish and wondering what it eats? Find out what food is best for these popular cichlids and how much and how often to feed them to have healthy, hardy fish.

Live food for Oscars In the wild, Oscars have a varied diet consisting of a wide variety of insects and crustaceans. While Oscars eat many types of live food, not all live food is good for them. Just as pellets come in different sizes, the size of the live food fed to your pet should be appropriate for the size of the fish eating it. Related Articles Oscar Fish Pictures and Details

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Recommended live food for Oscars Always buy your live food from a reputable pet store, or you can raise your own if you make it at home. Never feed insects taken from outside as these can be exposed to pesticides which can make your fish sick. Suggested live foods include: Black soldier fly larvae

grilling

grasshoppers

grasshoppers

Mealworms (adult mealworms)

mealworms

waxworms

mussels

plankton

shrimp

shrimp

Small fish like pink minnows and guppies. Avoid feeding goldfish.

How Often You Should Feed Your Oscar Fish Live Food If you choose to feed Oscar live food, you should only add one or two feeder fish to the tank at mealtime. Filling the tank with feeder fish and allowing your Oscar to eat at will has some definite disadvantages for him, including: Spoiling your pet to the point that they will refuse any other type of food

An unbalanced diet that can affect the health of the fish

This will make him obese, since small fish contain a lot of fat

Causing a Deadly Ammonia Surge by Overfilling the Tank The downsides to you include: The regular expense and inconvenience of having to stop at the pet store for Oscar food

The need for more frequent water changes and tank cleanings

The possible need to treat your fish because it has contracted a disease introduced into the tank by a feeder fish

Beware of feeder fish Oscars need a balanced diet, so feeding them small fish is fine if you limit it to just a few fish per week. However, there are a few import tips to keep in mind. Always choose extremely healthy forage fish. When these fish are sick or sick, they can pass diseases to your Oscar, such as the condition known as a “hole in the head.”

If you’re having trouble getting healthy forage fish, consider breeding your own. Guppies are prolific breeders and are often used as feed.

Feeder goldfish are not the ideal fish for an Oscar’s diet as they are prone to disease as they are typically kept in crowded tanks. If you must feed goldfish, be very selective and never buy from a tank that contains diseased fish.

Commercially Prepared Oscar Food If you are looking for commercial food to feed your Oscars, look for food designed for cichlids. There is a wide range of pelleted foods available, as well as frozen, freeze dried or canned foods. Pellets come in a variety of sizes and shapes to provide choices for both youth and adult Oscars. When choosing pellets or other food for your pet, make sure the food is smaller than the fish’s mouth.

Popular Commercial Foods for Oscars This short list provides popular commercial foods that are eligible for Oscars: Beef heart is sometimes recommended but is high in fat so use only as an occasional treat.

Frozen mosquito larvae and artemia are suitable for baby Oscars.

Hikari Cichlid Gold are pellets that contain the necessary vitamin C and also float, which allows you to see if the Oscar has eaten everything.

Canned mealworms are a good option if dealing with live worms is unattractive to you or you don’t have access to a local store that sells live worms.

Canned crickets are similar to canned mealworms and are easier to feed than the live version and can be stored longer.

Tetra Jumbo Krill is a good option to help give your fish a more vibrant coloration.

Freeze-dried insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, and bloodworms can also be purchased.

Hikari Tropical Wafers are made with seaweed, which can provide your Oscar with healthy plant matter.

Homemade Food to Supplement Your Oscar Diet Since wild Oscars eat plant matter, you can shred up vegetables like cucumbers and zucchini and feed them in small amounts to your Oscar. You can also feed them small amounts of frozen peas. You can also eat shelled nuts, preferably tropical nuts and even some fruits. Common fruits awarded for Oscars are bananas, cantaloupes, oranges and watermelons. If feeding fruit, be sure to remove all seeds before feeding. Some Oscar owners may also feed them bread, which doesn’t harm your fish but adds nothing nutritious to its diet.

Oscar Fish Food for Color One thing to keep in mind when feeding your Oscar is that certain foods can actually bring out more of their color, particularly reds. Look for foods with astaxanthin found in krill shrimp. Peas are also known to make their colors more striking.

How Much to Feed Regardless of what foods you feed your Oscar, it’s important not to overfeed fish. Oscars have different needs depending on the stage of development.

Feeding baby Oscars If your Oscar is less than 10 cm, it is a baby. These fish grow quickly, so smaller Oscars need to feed more often. For fish less than 10cm long – Feed at least 3 times a day until the fish’s belly looks a little rounder. This should not be longer than three minutes per feeding session. Feed about three to four pellets at a time and wait for them to finish before adding more pellets.

For fish at least five inches in length – Feeding can be reduced to twice daily and you can start adding live food such as insects.

Feeding adult Oscars Once an Oscar turns one year old, he is considered an adult. Adults should not be fed more than once a day. In fact, most adults do well when fed about four days a week. This gives the digestive tract a day to clear completely before feeding resumes.

Food quality and a balanced diet are key to a healthy Oscar Feeding an Oscar is not as difficult as it might seem. The main thing is that Oscars are carnivores and require a diet high in proteins such as shrimp, insects and smaller fish. The diet for Oscar fish in their natural environment consists primarily of larvae, insects, fish, crustaceans, and plant debris. Remember to keep all of these factors in mind when creating your Oscar’s meal plan: Always choose the highest quality foods available.

Feed a combination of live food and commercial food to ensure your pet is getting a balanced diet. You should aim to feed around 80% pellets and 20% live food and plants.

It’s also important to make sure your Oscar gets plenty of protein to help him grow faster.

Be sure to offer variety in its diet, as these fish do not eat the same things every week in their natural habitat.

Watch your pet when they eat and remove uneaten food 2-3 minutes after feeding to keep it from contaminating the tank.

Monitor your pet’s condition. If he looks fabulous and seems active, alert and healthy, you’ve probably found the right food combination and feeding schedule.

If your Oscar won’t eat the food you give him, you may need to try different options to find the items he prefers.

If Your Oscar Stops Eating An Oscar can suddenly stop eating for a variety of reasons, but it’s usually a signal that something is wrong. These steps may help solve the problem: Test the water in the tank; the pH should be between 6.0 and 8.0.

Try a different kind of food. Oscars need variety in their diet.

Try to do a 25 to 50% water change.

If the water conditions are fine, you’ve tried different foods and the Oscar still won’t eat, stop feeding your fish for a few days. Normally, a healthy fish will start eating again when the food is reintroduced. If you take these steps and your Oscar continues to refuse to eat, speak to a veterinarian or your local aquarium hobbyist.

Known for their intelligence, Oscar fish are among the most popular hobby aquarium fish.

And with their ability to recognize you in their owner, you really want to give them the care they need to thrive.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to provide quality care for this fascinating tropical freshwater fish.

Let’s start.

In the Wild: What Are Oscar Fish?

The Oscar fish (or Astronotus ocellatus if we’re going to get scientific) is a South American species that belongs to the cichlid family.

It is native to many countries including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia.

But to put it simply:

You can find Oscar fish pretty much anywhere in the Amazon Basin.

They typically live in slow-moving, low-flow whitewater that serve as perfect hiding spots from predators – especially when there is greenery and tree branches.

About her size:

They tend to grow to around 45 cm/18 inches. Not small, hey?!

But even more impressive than their size is the fact that they can grow super fast, sometimes at a rate of 1 inch per month!

Adults are usually dark in color and mottled with yellow rings on their fins, while young Oscars often sport white and orange wavy stripes until puberty.

But when it comes to babymaking, things are far from cute:

Oscar fish are usually quite aggressive. But during the breeding season? Multiply that by 100.

Breeding makes Oscar fish extremely territorial (although to be honest with them I know quite a few people too).

And as for their diet:

They are known for their voracious appetites and their eagerness to consume anything small enough to fit in their mouths (again, I know a few people…).

Now let’s take a deep dive into the types of Oscar fish and how to care for them:

Different species of Oscar fish

Oscar fish come in three different varieties: tiger oscars, red oscars, and albino oscars.

Tiger Oscars are the most common breed; We generally think of them as the “original” Oscar fish.

You may be wondering, “What do they look like?”:

Tiger Oscars feature red and orange patterns on a dark brown/grey base. They are pure breeds and therefore possess the true characteristics and behaviors of typical Oscar fish.

Regarding the Oscar red fish:

You can find them in many different shades, from purple and copper to rusty orange. Red Oscars do not have the markings or patterns characteristic of tiger breeds.

Along with tiger oscars, red oscar fish are the most commonly kept breeds.

Last on this list are albino Oscars:

Like other albino species, albino Oscars are white with glossy, velvety skin and red eyes. And although they look different, the behavior of albino Oscars is very similar to that of tiger and red Oscars.

Oscar Fish Aquarium Setup Guide

Let’s start with the basics:

Oscars are big fish, and on top of that they are extremely sensitive to water changes.

Here is the golden rule:

Your Oscar fish will live a long, happy life as long as you make sure your aquarium suits their preferences.

Sounds easy right? Well, it’s as long as you know what their preferences are (duh).

Let’s look at each of them in detail:

What is the best aquarium size for Oscars?

Because Oscars can grow up to 45cm, it is important that your aquarium is large enough to accommodate your pet.

Ideally, your aquarium should be no smaller than 75 gallons.

You could get away with 55 gallons, but that doesn’t leave you room to add more fish. And believe me and hobbyists, one fish is never enough.

And if your aquarium is too small to accommodate your fish (or overcrowded), it will quickly become sick and unhealthy.

The knock-on effect?

The potential for developing many uncomfortable, stress-related health conditions that can cause serious harm to your Oscar.

Pro tip: If you’re buying a brand new tank for your Oscar(s), you can use this rule of thumb:

1 Oscar – 75 gallons

2 Oscars – 125 gallons

3 Oscars – 150-200 gallons

Keep in mind that in a larger body of water it is easier to maintain a healthy environment as changes will have less of an impact. These minimum sizes may require maximum effort on your part.

The best substrate for Oscars?

When it comes to housing Oscar fish, both sand and gravel make good substrates.

But before you scoop that stuff into your tank, consider the following:

Oscars love to dig, as well as pick up and spit out substrates (like sand). This can cause some filters to break, especially if your Oscar throws sand directly at the filters (naughty dude, doesn’t he know those filters cost money?!).

Here is the solution:

You can add a pre-filter to your tank to prevent damage even if you use sand as a substrate.

This way your Oscar can dig up and spit out sand to his heart’s content and you don’t have to buy a new filter every 5 seconds. Win!

Another tip:

If there is uneaten food or dirt in your aquarium, it will sink over time and work its way into your substrates.

Because of this, you should avoid adding too much substrate, especially if using gravel (1-1.5 inches is sufficient).

Speaking of sand:

Even though it’s finer and gathers far less food, you should still use it sparingly.

What kind of filtration do Oscars need?

Oscar fish are very sensitive to water changes and ammonia levels. Because of this, you need a quality filtration system if you want to keep your fish healthy (which of course you do!).

