Worse still, given the size of the flanks and the ‘blank canvas’ nature of Albino fish - not to mention tolerance to trauma - there are hideously dyed varieties with patterns or colours injected into their flanks, à la tattoo. There are also the usual trappings of the over- farmed variants - namely long fin and grotesque balloons. Examples are Tigar oscars, Red, Albino tiger, Albino red, Lutino, Sunshine, Golden, Super red, Blueberry and Strawberry markings. Pending where captured, wild specimens can sport varying shades of olive green colour to having hints of red across the flanks.īy contrast, captive-farmed types usually have far more elaborate and striking colours. Inside a year 25cm/10” is easily attainable, given enough growing space and bodybuilding diet.Ī captive-farmed Oscar is far removed from a wild type. They also grow rather fast, especially on the high protein, nutrient-rich dried and frozen foods offered by caring fishkeepers.Įxpect a growth rate of up to 2.5cm/1” a month for the first six months, slowing thereafter. Ignore them!Īs they grow, almost anything that fits in the mouth becomes fair game. Sometimes staff at a particularly inept store will tell a customer that Oscars ‘are a community fish’ or that 'they only grow to the size of the tank'. At this stage the fish are simply divine, showing marbled patterning and big, playful puppy-like eyes. Many buyers are enticed by juvenile Oscars. However, some people insist on keeping Oscars in smaller tanks, maybe just 90cm/3’, but there we’ll find 'runty' fish with squat bodies, curved backs or other unsightly deformities. Most aquarium residents will hit between 25-30cm/10-12”, which makes them tricky to manage.Ī lot of keepers start them off in 120 x 45 x 45cm/4 x 1.5 x 1.5’ tanks and eventually upsize to something like 1.8m x 60 x 60cm/6 x 2 x 2’. One adult has been recorded at just over 45cm/18” and size needs to be considered. This tolerance has helped domestic fish in cases of filter failures and power cuts - but none of this is justification enough to keep Oscars in tanks with low oxygen or poor circulation. Just sit and wait for your meals to present themselves! At the same time, it’s a useful trait if waiting for less tolerant fish to head up to breathe. Older fish are more tolerant than younger ones, but adults have been kept in anoxic conditions (lacking in oxygen) for between four and six hours until they hit real trouble.Īnoxia tolerance is pretty handy for a fish that doesn’t want to gasp at the surface, exposing itself to predators. They have great resilience to low oxygen conditions. Naturally, they inhabit slow-moving waterways and they’re a white water species, but will happily head into ponds, lakes, oxbows, swamps and seasonally into flooded forest and floodplains. They can tackle terrible water types too.
Lethality doesn’t occur until somewhere around 13☌/55☏. The range of wild environments they can tolerate is astounding, for as well as being reported captured all over North America they’ve been found prior to winter in Alaskan waterways.
In China and America they’re becoming an ecological hazard, as any big fish with a big appetite might. They’ve also been introduced around the world and feral populations can be found as far as Australia. Wild Oscars cover a large range, including Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and French Guiana. Given their trade scarcity, you could be waiting a long time if you want one. The common Oscar is Astronotus ocellatus, but there’s also the rarely seen Astronotus crassipinnis, a slightly smaller, darker fish. Oscars are South American and comprise two species. In a small tank, this fish will soon outgrow and cost you more money - but it won’t do so as might a Pacu! They’re surprisingly hardy, which helps explain their popularity, and, compared to some other big fish, they’re more reserved in overall size. With almost canine-like recognition of their owners, the brass to tackle a hand invading their aquarium and usually an eye on their own interior design, these are classic character fish that everyone with the appropriate facilities should dabble with at least once. However you view them, Oscars are amazing. For others it’s the nightmare that eats everything in their community tank and then demands a bigger home! Nathan Hill undoes the envelope to reveals his nomination for best leading role.įor many in the hobby it’s the 'coming of age' fish that signifies devotion and enthusiasm. The spotlight falls on an outstanding performer in fishkeeping circles.
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