Oscar cichlid

Scientific name: Astronotus ocellatus

Common name: Oscar cichlid, red oscar, tiger oscar, velvet cichlid

Region: South & Central America - Rio Ucayali drainage & upper Amazon river of Peru and Brazil

Size: 12-15 inches

Color: Ocellatus is Latin for spotted, referring to the spotted pattern of the Oscar’s body. Oscar can vary from olive-green to gray to chocolate brown in base color, but most often a dark brown or black. Black spots surrounded by an orange or red ring on the base of the upper caudal peduncle are characteristic of the Oscar.

Water Chemistry: pH: 7, soft water

Temperature: 72-80 (24-28)

Aggression: Aggressive (which is sadly the reason this is one of the most commonly purchased tropical fish.

Compatibility: Other large South American cichlids

Diet: Carnivorous

How to breed: It is very difficult to sex Oscars from external characteristics, so you’ll have to keep a colony, and hope that a pair develops. A breeding pair of Oscars will prepare a breeding area, such as a flat stone or slate. A single spawning may consist of around 2000 eggs, and will usually hatch within 3 to 4 days.

General: The oscar is one of the most commonly kept cichlids (or tropical fish for that matter) in the aquarium. Their reputation is strong, so much so that people who’ve never heard of cichlids still know what an Oscar is! I remember fondly the day I heard a PetSmart employee telling a group of kids how the ‘Oscar is closely related to a Piranha’. Just make sure that if you’re keeping Oscar cichlids in your fish tank, that you’re prepared to buy lots of fish food, and do plenty of water changes!