In addition to their sensitivity, Oscars are also very messy fish and (*prepare for fecal talk*) have large bioburden/waste production.

Because of this, Oscars require fairly large amounts of water filtration—with an emphasis on biofiltration.

A canister filter as well as a HOB (Hang On Back) filter as a backup is enough to take care of things.

Here is our expert tip:

Your filtration system should be powerful enough to circulate the entire volume of your water four times an hour.

How much and what type of lighting should I provide?

Here is some good news for you:

Oscar fish do not need special lighting. Just keeping them in a standard room with natural light will work well.

However, if you feel like adding some lights to your aquarium, it will not harm your fish.

Just remember:

Many Oscars prefer moderate to low lighting, so you shouldn’t leave your bulb on for more than 12 hours (leaving it on for too long could make your fish restless and distressed).

If you have an Oscar that flinches when your lightbulb is on, consider dimming your lightbulb (or removing it entirely).

Wondering how to dim the lightbulb? It’s easy:

Simply poke holes in a piece of aluminum foil and wrap it around the bulb. The fewer holes, the dimmer your light will be.

Do Oscars like plants and decorations?

As is typical for prey fish, Oscars in the wild will hide between objects to feel safe.

Especially when they are young, your pet Oscars will find solace among artificial plants and ornaments.

Oscars are known for their tendency to rearrange their territories; If you pay attention, you can often see them moving small objects around their habitat.

So what is the take away?

You should probably avoid fragile decorations like ceramic items.

If you have real plants in the tank, the most likely result is that your Oscar will tear them up a bit (if not completely destroy them), so artificial plants and sturdy decorations like PVC pipes and rock cavities are your best options.

Seriously, you need to prepare for destruction; These little guys are ruthless!

As if that wasn’t enough to get your hands full:

Oscars are clumsy too; They move around a lot and bang on things all the time.

As hilarious as that sounds (and in reality it kind of is), there’s a serious point:

You should probably avoid adding anything that has sharp edges or rough textures (like volcanic rock) to your tank.

One last important info:

Oscars are soft water fish which means they are sensitive to pH changes and any pH raising objects. You should avoid adding things like coral, limestone, and other calcium carbonate-based minerals.

water parameters

Since they are very sensitive to water changes, it is crucial that your water parameters are adjusted to the needs of your Oscar fish.

Not only is failing to comply with these requirements harmful, it can even be fatal.

What water temperature do Oscars need?

Oscar fish thrive in the warm waters of the Amazon Basin.

Keep your aquarium at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) and ideally make sure it stays between 74 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit (23.5 – 27 degrees Celsius) at all times.

The key is to keep it stable.

How much water flow do they need?

Oscars love moderate to high flow bodies of water, similar to those of their natural habitat. You should aim for a water turnover of 4 times per hour.

Roger that? I’ll say it again just in case:

Four. Times. Per. Hour.

That may sound like a lot, but Oscar fish do well in very high water flow conditions. Even if you exceed the specified flow rates, you’ll likely find that your pet stays happy and healthy.

As long as your fish can swim comfortably, high flow conditions are perfectly fine – and often preferred.

What should the pH, acidity and basicity/alkalinity levels be?

As always with keeping fish, you should aim to replicate the same water pH in your aquarium that your pets would live in in the wild.

Here is the key:

Oscar fish prefer a water pH of around 7.2. Your pH should remain stable between 6 and 8 at all times.

It is very important to keep your pH level correct as this can affect the toxicity of ammonia in your water, making your fish more likely to fall victim to ammonia poisoning (we’ll go into more detail in the next few paragraphs but leave that out). first just tell us you don’t want to see this).

If the pH of your water is too low, you can easily change it with salts and pH change kits. But never make quick drastic changes.

Learn how to safely change your pH here.

Understand chlorine and chloramines

Chlorine is a big deal for aquarium owners.

Why?

Well, chlorine is added to municipal water before distribution to kill bacteria.

“So?” I hear you say, “What does this have to do with my Oscar fish?”

Actually quite a lot! It is a highly toxic gas that is harmful to mammals, amphibians and fish.

When combined with ammonia, which is also toxic, products known as chloramines are formed.

Basically, you can think of this as an insanely toxic cocktail of chemicals that can seriously harm your fish.

So how do you avoid it?

It is important that you use a dechlorinator when adding fresh water to your aquarium. This effectively removes chlorine, chloramines and many other trace metals (like mercury and lead) from the water.

Here is your golden rule:

Never add water directly from your faucet without first dechlorinating it.

Because Oscar fish are particularly sensitive to water changes, it’s important to run your water through a dechlorinator before adding it to your aquarium.

If you are unsure whether or not you have successfully removed all of these compounds, you can measure your water quality with a simple chlorine test kit.

Let’s consider ammonia, nitrite and nitrate

Most aquatic animals, including Oscar fish, produce ammonia as a waste product, which in its unionized form is highly toxic.

Just like the water changes, Oscars are also very sensitive to ammonia levels.

High pH levels force ammonia to remain in its unionized form, which in turn increases its toxicity. Above a pH of 8, ammonia can become lethal to Oscar fish, killing them quickly.

But pH isn’t the only culprit:

Water temperature can also increase ammonia toxicity.

Creepy stuff, right?!

So what’s the key to preventing ammonia toxicity from harming (or killing) your Oscar fish?

Quite simply: ammonia tests.

Ammonia kits measure the toxicity of your water, and luckily you can buy these life-saving little devices from most retailers.

Unfortunately, unionized ammonia isn’t the only thing to worry about. You also have to be very careful with nitrite (which is a product of ammonia).

While considerably less toxic, nitrite (and its by-product nitrate) can build up in your tank – and when it does, it will be bad news for your Oscar.

What will happen?

High levels of nitrite/nitrate can promote algal blooms. Some types of algae can produce toxins that are harmful to marine life and can lead to disease.

The solution?

Regular water changes keep nitrite/nitrate levels low. Dead easy.

Also, make sure to test your water regularly to ensure its toxicity levels remain below safe limits.

In Tank Behavior & Tank Mates

Experts know that Oscar fish are mildly aggressive, territorial animals.

Take this as an example:

You have a pair of Oscars that you keep in the same tank. You decide you want to breed them and make little baby Oscars – cool right?

Well, when there are other tankmates in there, it gets pretty uncool for them in no time.

Why?

This is because the brood Oscars get seriously aggressive towards their tankmates during spawning season.

And that’s not the only scenario to watch out for:

When multiple Oscar fish share a tank that is too small for them, you will see even more undesirable territorial behavior and fighting. Oscars are also known to bully each other, and smaller fish are the most likely victims.

In general, Oscars do best on their own.

However, you can keep other South American cichlids as aquarium mates, provided these fish aren’t too aggressive or too passive (it’s all about balance, man).

I know, I know… It sounds like a fine line to walk.

But here’s the deal:

Aggressive fish will attack those who are too passive, and a passive fish placed in a tank full of Oscars is likely to be bullied.

And if they don’t get bullied… they get eaten. Yes, seriously.

It’s a fish eat fish world out there!

Oscar fish have been known to eat anything small enough to fit in their mouths. Guppies and smaller fish are high on hit lists, so it’s best to keep them separate from larger Oscar fish.

Oscar’s Diet & Nutrition

Oscar fish are carnivores.

In the wild, Oscars love to eat insects, smaller fish, worms, plants, berries – and in truth, they’ll eat any fruit that lands in their habitat.

What can I feed my Oscar?

When keeping Oscars in an aquarium, you should aim to replicate their natural diet as closely as possible.

Here is the key:

You should feed your Oscar a high-quality, high-protein diet with a variety of processed, frozen, and freeze-dried foods.

A high-protein commercial fish food made for carnivorous species (such as cichlid pellets) will do. These should make up 80% of your Oscar’s diet.

You should supplement the rest of your fish’s diet with live, natural food. This can include:

grilling

grasshoppers

grasshoppers

mealworms

You can also give your Oscar dead shrimp and shrimp as they are both high in fiber and vitamins. However, since an Oscar’s diet should consist mostly of lean foods, you should avoid poultry and beef hearts.

One last thing to remember:

If you have baby oscar fish, you should only give them small diets at first.

How often should I feed my Oscar?

Baby Oscar fish are voracious eaters and – like all babies – seem to be hungry all the time.

But even if they pug the puppies’ eyes out, you should limit the amount of food you give them as overfeeding can make them sick.

That’s how it’s done:

1. Start feeding smaller Oscars 3-4 pellets to start with. Drop ’em, let the Oscar eat ’em, then add more.

2. Continue this pattern for about three minutes and then stop – only feed when your Oscar has eaten all of the pellets in the area.

3. Repeat this 2-3 times daily and remove any uneaten food from your tank within 2-3 minutes to avoid degrading the water quality.

Your baby Oscar may appear full after a feeding session or may be begging for more. Avoid the temptation to overfeed and don’t give your Oscar more than you should.

Once your Oscar reaches 5 inches, consider changing their feeding patterns.

At this point, you should feed them twice a day. You can also supplement larger, live animals like mealworms and grasshoppers during feeding times.

You can continue feeding your Oscar fish this way throughout adulthood.

Breeding Oscar Fish

Breeding Oscar fish is possible, although not the easiest of tasks.

Here’s an interesting tidbit for you:

Oscars are actually one of the most difficult species to breed.

Why? It’s because of their high standards, you would think (Oscars can be incredibly picky when it comes to choosing partners).

Partners must be mature to reproduce; Maturity occurs at around 16 months to 2 years of age.

You can breed any combination of Oscar fish — tiger, red, or albino — together.

How to sex Oscar Fish?

Sexing Oscar fish can be difficult. They are monomorphic, meaning both sexes look virtually identical.

However, there are a few distinctive features of male and female Oscar fish that can be found by examining their genitals closely.

Females have an egg tube that retracts completely inside, while males have a single sharp spike used for fertilization.

Initiation of the breeding process

In the wild, Oscars prefer to breed during the rainy season.

To replicate these conditions in your aquarium, you will need to do 20-30% water changes every few days.

You can also turn your water temperature down a few degrees to slow things down.

Finally, you can use a watering can to sprinkle “rain” (dechlorinated water) on your aquarium several times a day for 5-10 minutes.

You can also install filter spray bars over your water to reproduce these conditions if you don’t want to go through the hassle of doing everything manually.

Oscar Fish Disease, Disease and Treatments

Oscar fish rarely get sick, although there are a number of diseases that put them at risk of catching.

The most common of these is known as hole-in-the-head disease.

Errggh… sounds awkward, doesn’t it?

Well it is. There are no two ways.

You will know your fish has contracted the disease when you see cavities and cavities forming over your fish’s head and body.

As crazy as that sounds (and is), it’s also easy to prevent:

Hole-in-the-head disease is often caused by nutrient deficiencies in your fish’s diet. By following the dietary guidelines we’ve gone over above, you can easily avoid hole-in-the-head disease.

The second biggest culprit is bacteria:

Live feeder fish (e.g. goldfish) can also cause your fish to become ill, as they often contain bacteria from settlements.

