OSCAR FISH

Special thanks to Abel Guerrero for his picture.

The best tankmates for Oscars are Large Plecostomus and other large Neotropical Cichlids such as Texas Cichlids, Jack Dempseys, Salvini, and other cichlids from South America which are the same size or bigger. From the Oscar species the less aggressive are Pink Tiger Oscars. That is the reason why Red Oscars and Tiger Red Oscars can make Pink Tiger Oscars miserable. You should ensure that the Pink ones get their food too.

In nature Oscars eat small fish. But in aquariums small fish can introduce diseases. Use live food wisely and try to keep the Oscars healthy by using vegetable based food with vitamins.

Breeding isn’t very difficult if you keep a pair. Firstly, I’d like to say something about the water quality. Clean water is required, as well as a stable temperature of about 28°C. Don’t try to breed them in cold water, or water of poor quality. If you keep them in the same tank prior to a breeding program they will probably need some motivation, so remove a male for one or two weeks. Breeding goes well when you use live food. Use heavy rocks, they will clean them in order to lay eggs on. Large driftwood could help this process too. Generally, they breed like all large South American cichlids.