| The Oscar cichlid has always been a very popular | | | | quality prepared food suitable for large cichlids is |
| cichlid among aquarists, as it is an extremely | | | | recommended. A prepared food can provide a |
| intelligent creature that can and will interact with | | | | good base, but you should not keep your Oscar |
| it's keeper. With proper care and attention, an | | | | fish on flakes or pellets alone. Supplementing |
| Oscar fish can turn into a true pet. The fish may | | | | prepared food with some of the food types |
| even swim along the tank, following it's master | | | | described above is always advisable. Since small |
| for a treat. Oscars can be easily trained to take | | | | fish will be viewed as food, they are not suitable |
| food from the keepers hand. | | | | tank mates for your Oscar. Oscars are not very |
| Oscar is the popular name for the cichlid known | | | | aggressive towards fish that are too large to be |
| as Astronotus ocellatus. In addition to the name | | | | considered food, and you can house your Oscar |
| Oscar, this species is also known as the Velvet | | | | with other large and non-aggressive fish species |
| cichlid or the Marble cichlid. Current variations of | | | | that like the same water conditions. Some species |
| this species include: tiger oscar, red oscar, red | | | | that come to mind: Tin Foil Barbs, Red Bellied |
| tiger oscar, marbled oscar and several new veil | | | | Pacus, larger varieties of Cat Fish and maybe |
| tailed varieties. Astronotus ocellatus is not an | | | | some similar sized Jack Dempsey's. As with most |
| extremely sensitive fish, so it can be kept even | | | | large fish, and actually all large cichilds, keeping |
| by less experienced aquarists. The keeper must | | | | your aquarium well decorated and well planted will |
| provide an aquarium that is large enough however. | | | | be next to impossible. As Oscars grow larger, |
| 75 to 100 gallon aquariums are considered | | | | they will tear things up, so you may find yourself |
| minimum. Keep in mind, that in the wild, it is not | | | | decorating your tank with a lot of rocks and |
| uncommon for an Oscar fish to grow larger than | | | | overturned clay flower pots. |
| 12 inches long. When Oscars are kept in home | | | | Oscar cichlids are relatively hardy fish, and will |
| aquariums they normally won't get quite that | | | | tolerate most water conditions as long as you |
| large. | | | | avoid the extremes. If you want your Oscars to |
| Oscars are large carnivores and they are known | | | | thrive, and possibly spawn in your aquarium, you |
| to be happy eaters even in captivity. Your Oscar | | | | should strive to provide them with a pH between |
| will do best on a varied diet consisting of fish and | | | | 6.5 and 7.0 and water that is soft or just barely |
| insects. Feeder fish, crickets, worms, adult brine | | | | hard. A water temperature in the 72-80 degree |
| shrimp and krill are all suitable food types. It is | | | | Fahrenheit range is recommended. The Oscar is a |
| easy to train your Oscar fish into accepting | | | | South American cichlid, from the Amazon River |
| prepared food, such as pellets and flakes. A high | | | | and its tributaries in Brazil and Paraguay. |