You should always quarantine forage fish before adding them to an Oscar diet if you want to minimize this risk.

More Frequently Asked Questions about Oscar Fish

1. How Long Do Oscar Fish Live?

10-13 years.

2. What do Oscar fish eggs look like?

Fertilized Oscar eggs are brown/tan in color while unfertilized eggs are white.

3. Why do Oscar fish jump out of the tank?

Sometimes Oscar fish will jump out of their tanks to explore their surroundings or forage for food.

They can also try to escape from aquariums that are too small for them.

Having a lid on your aquarium will prevent your Oscar from leaving its tank and suffering damage.

Do you have your own experiences?

Do you have your own experience with keeping Oscar fish and other suggestions or tips for other aquarists? Let me know in the comments below.

Have fun keeping fish.

I got my first Oscar almost 30 years ago and have been totally addicted to Oscars ever since. Over the years I have saved many Oscars and probably every colorway there is. I currently have a trio of Lemon Oscars living in a 180 gallon (680 liters) aquarium and it’s a tank that everyone who comes into my fish room enjoys looking at.

Eating Daphnia Please enable JavaScript Eating Daphnia

Knowing how often to feed your Oscar and how much to feed him each time can be difficult. Oscars are greedy eaters, and baby Oscars will want to eat all day, every day. If you toss in a handful of pellets every hour throughout the day, chances are your Oscar will be hogging every time.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good way. Energizing your Oscar will make him grow quickly, but will almost certainly shorten his life.

Feeding little and often is much better than giving your Oscar one big meal once a day. We find that three feedings a day is best for our juveniles, reducing the number of feedings as the Oscar grows larger. A fully grown adult fish may only need to be fed once a day. The most important thing to remember is to only feed your fish as much as they will eat in a few minutes. Food that isn’t eaten will quickly rot and can contaminate the water in your Oscars tank.

How Much Should I Feed My Oscar?

In my experience with keeping Oscars, at feeding time they will try to shove as much food down their throats as possible. They are voracious eaters! Don’t be tempted to toss a handful of pellets into their tanks.

I highly recommend adding a few pellets to the tank, giving your Oscar a minute or so to eat them, then adding a few more. Repeat the process for about 5 minutes or until your Oscar loses interest in the food.

Any food left over after eating your Oscar should be discarded. Food left in the aquarium will quickly decompose and start contaminating your Oscars water. Leftover food is the quickest route to an ammonia spike in your Oscars tank.

What should I feed my Oscar?

A good quality pellet designed for large cichlids should make up a large part of your Oscar’s daily diet. I believe that 70%-80% of what you feed your Oscar should be pellet food. I have had great luck with both Cichlid Gold and Cichlid Staple by Hikari. I’ve found Amazon to be the cheapest source.

For the other 20-30% of your Oscar diet, I suggest you mix up as much as possible to give your Oscar the most balanced diet you can. Oscars love to eat live foods like crickets, mealworms, silkworms, and even garden worms.

You’ll also enjoy frozen foods like cocktail shrimp, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. For my biggest Oscars I feed frozen and thawed whitebait and even squid.

All of these foods contain a different mix of vitamins and minerals that contribute to your long-term health.

A big advantage of live and frozen food compared to pellet food is that it does not decompose as quickly and pollute the water. When you add 20 live shrimp to your Oscars tank at once and it only eats 10 of them. The other ten will live happily in the tank until your Oscar is ready to eat again.

Prawns and prawns are a great addition to your Oscars diet as they are particularly high in fiber. Like us humans, fiber supports your Oscar digestive system.

Freeze-dried krill is an excellent addition to your Oscars diet. They’ll be quick to crunch through the krill, which admittedly makes a bit of a mess, but if your Oscar has small-mouthed companions like blood parrots, the parrots will be quick to grab any tiny morsels the Oscar scatters around.

Other ready meals like Hikari’s Vibra Bites and Fluval’s Bug Bites are great additions to your Oscars meal plan. My Oscars go for both.

Vibra Bites look like bloodworms. Some swim, some sink, the fish make short work of them. Bugs Bits come in a variety of sizes and are made from black soldier fly larvae. I wouldn’t want to do without both in my fish room.

Foods not to feed your Oscar

I strongly recommend Oscar owners to stay away from feeder goldfish. These goldfish offer little nutritional value to your Oscar and are often riddled with disease and parasites. If you absolutely must feed feeder goldfish, try buying them as feeders a few weeks before using them.

Keep the feeder goldfish in its own aquarium, treat it so it doesn’t pass disease to your Oscars, and feed it well so it provides your Oscar with a decent meal.

A word of caution when feeding your Oscars live fish. Oscars are big, bulky fish that aren’t built for hunting. I’ve seen some nasty injuries to Oscars chasing a small, nimble goldfish around the tank only to come across a stick or piece of bog wood.

I wouldn’t recommend feeding their Oscars animal meats like beef or chicken. Animal meat can be greasy, and Oscars aren’t good at processing saturated fats. You can suffer from fatty liver disease which will bring your Oscar an untimely death. Beef Heart can be fed, but only as an occasional reward.

Why don’t you check out my article 10 Unusual Foods Your Oscar Will Really Enjoy!

Finally

In my experience, feeding little and often is better than one big meal a day. Spreading out the feeds reduces the workload on your filter and reduces the likelihood of large amounts of uneaten feed accumulating in your aquarium.

Each time you feed, you have the opportunity to interact with your Oscars, allowing you to get to know them and relax in your company. Also, every time you’re at your tank watching your Oscars is an opportunity to check that all is well with the tank. 3 or 4 feedings a day will also give you more opportunities to feed a different food each time. Variety is the spice of life and the key to a strong, healthy Oscar that we hope will enjoy interacting with you for many years to come.

About the Author I have been keeping, breeding and displaying tropical fish for almost 30 years. In that time I’ve done everything! I’ve had great success and made some really stupid mistakes (like when I bought an Asain Walking Catfish). Read more… Richard James Editor

Article Sources

Yes, Oscar fish recognize their owners. Oscar fish are known as water dogs mainly because they resemble puppies as juveniles, but also because, like dogs, they are very intelligent and affectionate. You’ll know your Oscar fish recognize you as their owner if they swim faster when you’re around.

Aside from recognizing their owners, Oscars can also form an emotional bond with you. Oscars tend to associate their owners with food, so try calling their names and interacting with them during mealtimes to bond with your Oscars.

Also, you can put your hand in their tank to interact with them. Just make sure your hands are clean and free of soap residue. Also, do not touch them as this may damage their protective membrane.

Are Oscar fish jumpers? This is the question many beginners ask themselves when they want to keep Oscar fish in their tank.

And in this article I will answer the same.

Yes, Oscar fish are jumpers and this is their usual behavior in the wild.

They usually jump when they see something they want to eat or when the water quality of the tank is not good.

Oscar fish jumping out of its tank?

Oscar fish are good jumpers.

They are omnivores and feed on insects in the wild.

They catch insects roaming the river’s waters by jumping through the water.

And if you keep Oscar fish in your tank, they will usually jump out of the tank when they see something they want to eat.

Another common reason Oscars jump out of the tank is when the water quality in your tank is not good.

Especially if your tank contains a very concentrated amount of ammonia.

Are Oscar Fish Good Pets?

Why do Oscar fish jump out of the tank?

There are a few instances where Oscar fish jump out of the tank.

Oscar fish will jump out of the tank when they see something above the tank that they want to eat.

Oscar fish will jump out of the tank if the water quality in your tank is not good. Especially if the ammonia level in your tank is high.

If you keep your Oscar fish with other large aggressive fish that are constantly bullying your Oscar, then Oscar fish will jump out of the tank.

13 Types Of Oscar Fish For Aquariums (With Pictures)

How to stop Oscar fish from jumping out of the tank?

There are several things you can do to prevent your Oscar fish from jumping out of the tank.

Put a lid on the tank

We’ll start with the very obvious solution.

To prevent Oscar fish from jumping out of the tank, you can put a lid on the tank.

This is the most reliable way to prevent Oscar Fish from jumping out of the tank.

Oscar fish are very powerful fish, so you should also make sure you put a tight-fitting lid on the top.

Putting weights on the top of the tank is not the right solution to prevent Oscar Fish from jumping out of the tank. It only fixes the symptoms, but you need to investigate the cause of why your Oscar fish is jumping out of the tank. If you can figure it out, your fish will stop jumping out of the tank. Now we will examine the causes of your Oscar jumping out of the tank and how to stop him from jumping.

Maintain ideal water values

Oscar Fish will usually jump out of the tank if it doesn’t get the ideal environment in the tank.

So make sure that your aquarium water is well within the range of the ideal water values.

The ideal temperature for Oscar Fish is between 24 and 25°C.

Its pH tolerance is between 6-8.

And the hardness tolerance range is from 5 to 20 KH.

In addition to adhering to these water values, you should also ensure that your aquarium does not contain any ammonia.

If your tank has high levels of ammonia, your fish will become stressed and jump out of the tank.

You should therefore regularly test the water parameters in your aquarium using a test kit. Check out our recommended test kit

And if the water parameters are not within the ideal range, you should take steps to correct the problem.

Oscar Fish Behavior and Intelligence (Everything You Need to Know)

temperature

Oscar Fish introduces warm water.

So make sure you provide your Oscar fish with warm water between 24 and 25°C.

If the temperature of the water in your tank is below the ideal range, consider installing a water heater in your tank to raise the temperature. Take a look at our heating recommendation

If you find that your tank’s water temperature is above the ideal water temperature range, you can simply add some ice cubes to the tank to cool the water down.

Putting some ice cubes in the tank is not a permanent solution to fix the high temperature problem.

I wrote a detailed article about what causes the high temperature in the tank and how to lower the temperature.

You can read the article here.

ammonia

Ideally, your tank should not contain ammonia.

If your tank has a concentrated amount of ammonia this will stress the fish and your fish will try to jump out of the tank.

To lower the ammonia level, you should perform a partial water change.

This will help dilute the ammonia levels in your tank.

Typically, high ammonia levels are caused by overfilling your tank.

Oscar fish can get quite large and are very messy fish, requiring a large tank.

When it comes to tank size for Oscar Fish, a good rule of thumb to follow is to get at least 55 gallons of tank for one Oscar Fish and then an additional 20-30 gallons for each new Oscar Fish.

So if you keep a lot of fish in a relatively smaller tank, consider upgrading your tank to a larger tank to solve the problem.

Also, here are other ways to lower the ammonia in your tank.

20 tips for maintaining a healthy aquarium

What to do if your Oscar fish jumped out of the tank

Depending on how long your Oscar fish has been out of the tank, there are a few things you can do to revive your fish.

If your fish just jumped out of the tank, you can simply put them back in the tank.

If you don’t know how long your fish has been out of the tank and it doesn’t move when you put it back in the tank, it’s probably because your fish has been out of the tank for a long time and its body and gills have been there for a long time do dried.

And now your fish need special care to revive.

