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Oscar
Astronotus ocellatus ssp
Video
Common Name: Red
Oscar.
Group: South American
Cichlid. Maintenance: The Oscar is one of the easiest fish to care for and for its size one of the most peaceful. The tank should be large, at least a 55 gal with a medium textured substrate. Keep plants to a minimum and provide flat rocks and pieces of driftwood for cover. If you want to use plants try using large leaf varieties of lilies or some floating plants, Oscars like most cichlids can and will dig the substrate. Water conditions for Oscars are not critical but they do like medium hard, acidic to slightly alkaline (pH 6.5 to 7.5) water. Feeding as you would expect is no problem as Oscars will take all types of food including flake, frozen, pellets, and of course live, in nature they are an opportunistic fish and will eat anything that happens by. You can even dig earthworms for them. Oscars are a very long-lived fish and quickly develop their own personality, probably one of the reasons they are so popular today. Care: Red Oscars are a hardy fish. They need warm waters, with temperatures ranging from 72 to 80 degrees fahrenheit. The pH level of their water should be slightly acidic to alkaline, with a range between 6.5 and 8. Red Oscars should be fed live foods, including bloodworms, earthworms, crickets, mealworms, glass worms, brine shrimp, tubifex worms and fish. Freeze dried pellet and tablet foods will occasionally be accepted. Breeding: To entice breeding, use warmer water temperatures, between 80 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit and a slightly acid pH, from 6.6 to 7. Red Oscars will lay their eggs, numbering up to two thousand, on flat rock slates. Red Oscars will aggressively defend their eggs and fry. The Red Oscar makes a great pet. Their strong and varying personalities makes them a popular species of cichlid. They are also relatively inexpensive and easy to care for and they are a large, beautiful fish. They can even be fed by hand. Red Oscars are an aggressive fish, as is true of many cichlids. Red Oscars will eat any fish that can fit into its mouth, so make sure its tank mates are of equal size. As long as they have plenty of space, they should not bother other tank mates of the same size. They are however, known to bully tank mates of the same size. If they are kept with larger, more aggressive fish, they become very timid and will have a hard time fending for themselves. They will play dead if there are scared. Red Oscars are known for their vivid personalities. Hand feeding is a popular trait of Red Oscars. Also, a lid must be put on their tank, because they are known to jump very high. Red Oscars should be kept in large aquariums, with light to moderate rock and plant decoration. Red Oscars will usually move decorations as they see fit, so don't plan on having a certain look in a tank with a Red Oscar in it. Live plants should be potted. Also, make sure that the gravel is not too small, as it can be ingested as they eat, which could be fatal. In addition to a diet of Cichlid pellets beef heart may also be a good food for Oscars they love it and it also promotes good growth. Red Oscars will reach a size of 10 to 12 inches at maturity. Their bodies are mostly red, with hints of orange and yellow. Females can be distinguished by their round anal fin, which looks somewhat like an arrowhead. The male's anal fin is much more pointed. Some Red Oscars will have black features, such as black tips, spots or lines. Red Oscars have very small scales, which allow them to heal quickly.
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