fish tank

Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus)

Oscars are considered aggressive fish. If you have just a few Oscars in a tank, they are likely to fight with one another- but for some reason, if you have a tank full of Oscar fish they'll "get along". It is recommended that you either have a single Oscar, or more than six in order to minimize quarrelling.

Oscars come in different colors and types. Red Oscars and Tiger Red Oscars are more aggressive in nature than the Pink Oscars- but all three types can be placed into a tank together. Since the Pink Oscars aren't quite as aggressive, you just want to be sure they are getting enough to eat when they share a tank with the other Oscar fish.

When Oscars are small, they can live for a short time in 10 or 15 gallon aquariums, but you may want to just use at least a 50 gallon aquarium from the start since Oscars grow to be quite large. The aquarium should have no more than 1/4 inch of gravel and a heater to keep the water between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a single Oscar, it will require a larger aquarium of 80 gallons or more as a single Oscar while a group of six Oscars may eventually require an aquarium of 500 gallons of water or more! Keep this in mind when deciding to get Oscar fish.

There are not too many fish that can share a tank with Oscars. Some potentially good mates include the Large Plecostomus, large Neotropical Cichlids, White Tip Sharks, Clown Knife Fish, Large Cloan Loaches and Tinfoil Barbs. Sometimes you can put a large Eel in the same tank as Oscars.

While Oscar fish are still small, under 3 inches, you can feed them floating flake fish food for tropical fish. Once they've grown over 3 inches long, however, they will require floating pellet food. Some pellets have additives that will enhance the color of Oscars. While Oscars will eat feeder gold fish and black worms, it is typically recommended that Oscars are only fed floating pellet food. Oscars can live for more than 20 years if properly cared for, but the typical aquarium owner with Oscars should expect a life span between 12 and 15 years.