In this case, you should first immediately put it in a separate tank.

You can also use a plastic container.

Just make sure it doesn’t have any residual chemicals in it.

Then fill the container with fresh water and place your Oscar fish inside.

Then you should add Betta revive to the tank. You can find it at your local fish store or online.

Betta revive helps your fish breathe properly. And it will also help prevent infection.

You can also put some antibiotics in the tank to boost the Oscar fish’s immune system.

Now all you have to do is keep the water as clean and pure as possible by changing as much water as possible.

You should do a water change at least once a day.

If the fish looks healthy after a few days, you can put it back in the tank.

15 things you need to know before buying your first aquarium

How do you keep Oscar Fish in your aquarium?

Oscar fish is a relatively hardy fish. In captivity it can grow up to 12 inches and live around 12-15 years.

But in order for your Oscar fish to live a long time and reach its maximum size, you need to take good care of it.

Below I will give you some tips on how to take care of your Oscar fish.

big tank

Oscar fish can get quite large, measuring up to 12 inches in length.

Also, they grow at a very rapid rate of 1 inch per month.

Also, Oscar fish are very messy fish.

That’s why you need a big tank to keep them.

When deciding tank size for Oscar Fish, a good rule of thumb is to get a 55 gallon tank for your first Oscar Fish.

And if you keep multiple Oscar fish, then 20 to 30 gallons for each new Oscar fish.

A complete guide to Oscar aquarium size can be found here

Maintain ideal water values

Maintaining ideal water parameters is very important not only for Oscar Fish but for all fish.

Failure to maintain ideal water parameters will stress your fish, which can reduce their activity and longevity.

The ideal water temperature for Oscar fish is between 22 and 25 °C.

Its pH tolerance range is between 6 to 8 and hardness tolerance range is between 5 to 20 KH.

12 benefits of live plants in an aquarium

Compatible tankmates

Oscar Fish belongs to the cichlid family, which is known for aggressive behavior.

And Oscar Fish is particularly known for his aggressive behavior.

So you should avoid keeping other small fish as aquarium mates in your oscar aquarium as they will most likely be eaten by the oscar fish.

You should keep other moderately aggressive, large fish with your Oscar fish.

Check out the list of the best aquarium mates for Oscar fish.

Varied diet

Oscar fish are omnivores, but their diet consists primarily of meaty foods.

In the wild, they feed primarily on crustaceans, small insects, fish, and plant matter.

In your tank, you should primarily feed high-quality cichlid flakes and pellets.

Occasionally you should also feed them live or frozen bloodworms, Artemia, antworms, etc.

Since Oscar fish are omnivores, you should also feed them vegetables such as cooked peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, etc.

What do Oscar fish eat? (A Complete Guide)

Conclusion

Oscar fish are jumpers, so always make sure your aquarium has a cover.

Also, Oscar fish are very strong fish, so you’ll want to make sure the cover is firmly attached to the tank.

I hope you found this article helpful.

If yes, please share!

As always, happy fishing!

A small but healthy young Oscar can easily go a week to 10 days without feeding. A large, healthy adult can go 2 or 3 weeks without food. That doesn’t mean you only have to feed your Oscar twice a month, but it does mean that we don’t have to panic if he refuses a meal or two. If your Oscar stopped eating unexpectedly, it’s important to find out why.

A few Oscars have passed through my fish room in the last 30 years. I’ve kept almost every shade on the market, but Lemon Oscars are probably my favorite. I currently have a 155 gallon (600 liters) aquarium with a trio of Lemon Oscars in it. It’s an aquarium that everyone who comes into my fish room loves to look at.

It can be a worrying time when your Oscar stops eating. We sometimes think of our fish like humans, we think they need to have 3 meals a day plus snacks. The reality is, your Oscar can go longer without food than you think.

Eating Daphnia Please enable JavaScript Eating Daphnia

At our Oscars, we don’t worry at all for the first 2 or 3 days. However, when it gets past the 3 day mark, we start looking into the reasons why our Oscar decided to go on hunger strike.

Why has my Oscar stopped eating?

I addressed this very issue in another article I wrote a few months ago. This article is titled Why Did My Oscar Stop Eating?

We’ve all made the classic mistake of buying a 10lb bag of pellets because they were a steal. You feed these pellets handfuls three times a day because it feels like you have an endless supply.

Trouble is, your Oscar doesn’t want to use up 10 pounds of buoyant pellets in a month! He wants a change. He wants frozen mosquito larvae or daphnia; Some days he might fancy sinking pellets or a nice block of Repashy.

If your Oscar hasn’t shown any interest in their food for a few days, order them something else to try. Amazon, for example, has a huge selection of foods to try.

I recently wrote an article called What is the Best Food to Feed my Oscar? which has some good Oscar meal ideas.

Is your Oscar not doing well?

So you tried mixing his food but he still doesn’t want to eat. Next we need to check if your Oscar is not doing well. Take some time to really contemplate your Oscar. Are there any signs of illness? White spots, cottony fungus, worms sticking out of the Oscar’s orifice? These are all signs that your Oscar has stopped eating because he is unwell.

Take a look at our Oscar health guide to find out what the problem might be. A quick treatment should result in a quick return of your Oscar appetite. If there are no outward signs of illness, could your Oscar have internal parasites?

Oscars that have just come into your care may have internal parasites such as tapeworms, especially if imported from the wild. These worms eat the food in the Oscar before they can. Eventually, your Oscar’s stomach will fill up with worms, preventing him from eating. Deworming your Oscar with a product like API’s General Cure will weed him out fairly quickly.

Are your water parameters off?

Fish need not only physically clean, but also chemically clean water. If your tank has accumulated ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates, it may be enough to keep your Oscar away from its food. I’m using API’s Master Test Kit. (I bought this from Amazon) to check my water quality.

Ideally, your test kit should read 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, and 40 ppm nitrates or less. 0 ppm nitrate is the ultimate reading, but difficult to achieve with a large, heavy-feeding fish like an Oscar.

A large water change (50% – 75%) should be enough to reset your water parameters in the short term, but you need to figure out why they went out in the first place.

Is your heating no longer working?

Oscars need warm water, they come from tropical rivers. One thing we often overlook as fish keepers is checking our heaters. Oscars like it when their tank is in the 75-81 (24-27) range.

A tank that is too cold or too hot will affect your Oscar. They can tolerate temperatures above and below their ideal range for short periods of time, but in the long run this will affect their appetite and health.

Keep in mind that a heater can get stuck both “on” and “off”, meaning your Oscar might be slow to cook!

Is your fish feed spoiled?

Similar to human food, fish food will spoil if stored long enough. Most people wouldn’t consider opening a bag of chips, eating one, then closing the bag and repeating for weeks the next day until the bag is finished. The chips would become stale and inedible.

That’s exactly what we do with our fish food. We often buy the largest container possible because it’s cheaper, then for the next two years we plow through it, opening the can three times a day and exposing the food to air.

Once your Oscar food goes bad, it can be uncomfortable and unhealthy for your Oscar. It’s better to either buy smaller containers more frequently or, if the large pack is too cheap to leave out, dump them into several separate containers or grocery bags and just go through one batch at a time. That way you’ll have a tub on the go and another pair ready in storage.

Finally

Oscars are generally strong, hardy fish that can go days, possibly weeks, without food if they have to. When we take a week’s vacation, we don’t even think about asking someone to come in and feed our Oscars. They will be fine.

However, it’s important to determine WHY your Oscar decided to stop eating. It is usually related to the water quality. Conduct a water test as soon as possible and make the necessary changes to adjust the water quality.

Frozen fish food like mosquito larvae and brine shrimp will usually tempt all but the most stubborn Oscars to eat again. Don’t go into panic mode and start tossing one of every food you have into your Oscars tank. Offer him some food if he doesn’t eat it within a few minutes, remove the uneaten food from the tank and try again tomorrow. It’s very rare for a healthy Oscar to go hungry for too long.

About the Author I have been keeping, breeding and displaying tropical fish for almost 30 years. In that time I’ve done everything! I’ve had great success and made some really stupid mistakes (like when I bought an Asain Walking Catfish). Read more… Richard James Editor

Article Sources

Basics of Oscar Care Basics of Caring for Your Oscar (The First Tank Guide) Support and share the first tank guide: tweet

Oscar Overview:

The Oscar is a South American cichlid also known as the velvet cichlid, peacock cichlid, or walnut cichlid. Unfortunately, the common name “peacock cichlid” can be confusing, as the term “peacock” is also commonly used in the names of many Aulonocara species from Lake Malawi in the Rift Valley of East Africa, and several species of the Cichla genus from South America are also” called peacock cichlids”. In the early 1800s, the oscar was given the Latin name Lobotes ocellatus, but this has been updated to Astronotus ocellatus, a hopefully more accurate name.

Oscars are fairly large fish, typically measuring between twelve and sixteen inches (thirty to forty centimeters) in length. These fish typically live eight to twelve years, depending on the quality of care.

Oscar Equipment & Maintenance:

To keep your Oscar healthy in your home aquarium, remember to provide them with plenty of clean, warm water. Your Oscar’s temperature should be around 25°C and ideally stay between 23.5°C and 27°C, so you’ll need an aquarium heater and a thermometer. Keeping your Oscar too warm for an extended period of time will result in a lack of oxygen which can cause nerve damage, heart damage and seriously compromise the immune system. Keeping them too cool or exposing them to sudden cold can also affect their immune systems. A weakened immune system makes them more susceptible to many diseases, from easily treatable ick to more difficult diseases like hole in the head.

Your Oscar aquarium should have at least 30 gallons (about 114 liters) of space per Oscar, plus space needed for other fish. A minimum aquarium size of 40 gallons (about 152 liters) is recommended when keeping an Oscar.

Oscars are very messy fish, so aquarium maintenance is of the utmost importance. Perform your weekly water changes of 10-15% to ensure your Oscar always has clean water and the waste not processed by the aquarium filter is removed. Your Oscar needs good filtration to keep the water from becoming toxic and you need to maintain the filter(s) well. When choosing a filter, remember to make sure the filter offers excess filtration for the large capacity aquarium your Oscar will require. Many people use several smaller filters to maintain a large aquarium like this one. Using several smaller filters allows you to stagger your filter maintenance so you don’t change all of your filter media at once and risk cleaning your aquarium again. Remember that it is very important that your filters filter more than your entire aquarium volume.

Oscar Foods & Care:

Remember that your Oscar is primarily carnivorous (eats meat), so provide them with a quality, high-protein diet. There are many high quality processed fish foods on the market today, and most frozen fish foods are also suitable for feeding your Oscar.

In the wild, most Oscars feed primarily on small fish, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and insect larvae, only opportunistically feeding on an old carcass, nibbling on the fins or scales of larger fish, or consuming plant matter. You are best off trying to duplicate this diet in the aquarium environment. Offer a wide variety of processed, frozen and freeze-dried foods.

Your Oscars should be able to consume all of the food you offer within two minutes of feeding. If there is food in the aquarium after this time, it will contribute to poor water quality and make your Oscars more susceptible to disease.

Although Oscars will eat live food, feeding live goldfish is always a bad idea. Feeder goldfish aren’t very nutritious foods, and they’re a great way to spread disease to your beloved Oscars.

You should only need to feed your Oscar once a day. If you feed more than once a day, you increase the waste your fish produce and also increase the risk of overfeeding. Therefore, it becomes more important that you do your weekly 10-15% water changes and any necessary filter maintenance.

Proper nutrition will increase your Oscar’s life expectancy and boost his immune system.

Oscars are less aware than most fish that they are prey animals. In order for them to feel comfortable, however, they need plenty of hiding places. Oscars like to rearrange their territories, so stick to big, heavy pieces that are harder for the Oscar to grab and move, unless you don’t mind the Oscar moving everything around on you. Remember that you should not use any sharp or rough decorations that your fish could injure themselves on in case your fish dart into them. Like most other fish, they will be more comfortable and will come out more and be more active if you can provide them with 50-75% cover – this means you should use half to three quarters of your aquarium space as hiding places. Adequate coverage reduces stress and therefore strengthens your Oscar’s immune system, reducing the risk of illness.

Oscar accompaniment:

Oscars thrive best when kept alone. However, you can select other large South or Central American cichlids as tankmates, although it is imperative that you select ones that are neither too aggressive nor too passive, as the aggressive ones will thrash your Oscar and the passive ones will be thumped… Some of the medium-sized Pacu can also make good companions for an Oscar. If you plan to keep your Oscar with other fish, the fish should either be raised together or moved to a new tank together so that neither of them has a fixed territory.

Finally:

Remember, Oscars are beautiful creatures. It is the pet owner’s responsibility to take care of their pet and provide a healthy environment. So give your Oskar space, clean, warm water, plenty of hiding places and high-quality, varied food and it should be a good companion for a long time.

“Thank you very much, you have been very helpful. […] You really know your information, thanks again.” Sheena, Duluth More comments

“Just wanted to say thank you, I found your website to have the most useful information. My tank is in the best shape it has seen in the last 4 years.” Johann, South Africa Further comments

Copyright ©1994-2022, Keith Seyffarth

[1] Sleep can be defined by closed eyes and typical electrical patterns in the neocortex in birds and mammals, but fish lack eyelids and a neocortex. But this Oscar is quiet at night, lying on the floor unresponsive, eyes downcast, and you could say he’s asleep.

Whether fish sleep is an open question that has inspired the titles of several popular science books.[2][3] In birds and mammals, sleep is defined by the closing of the eyes and the presence of typical patterns of electrical activity in the brain, including the neocortex, but fish lack eyelids and a neocortex. Some species that are always flocking or constantly swimming (e.g., because of the need for gill ventilation) are suspected to never roost.[4] There are also doubts about certain blind species that live in caves.[5]

However, other fish appear to sleep, particularly when purely behavioral criteria are used to define sleep. For example, zebrafish,[6] tilapia,[7] tench,[8] bullhead,[9] and swelly sharks[10] become motionless and unresponsive at night (or during the day, in the case of the swellable shark); Spanish hogfish and bluehead wrasse can even be lifted to the surface by hand without eliciting a reaction. On the other hand, sleep patterns are easily disrupted and may even disappear during periods of migration, spawning, and parental care.[11]

Behavioral sleep[edit]

Rather than examining brain activity for sleep patterns, an alternative approach is to examine any rest/activity cycles that might indicate “behavioural sleep”. The following four behavioral criteria are characteristic of sleep in birds and mammals and could be extended to fish: (1) prolonged inactivity; (2) typical rest posture, often in a typical shelter; (3) alternation with activity on a 24-hour cycle; (4) high arousal thresholds. Based on these criteria, many fish species have been observed roosting.[1] The typical brown bullhead sleeping posture is with fins outstretched, tail lying flat on the ground, body tilted to one side at an angle of 10-30 degrees from vertical, heart and breathing rates much slower than normal, and much less sensitivity to Sounds and touches.[12][13] Mozambique cichlids are motionless on the bottom at night, have slower respiratory rates and no eye movements, and do not respond to electrical currents or food deliveries as quickly as they do during the day.[14] At night, Spanish Hogfish, Bluehead Wrasse, Wrasse Halichoeres bivittatus, Cunner Tautogolabrus adspersus, and even Requiem Sharks can be picked up by hand without eliciting a response.[15][16][17][18] A 1961 observational study of about 200 species in European public aquariums reported many cases of apparent sleep.[19]

Divers can easily observe fish settling down for the night in typical shelters such as holes and crevices, under rocky outcrops, amidst vegetation, in sponges, or buried in sand.[20] Some additional protection can be achieved through special secretions, such as B. the mucous membrane produced by several species of wrasse and parrotfish either around the fish themselves or at the opening of their shelter. These shells protect the sleeping fish from predators[21] and ectoparasites.[22]

In the laboratory, periods of inactivity often alternate with periods of activity on a 24-hour basis or on a near-24-hour basis under constant light conditions. Circadian activity rhythms have been documented in over 40 different fish species, including hagfish, lampreys, sharks, cyprinids, ictalurids, gymnotids, salmonids, and labrids.[23][24]

physiological sleep

A physiological property of sleep is known as “homeostatic regulation”. This is the notion that animals require a more or less constant amount of sleep each day, such that if a subject is sleep deprived one day, the amount of sleep tends to “recover” (increase) over the next few days. This has been observed in zebrafish. At night, zebrafish appear to float in the water column, either horizontally or with their heads slightly raised. The frequency of mouth and gill movements is reduced by almost half and they are twice as difficult to arouse as during the day. If they are deprived of this sleep-like behavior, subsequent sleep attacks are longer and the arousal threshold higher than usual, suggesting a rebound effect.[25][26] Similarly, activity in the convict cichlid decreases on days following experimental disruption of the fish’s normal nocturnal resting behavior.[27]

insomnia [edit] [28] Traditionally, Mahayana Buddhists believed that fish never sleep, and fish became a symbol of vigilance. Pictured is a hollow slit drum called a wooden fish or Chinese temple block. These are used when chanting sutras to maintain rhythm and remind practitioners to stay alert.

Many pelagic fish species, such as bluefish, Atlantic mackerel, tuna, bonito, and some sharks swim continuously and show no signs of sleep, behavioral or otherwise.[29][4] It has been argued that one function of sleep is to allow the brain to consolidate into memory the things it has learned during the animal’s normal period of activity. The brain may not be able to do this while still being assaulted by new stimuli and new information to process. Therefore, the role of sleep is to periodically turn off sensory input to allow the brain to form memories. Pelagic species swim in a pretty boring environment (miles of open water with not much happening). In such species, the sensory input is so small that memory formation could take place even if the fish is moving on (a repetitive activity) rather than falling asleep in the traditional sense of the word.[30]

Diurnal damselfish typically sleep motionless in crevices within coral reefs at night, but three species (the green chromis, the marginal dascyllus, and the white-tailed dascyllus) spend the night among coral branches, flapping their fins at a rate about twice as fast like normal daytime swimming. This creates water currents that provide the inner zone of the coral (and therefore the fish themselves) with a good supply of oxygen, about four times higher than without the fish. Although the fish are active (mostly repetitive), they are unresponsive to light or the presence of potential predators. The researchers who documented this behavior dubbed it “sleep swimming.”[31]

Sleep can also be absent during certain parts of a fish’s life. Species that are normally dormant at night become diurnal and nocturnal during the spawning season.[1] Many parent species abstain from sleep at night and fan their eggs day and night for many days at a time. This has been observed in threespine sticklebacks, convict and rainbow cichlids, various species of damselfish, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass[37][38] and the brown bullhead.[39] Some diurnal species, such as the tautog Tautoga onitis, become day and night during migration active.[40] In the Mozambican tilapia, sleep has been observed in adults but not in juveniles.[41]

Some species may be variable in the phasing of their daily periods of activity/inactivity, and thus presumably their sleep.[42] Within the same laboratory populations of goldfish, some individuals may be spontaneously diurnal while others are nocturnal.[43] Goldfish can also be diurnal when more food is available during the day, or nocturnal when food is available at night.[44] Salmon are mostly diurnal when the temperature is high, but become more nocturnal when the temperature drops.[45] At high latitudes, captive burbot, bullhead, and brown bullhead are nocturnal in summer but become diurnal under the brief photoperiod of the Arctic winter. In captivity, white suckers Catostomus commersonii are diurnal when living in a flock but nocturnal when living alone.[48]

Known for their intelligence, Oscar fish are among the most popular hobby aquarium fish.

And with their ability to recognize you in their owner, you really want to give them the care they need to thrive.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to provide quality care for this fascinating tropical freshwater fish.

Let’s start.

In the Wild: What Are Oscar Fish?

The Oscar fish (or Astronotus ocellatus if we’re going to get scientific) is a South American species that belongs to the cichlid family.

It is native to many countries including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia.

But to put it simply:

You can find Oscar fish pretty much anywhere in the Amazon Basin.

They typically live in slow-moving, low-flow whitewater that serve as perfect hiding spots from predators – especially when there is greenery and tree branches.

About her size:

They tend to grow to around 45 cm/18 inches. Not small, hey?!

But even more impressive than their size is the fact that they can grow super fast, sometimes at a rate of 1 inch per month!

Adults are usually dark in color and mottled with yellow rings on their fins, while young Oscars often sport white and orange wavy stripes until puberty.

But when it comes to babymaking, things are far from cute:

Oscar fish are usually quite aggressive. But during the breeding season? Multiply that by 100.

Breeding makes Oscar fish extremely territorial (although to be honest with them I know quite a few people too).

And as for their diet:

They are known for their voracious appetites and their eagerness to consume anything small enough to fit in their mouths (again, I know a few people…).

Now let’s take a deep dive into the types of Oscar fish and how to care for them:

Different species of Oscar fish

Oscar fish come in three different varieties: tiger oscars, red oscars, and albino oscars.

Tiger Oscars are the most common breed; We generally think of them as the “original” Oscar fish.

You may be wondering, “What do they look like?”:

Tiger Oscars feature red and orange patterns on a dark brown/grey base. They are pure breeds and therefore possess the true characteristics and behaviors of typical Oscar fish.

Regarding the Oscar red fish:

You can find them in many different shades, from purple and copper to rusty orange. Red Oscars do not have the markings or patterns characteristic of tiger breeds.

Along with tiger oscars, red oscar fish are the most commonly kept breeds.

Last on this list are albino Oscars:

Like other albino species, albino Oscars are white with glossy, velvety skin and red eyes. And although they look different, the behavior of albino Oscars is very similar to that of tiger and red Oscars.

Oscar Fish Aquarium Setup Guide

Let’s start with the basics:

Oscars are big fish, and on top of that they are extremely sensitive to water changes.

Here is the golden rule:

Your Oscar fish will live a long, happy life as long as you make sure your aquarium suits their preferences.

Sounds easy right? Well, it’s as long as you know what their preferences are (duh).

Let’s look at each of them in detail:

What is the best aquarium size for Oscars?

Because Oscars can grow up to 45cm, it is important that your aquarium is large enough to accommodate your pet.

Ideally, your aquarium should be no smaller than 75 gallons.

You could get away with 55 gallons, but that doesn’t leave you room to add more fish. And believe me and hobbyists, one fish is never enough.

And if your aquarium is too small to accommodate your fish (or overcrowded), it will quickly become sick and unhealthy.

The knock-on effect?

The potential for developing many uncomfortable, stress-related health conditions that can cause serious harm to your Oscar.

Pro tip: If you’re buying a brand new tank for your Oscar(s), you can use this rule of thumb:

1 Oscar – 75 gallons

2 Oscars – 125 gallons

3 Oscars – 150-200 gallons

Keep in mind that in a larger body of water it is easier to maintain a healthy environment as changes will have less of an impact. These minimum sizes may require maximum effort on your part.

The best substrate for Oscars?

When it comes to housing Oscar fish, both sand and gravel make good substrates.

But before you scoop that stuff into your tank, consider the following:

Oscars love to dig, as well as pick up and spit out substrates (like sand). This can cause some filters to break, especially if your Oscar throws sand directly at the filters (naughty dude, doesn’t he know those filters cost money?!).

Here is the solution:

You can add a pre-filter to your tank to prevent damage even if you use sand as a substrate.

This way your Oscar can dig up and spit out sand to his heart’s content and you don’t have to buy a new filter every 5 seconds. Win!

Another tip:

If there is uneaten food or dirt in your aquarium, it will sink over time and work its way into your substrates.

Because of this, you should avoid adding too much substrate, especially if using gravel (1-1.5 inches is sufficient).

Speaking of sand:

Even though it’s finer and gathers far less food, you should still use it sparingly.

What kind of filtration do Oscars need?

Oscar fish are very sensitive to water changes and ammonia levels. Because of this, you need a quality filtration system if you want to keep your fish healthy (which of course you do!).

In addition to their sensitivity, Oscars are also very messy fish and (*prepare for fecal talk*) have large bioburden/waste production.

Because of this, Oscars require fairly large amounts of water filtration—with an emphasis on biofiltration.

A canister filter as well as a HOB (Hang On Back) filter as a backup is enough to take care of things.

Here is our expert tip:

Your filtration system should be powerful enough to circulate the entire volume of your water four times an hour.

How much and what type of lighting should I provide?

Here is some good news for you:

Oscar fish do not need special lighting. Just keeping them in a standard room with natural light will work well.

However, if you feel like adding some lights to your aquarium, it will not harm your fish.

Just remember:

Many Oscars prefer moderate to low lighting, so you shouldn’t leave your bulb on for more than 12 hours (leaving it on for too long could make your fish restless and distressed).

If you have an Oscar that flinches when your lightbulb is on, consider dimming your lightbulb (or removing it entirely).

Wondering how to dim the lightbulb? It’s easy:

Simply poke holes in a piece of aluminum foil and wrap it around the bulb. The fewer holes, the dimmer your light will be.

Do Oscars like plants and decorations?

As is typical for prey fish, Oscars in the wild will hide between objects to feel safe.

Especially when they are young, your pet Oscars will find solace among artificial plants and ornaments.

Oscars are known for their tendency to rearrange their territories; If you pay attention, you can often see them moving small objects around their habitat.

So what is the take away?

You should probably avoid fragile decorations like ceramic items.

If you have real plants in the tank, the most likely result is that your Oscar will tear them up a bit (if not completely destroy them), so artificial plants and sturdy decorations like PVC pipes and rock cavities are your best options.

Seriously, you need to prepare for destruction; These little guys are ruthless!

As if that wasn’t enough to get your hands full:

Oscars are clumsy too; They move around a lot and bang on things all the time.

As hilarious as that sounds (and in reality it kind of is), there’s a serious point:

You should probably avoid adding anything that has sharp edges or rough textures (like volcanic rock) to your tank.

One last important info:

Oscars are soft water fish which means they are sensitive to pH changes and any pH raising objects. You should avoid adding things like coral, limestone, and other calcium carbonate-based minerals.

water parameters

Since they are very sensitive to water changes, it is crucial that your water parameters are adjusted to the needs of your Oscar fish.

Not only is failing to comply with these requirements harmful, it can even be fatal.

What water temperature do Oscars need?

Oscar fish thrive in the warm waters of the Amazon Basin.

Keep your aquarium at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) and ideally make sure it stays between 74 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit (23.5 – 27 degrees Celsius) at all times.

The key is to keep it stable.

How much water flow do they need?

Oscars love moderate to high flow bodies of water, similar to those of their natural habitat. You should aim for a water turnover of 4 times per hour.

Roger that? I’ll say it again just in case:

Four. Times. Per. Hour.

That may sound like a lot, but Oscar fish do well in very high water flow conditions. Even if you exceed the specified flow rates, you’ll likely find that your pet stays happy and healthy.

As long as your fish can swim comfortably, high flow conditions are perfectly fine – and often preferred.

What should the pH, acidity and basicity/alkalinity levels be?

As always with keeping fish, you should aim to replicate the same water pH in your aquarium that your pets would live in in the wild.

Here is the key:

Oscar fish prefer a water pH of around 7.2. Your pH should remain stable between 6 and 8 at all times.

It is very important to keep your pH level correct as this can affect the toxicity of ammonia in your water, making your fish more likely to fall victim to ammonia poisoning (we’ll go into more detail in the next few paragraphs but leave that out). first just tell us you don’t want to see this).

If the pH of your water is too low, you can easily change it with salts and pH change kits. But never make quick drastic changes.

Learn how to safely change your pH here.

Understand chlorine and chloramines

Chlorine is a big deal for aquarium owners.

Why?

Well, chlorine is added to municipal water before distribution to kill bacteria.

“So?” I hear you say, “What does this have to do with my Oscar fish?”

Actually quite a lot! It is a highly toxic gas that is harmful to mammals, amphibians and fish.

When combined with ammonia, which is also toxic, products known as chloramines are formed.

Basically, you can think of this as an insanely toxic cocktail of chemicals that can seriously harm your fish.

So how do you avoid it?

It is important that you use a dechlorinator when adding fresh water to your aquarium. This effectively removes chlorine, chloramines and many other trace metals (like mercury and lead) from the water.

Here is your golden rule:

Never add water directly from your faucet without first dechlorinating it.

Because Oscar fish are particularly sensitive to water changes, it’s important to run your water through a dechlorinator before adding it to your aquarium.

If you are unsure whether or not you have successfully removed all of these compounds, you can measure your water quality with a simple chlorine test kit.

Let’s consider ammonia, nitrite and nitrate

Most aquatic animals, including Oscar fish, produce ammonia as a waste product, which in its unionized form is highly toxic.

Just like the water changes, Oscars are also very sensitive to ammonia levels.

High pH levels force ammonia to remain in its unionized form, which in turn increases its toxicity. Above a pH of 8, ammonia can become lethal to Oscar fish, killing them quickly.

But pH isn’t the only culprit:

Water temperature can also increase ammonia toxicity.

Creepy stuff, right?!

So what’s the key to preventing ammonia toxicity from harming (or killing) your Oscar fish?

Quite simply: ammonia tests.

Ammonia kits measure the toxicity of your water, and luckily you can buy these life-saving little devices from most retailers.

Unfortunately, unionized ammonia isn’t the only thing to worry about. You also have to be very careful with nitrite (which is a product of ammonia).

While considerably less toxic, nitrite (and its by-product nitrate) can build up in your tank – and when it does, it will be bad news for your Oscar.

What will happen?

High levels of nitrite/nitrate can promote algal blooms. Some types of algae can produce toxins that are harmful to marine life and can lead to disease.

The solution?

Regular water changes keep nitrite/nitrate levels low. Dead easy.

Also, make sure to test your water regularly to ensure its toxicity levels remain below safe limits.

In Tank Behavior & Tank Mates

Experts know that Oscar fish are mildly aggressive, territorial animals.

Take this as an example:

You have a pair of Oscars that you keep in the same tank. You decide you want to breed them and make little baby Oscars – cool right?

Well, when there are other tankmates in there, it gets pretty uncool for them in no time.

Why?

This is because the brood Oscars get seriously aggressive towards their tankmates during spawning season.

And that’s not the only scenario to watch out for:

When multiple Oscar fish share a tank that is too small for them, you will see even more undesirable territorial behavior and fighting. Oscars are also known to bully each other, and smaller fish are the most likely victims.

In general, Oscars do best on their own.

However, you can keep other South American cichlids as aquarium mates, provided these fish aren’t too aggressive or too passive (it’s all about balance, man).

I know, I know… It sounds like a fine line to walk.

But here’s the deal:

Aggressive fish will attack those who are too passive, and a passive fish placed in a tank full of Oscars is likely to be bullied.

And if they don’t get bullied… they get eaten. Yes, seriously.

It’s a fish eat fish world out there!

Oscar fish have been known to eat anything small enough to fit in their mouths. Guppies and smaller fish are high on hit lists, so it’s best to keep them separate from larger Oscar fish.

Oscar’s Diet & Nutrition

Oscar fish are carnivores.

In the wild, Oscars love to eat insects, smaller fish, worms, plants, berries – and in truth, they’ll eat any fruit that lands in their habitat.

What can I feed my Oscar?

When keeping Oscars in an aquarium, you should aim to replicate their natural diet as closely as possible.

Here is the key:

You should feed your Oscar a high-quality, high-protein diet with a variety of processed, frozen, and freeze-dried foods.

A high-protein commercial fish food made for carnivorous species (such as cichlid pellets) will do. These should make up 80% of your Oscar’s diet.

You should supplement the rest of your fish’s diet with live, natural food. This can include:

grilling

grasshoppers

grasshoppers

mealworms

You can also give your Oscar dead shrimp and shrimp as they are both high in fiber and vitamins. However, since an Oscar’s diet should consist mostly of lean foods, you should avoid poultry and beef hearts.

One last thing to remember:

If you have baby oscar fish, you should only give them small diets at first.

How often should I feed my Oscar?

Baby Oscar fish are voracious eaters and – like all babies – seem to be hungry all the time.

But even if they pug the puppies’ eyes out, you should limit the amount of food you give them as overfeeding can make them sick.

That’s how it’s done:

1. Start feeding smaller Oscars 3-4 pellets to start with. Drop ’em, let the Oscar eat ’em, then add more.

2. Continue this pattern for about three minutes and then stop – only feed when your Oscar has eaten all of the pellets in the area.

3. Repeat this 2-3 times daily and remove any uneaten food from your tank within 2-3 minutes to avoid degrading the water quality.

Your baby Oscar may appear full after a feeding session or may be begging for more. Avoid the temptation to overfeed and don’t give your Oscar more than you should.

Once your Oscar reaches 5 inches, consider changing their feeding patterns.

At this point, you should feed them twice a day. You can also supplement larger, live animals like mealworms and grasshoppers during feeding times.

You can continue feeding your Oscar fish this way throughout adulthood.

Breeding Oscar Fish

Breeding Oscar fish is possible, although not the easiest of tasks.

Here’s an interesting tidbit for you:

Oscars are actually one of the most difficult species to breed.

Why? It’s because of their high standards, you would think (Oscars can be incredibly picky when it comes to choosing partners).

Partners must be mature to reproduce; Maturity occurs at around 16 months to 2 years of age.

You can breed any combination of Oscar fish — tiger, red, or albino — together.

How to sex Oscar Fish?

Sexing Oscar fish can be difficult. They are monomorphic, meaning both sexes look virtually identical.

However, there are a few distinctive features of male and female Oscar fish that can be found by examining their genitals closely.

Females have an egg tube that retracts completely inside, while males have a single sharp spike used for fertilization.

Initiation of the breeding process

In the wild, Oscars prefer to breed during the rainy season.

To replicate these conditions in your aquarium, you will need to do 20-30% water changes every few days.

You can also turn your water temperature down a few degrees to slow things down.

Finally, you can use a watering can to sprinkle “rain” (dechlorinated water) on your aquarium several times a day for 5-10 minutes.

You can also install filter spray bars over your water to reproduce these conditions if you don’t want to go through the hassle of doing everything manually.

Oscar Fish Disease, Disease and Treatments

Oscar fish rarely get sick, although there are a number of diseases that put them at risk of catching.

The most common of these is known as hole-in-the-head disease.

Errggh… sounds awkward, doesn’t it?

Well it is. There are no two ways.

You will know your fish has contracted the disease when you see cavities and cavities forming over your fish’s head and body.

As crazy as that sounds (and is), it’s also easy to prevent:

Hole-in-the-head disease is often caused by nutrient deficiencies in your fish’s diet. By following the dietary guidelines we’ve gone over above, you can easily avoid hole-in-the-head disease.

The second biggest culprit is bacteria:

Live feeder fish (e.g. goldfish) can also cause your fish to become ill, as they often contain bacteria from settlements.

You should always quarantine forage fish before adding them to an Oscar diet if you want to minimize this risk.

More Frequently Asked Questions about Oscar Fish

1. How Long Do Oscar Fish Live?

10-13 years.

2. What do Oscar fish eggs look like?

Fertilized Oscar eggs are brown/tan in color while unfertilized eggs are white.

3. Why do Oscar fish jump out of the tank?

Sometimes Oscar fish will jump out of their tanks to explore their surroundings or forage for food.

They can also try to escape from aquariums that are too small for them.

Having a lid on your aquarium will prevent your Oscar from leaving its tank and suffering damage.

Do you have your own experiences?

Do you have your own experience with keeping Oscar fish and other suggestions or tips for other aquarists? Let me know in the comments below.

Have fun keeping fish.

Top of the food chain: feeding Oscars in your home aquarium

Author: Brian M Scott

Oscar’s Astronotus spp. are among the most popular and most frequently kept fish in the aquarium hobby. In this issue of Top of the Food Chain, I’m going to rediscover my roots, so to speak, and share some useful information I’ve gathered for successfully maintaining Oscars in the home aquarium.

introduction

Most hobbyists have heard of Oscars at least at some point in their aquarium keeping careers, and many have kept them in home aquariums. After all, who can resist those big bug eyes and incredible canine personality? Well, not many, and rightly so. Oscars are amazing fish and exhibit some of the most unique and intriguing behavioral and husbandry traits of any common freshwater aquarium species. This month I want to focus on sharing information I’ve gathered about proper aquarium nutrition and feeding of Oscars. So let’s jump right in!

nutrition in nature

Oscars are native to tropical and subtropical South America. Wild Oscars consume primarily meaty foods (mostly small whole fish) throughout their range, while much of the remaining diet consists of live insects and insect larvae. It’s difficult to break down the actual percentages of food types eaten, but it’s probably safe to say that live fish and insects make up about 90 percent of wild Oscars’ total diet.

While live fish and insects make up the majority of a wild Oscar’s diet, other things are also ingested. Fruits, nuts, shrimp, and snails are known diets, with the fruits and nuts being consumed somewhat seasonally. Additionally, some authors have reported that Oscars have been sighted around dead animals lying in the water. However, it is uncertain whether these fish fed on the actual dead animal or on the small fish that such carrion attracts. I would say the latter theory is generally accepted.

nutrition in the aquarium

The diet of Oscars kept in aquariums is often drastically different from that of their wild counterparts. What I mean by that is that it’s rather uncommon for hobbyists who groom Oscars to feed them a variety of foods to emulate food choices found in nature. Generally, the two main foods offered to Oscars in aquariums are live feeder fish and pellets formulated for large aquarium fish.

It’s been my experience that Oscars do best when they’re offered a variety of foods, and while a diet that mirrors that of a “natural” one is a bit difficult for many hobbyists, it’s extremely rewarding and surprisingly affordable to have one To offer nutrition at least as close to that of a wild Oscars.

live fish

Many people offer their Oscars a diet consisting almost entirely of live forage fish. While live forage fish certainly have their place on the diet for predatory fish, they should never be the only food offered unless such diet is part of a larger goal (e.g. breeding, etc.).

One of the biggest problems with feeding live fish to fish, including Oscars, is the possibility of disease transmission. Because many forage fish, especially goldfish, are bred in large numbers by fish farmers, the risk of disease transmission is high. However, such a problem is less common nowadays than in years past. The increasing understanding of the rearing, transport and care of forage fish such as goldfish and red minnows has made their use safer today than ever before. Having said that, I still do not advocate the use of live forage fish as the sole diet.

Insects & Worms

During the rainy season, when fish are scattered throughout the flooded forest, Oscars tend to switch their diet to include insects and insect larvae. I’ve found that insects like small crickets and mealworms make fantastic Oscar food items. Be careful not to use insects that have been exposed to chemicals such as fertilizers or insecticides. If you’re not sure whether or not the crickets in your yard have been poisoned, just don’t use them. Your local pet store will most likely have farmed crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and a wide range of other safe insects that make Oscar food.

Not long ago – at least in the last decade – several companies started offering crickets and other insects in prepared forms, usually sold in small cans. These make perfect Oscar food, but many other species of fish also benefit from using them as a dietary supplement.

fruits, nuts and vegetables

Another food Oscars take advantage of in high tide times are the fruits (nuts) of several tropical trees. I’ve seen more than one Oscar subsist on peanuts or other slightly soft nuts. Tropical nuts may not be available, and that’s okay. I would recommend only feeding one or two shelled nuts at a time. If the fish eats them, great, if not, maybe try again if you think he’s a little hungrier – in about five minutes!

I could probably write an entire article just about fruits and such for the Oscar diet, but I don’t want to get nasty emails from my readers for wasting their time. However, let me mention just one specific vegetable that I think deserves special attention – frozen peas.

Frozen peas are a secret weapon in my Oscar food arsenal. Without getting too deep into the science of why I use these, I want to tell you that they are simply working to improve the color and power of Oscars in general. I also always feed them frozen, which is not common when feeding my fish frozen food.

It’s really very simple; I just go to the supermarket and buy a small bag of frozen peas. Always keep them frozen, even until just before offering them to your Oscars. When it comes time to feed, simply pick out a few, rinse them under cold water, and then toss them into the tank one at a time. If you’ve never offered this treat to your Oscar, he may spit it out. At some point, however, he will take her – and love her!

ready meals

Prepared foods such as pellets, tablets, chips, flakes, and wafers are by far the most popular and easily found foods for all aquarium fish. However, be smart in the way you feed these foods to an Oscar. Oscars are messy eaters in general, and the small particles the fish produce when they chew have been known to cause major water pollution problems.

I’ve found that tablets, waffles, and pellets are more effective than chips or flakes, even when an Oscar is a hatchling. They tend to swallow tablets and pellets whole, with less gummy buildup, and waffles can easily be broken into thirds and then offered to the Oscar. If possible, try to offer ready meals that are high in botanicals, as Oscars tend to lack such substances in their diets. If these materials are not provided, the fish’s colors may fade over time and become less noticeable, especially as it matures and grows into its adult color.

Try to offer a variety of prepared foods. It’s a good idea to have half a dozen different species on hand at all times to supplement the Oscar’s diet. This makes it very easy to vary their diet on a daily basis – if only in the type of pellets offered.

Fresh & Frozen Food

Other foods that deserve a mention for inclusion in the Overall Oscar Diet are those foods that we designate as fresh and/or frozen. In most cases, when someone refers to such foods, they are talking about some form of seafood. Almost any seafood is Oscar-worthy as long as it is consumed in moderation, which is true for all types of food, by the way – again, a varied diet is a key to success.

Fresh or frozen seafood such as shrimp, scallops, mussels and squid are excellent additions to the fish’s diet and should be used frequently and in rotation. One day shrimp, a few days later squid and so on. Be creative but never overdo the seafood.

Other types of frozen food such as Artemia, bloodworm, Mysis shrimp and various similar formulas are only suitable for the smallest Oscars. Oscars are just too messy when it comes to feeding, and the small particles in such food will do more harm than good to the fish in the long run. Stick to the big stuff and just trim as needed.

Quick tips for feeding Oscars

Oscars are gluttons, and they will eat as much food as they can possibly stuff into their bodies. Of course, and it should go without saying, this includes tank mates. Since this article is primarily about the Oscar’s diet and feeding, I won’t go into some of the other important husbandry factors that all hobbyists keeping these fish should be aware of, but I encourage you to take the reins and explore all sorts of topic.

Oscars are basically cravings, so feeding them should be a breeze — and it is! But be warned, just because your Oscar wild eats anything edible doesn’t mean you’re feeding them properly. The key is moderation.

Oscars are always in competitive mode. They compete against each other and anything else that eats, including their tankmates. Particular attention should be paid to how much and how often your Oscar should be fed. Since we’ve already talked about what to feed your Oscar, let’s move on to feeding these fish.

teenagers

Small Oscars, measuring between 1½ and 3 inches, should be fed at least twice a day. Let me throw in a point here: these guidelines are estimates, and you’ll need to experiment a little to see what works best for your situation.

In general, small fish need to be fed at least twice a day, and juvenile Oscars are no exception. I tend to only feed baby Oscars until their bellies are slightly distended; this is called feed saturation. Try to vary the food a bit, even on a daily basis. For example, Mysis shrimp in the morning and a staple food in the afternoon or early evening. Also, make sure you only offer a small amount of food at a time. Actually let the fish gulp some before throwing more into their tank. If you add too much, Oscars tend to chew and spit their food to move on to the next piece on offer. Basically, it should take more than 10 seconds to feed your fish. You enjoy watching your Oscar, so take your time!

subadults

Most species grow very rapidly as juveniles, but few continue to grow as rapidly once they reach the subadult stage. Oscars are one of the few. Feeding Oscars at this stage of growth is very easy. When they grow to 4 inches long they are well established. When they grow to between 4 and 6 inches, continue feeding them daily, but maybe change up their feeding schedule; One day you feed them twice and the next day just once. This allows them to feed them on a daily basis, but is only a little limited. Remember to vary their diet to get the best color and strength.

adult

At around 7 or 8 inches, we consider Oscars to be adults. I’ve seen 5 inch specimens that actually laid eggs and produced viable offspring, but I have a feeling they (the adults) were stunted. At this point you should be feeding a very wide range of foods. Now it’s time to really watch the weight of the Oscar. If you feel like he’s a bit too bulky, then play around with your feeding schedule. I’ve seen many hobbyists only feed adult Oscars twice a week; However, I find that due to the voracious behavior of adults and the punishment such beasts inflict on their tankmates, the best regimen is to feed them every other day, and twice a week feed the adult two or even three times a day .

It’s common for large adults, say over 12 inches, to feed on a very narrow range of foods. This is most likely because they have never been offered to them before. If you earn a small Oscar on a very varied diet, then you end up with a very big Oscar that literally eats anything edible. And that is how it is supposed to be!

Amazing pets

Oscars are true aquatic pets. They can recognize their owners and are adept beggars when it comes to feeding time. Offer them a varied diet and be careful not to overfeed, as they don’t typically require as much food as their canine behavior suggests. If you provide them with a large, well-filtered aquarium, good quality food in moderate amounts, and lots of attention, chances are your Oscar will provide you with many years of fun and enjoyment.

There are many great brands of Oscar fish food out there and the right one for you will depend largely on your Oscar and what type of food he likes to eat. Most like floating food, but some prefer to pick it up off the ground. Your fish may also prefer flakes or pellets.

We’ve selected nine different Oscar fish food brands to review for you so you can tell the difference between each brand. We’ve also included a quick buyer’s guide where we’ll help you learn a little more about what Oscar fish like to eat and how you can improve their coloration.

Join us as we talk about ingredients floating or sinking and cloudy water to help you make an informed purchase. Here is our list of nine Oscar fish foods.

A quick look at our favorites (2022)

Image Product Details Best Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Fortified with Vitamin C Float Natural Chemicals Check Price Best Value Wardley Shrimp Formula Nutritious Ingredients Including Shrimp Helps Maintain Clear Water Vitamin C and Antioxidants Check Price Premium Choice Hikari Tropical Carotenoids Stabilized Vitamin C Promotes Growth Check Price Hikari Doesn’t Cloud Water High in Beta Carotene Floating Pellets Check Price Fluker’s River Shrimp High in Protein and Amino Acids Single Ingredient Check Price

The 9 best foods for Oscar fish

1. Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks Fish Food – Best Overall Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks Fish Food is our pick for the best overall food for Oscar fish. This brand is a great alternative to feeding your live Oscar fish. It consists of dried krill and shrimp and is fortified with vitamin C. It also contains natural chemicals that promote color enhancement. This type of food floats, so it more closely resembles the food in its natural habitat.

The only real downside to Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks fish food is that it can cloud the water if your fish don’t eat it quickly. However, we think this is the best Oscar fish food out there.

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2. Wardley Shrimp Pellets Formula Fish Food – Best Value Check Price at Chewy Check Price at Amazon Wardley Shrimp Pellets Formula Fish Food is a selection of the best Oscar fish food for the money. It contains high-quality, nutritious ingredients such as shrimp, fish oil and wheat flour. Vitamin C and other antioxidants help build a strong immune system to help prevent disease and infection. It also helps maintain clear water by breaking down cleanly and not forming a cloud.

The downside to Wardley Shrimp Pellets Formula Fish Food is that it breaks down very quickly and is a sinking feed so it can make quite a mess on the tank bottom if you don’t have a bottom feeder to clean it up. That being said, we think this is the best Oscar fish food for the money today.

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3. Hikari Tropical Food Sticks – Premium Choice Check Current Price Hikari Tropical Food Sticks Is there a premium choice food for Oscar fish? This feed is high in carotenoids for bright, rich colors. Its ingredients provide a balanced diet for carnivores, and stabilized vitamin C helps boost the immune system and fight off infections. It also helps promote faster growth. A floating stick about ½ inch long, this feeder provides a natural feeding environment for your carnivore fish, which typically pluck flies and other insects from the surface.

If your fish don’t eat the Hikari Tropical Food Sticks fast enough, they will take on water and sink to the bottom where they can collapse and create a cloud in the water. We also found that about one in four of our Oscar fish didn’t like this food.

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4. Hikari Fish Food Check Latest Price Hikari fish food is a brand that contains buoyant pellets designed to keep your water clear. The pellets are rich in beta-carotene and promote brighter colors in your fish. Stabilized vitamin C boosts your fish’s immune system and promotes longer, healthier lives.

The main disadvantage of Hikari Fish Food is that it breaks down quickly and as soon as it does the food starts to sink. While it won’t cloud the water, it does leave a lot of particles floating around and can foul the bottom of the tank if you feed more pellets than your fish are eating. Another thing we noticed about this brand is that they no longer use whole fish and instead use fishmeal, a lower quality ingredient.

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5. Fluker’s Freeze-Dried River Shrimp Check price at Chewy Check price at Amazon Fluker’s Freeze-Dried River Shrimp Contains only 100% natural freeze-dried river shrimp. There are no chemical preservatives or additional ingredients. These impressively large treats are very high in protein and amino acids, nutrients that promote rapid, healthy growth.

Unfortunately, it’s not a balanced meal and doesn’t provide many of the vitamins and minerals needed for a strong, healthy Oscar. You will need to supplement this food with other brands to provide the necessary nutrition. Some smaller Oscar fish may have trouble with these shrimp’s tough skin and they have a very bad odor. If you feed your Oscar Fluker Freeze-Dried River Prawns regularly, your aquarium will also start smelling of the food.

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6. Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets Check Price at Chewy Check Price at Amazon Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets is the unique brand of slow sinking pellets. In our experience, sinking slowly means some will keep swimming, some will float in the middle and some will sink to the bottom. This feed provides a balanced diet containing krill and squid for optimal protein intake. This brand contains no artificial colors or preservatives.

However, Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets have a terrible smell and you will find that you will try to seal the package very tightly. We found the pallets to be a bit small, and we’re only about half the size of a standard pallet. We also found that some of our Oscars wouldn’t eat this brand.

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7. Fluval Bug Bites Pellets for Cichlids Check Current Price Fluval Bug Bites Pellets for Cichlids contain 40% black soldier fly larvae which are extremely high in protein and easy for your Oscar to digest. These pellets also contain omega fatty acids that help with numerous internal functions. This brand is processed in small batches to ensure quality control.

We have found Fluval Bug Bites Pellets for cichlids to have a very bad smell and some of our Oscar fish didn’t like it. We also felt that it created cloudy water in two ways. First, the pellets disintegrate quickly, leaving some cloudiness in the water. Decomposition also leaves a film on the surface of some items. Second, we thought our fish would produce more waste by eating this food, which also leads to cloudy water.

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8. HBH Pisces Pros Oscar Bites Color Fish Food Check Current Price HBH Pisces Pros Oscar Bites Color Fish Food provides the nutrients needed for rapid growth and color improvement. Floating feed that uses your Oscar’s instinct to pull feed from the water’s surface.

The problem with HBH Pisces Pros Oscar Bites Color Fish Food is that the quality of the ingredients is not very high and there is no whole fish. The pellets are also extremely small and better for small fish like Beta, but it can work well while your Oscar is still small.

For and against

9. TetraCichlid Floating Cichlid Sticks Check Price at Chewy Check Price at Amazon TetraCichlid Floating Cichlid Sticks Or floating sticks that encourage your Oscar instinct to feed on the surface. This food is high in protein and nutritionally balanced for fast, healthy growth. It also contains ingredients that help enhance the color of your Oscar. Biotin helps maintain a healthy metabolism.

What we didn’t like about TetraCichlid Floating Cichlid Sticks is that it doesn’t contain any whole fish ingredients and is strictly fishmeal. It also has a terrible smell. This food also breaks down quickly if your fish don’t eat it right away, and as they eat the food breaks down into small pieces which can be very messy.

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Buying Guide – Choosing the Best Foods for Oscar Fish Buying Guide – Choosing the Best Foods for Oscar Fish

Let’s discuss some of the important things to consider before shopping for Oscar fish food.

diet

Oscar fish are omnivores, which means they need both meat and vegetables to survive. In the wild, Oscars primarily eat insects, crustaceans like shrimp, and aquatic plants, so they’re the main ingredients to look for in your diet.

High-quality cichlid flakes and pellets are the best food for your Oscar. These pellets should be high in protein and, if possible, come in a variety of sizes to suit the size of your Oscar.

pellets

While some Oscars like flakes, the vast majority will eat pellets. There are three types of pellets: floating, sinking and slow sinking. Floating pellets stay on the surface and are the favorite food of most Oscars. It uses their instinct to eat flies and mosquitoes from the water’s surface. Floating pellets can be easier to clean up as you can use a net to pick up excess pellets.

Sinking pellets will quickly sink to the bottom and lie dormant for your Oscar to pick up and eat. Many Oscars like to feed from below, but this type of pellet can make a mess as it breaks down and sinks into the sand or gravel.

Slow sinking pellets are a combination of both and are suitable for aquariums with multiple fish. Floating pellets are slow sinking pellets because if they stay in the tank long enough they will sink.

One thing to watch out for on a case-by-case basis is how cloudy the pellets are making your water. While all pellets break up, some do so much cleaner than others.

living food

In addition to high-quality pellets, you can also feed your Oscar the following types of live food as treats. Live food is the most nutritious, but it can also contain harmful bacteria that can be transferred to your fish or the water in your aquarium. Too much life food can mean that your Oscar should stop eating pellets.

Black Worms

Blackworms bloodworms

bloodworm crickets,

crickets, earthworms

earthworms fly

Flying locusts

Locust Mealworms

Mealworms Waxworms

plant food

You can also feed your Oscar a variety of fruits and vegetables from time to time. It’s important to blanch your fruits and veggies first before adding them to the tank when feeding fruit with seeds. You also need to make sure you remove any seeds before putting it in the water.

Apple

apple banana

banana carrots

carrot cucumber

Cucumber Green Peas

Green pea salad

Salad spinach

color enhancement

Ingredients like carotenoids, beta-carotene, and astaxanthin can help improve and enhance the color of your Oscar fish. These ingredients can be a boost, and you’ll find them in river shrimp, skrill, and green peas.

Conclusion Conclusion

While every fish has a different taste and yours may be different, we recommend our choice for the best overall. Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks Fish Food contains whole fish and is packed with vitamins and minerals to help your Oscar stay healthy. It will also help enhance the color of your fish and its swimming style draws on its basic feeding instincts. Wardley Shrimp Formula is another great choice and is available at a great price. This food also contains high quality ingredients and provides antioxidants to boost your Oscar’s immune system.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our buying guide. If we helped you choose a fish food, please share these nine best foods for Oscar fish on Facebook and Twitter.

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Selected image credit: Samarth Singhai, Pexels