About Oscars
If you wish to add a new Oscar fish to your tank, you need first conduct some study. Many people keep Oscar fish due of its kind attitude. The fish, also known as marble cichlids or velvet cichlids, are native to South America and can grow up to 18 inches in the wild, therefore a large enough tank is required.
What size should the tank be?
Oscar is a large fish who generates a lot of garbage. A large tank will not be affected by the bio-load as rapidly. Oscar is territorial, like cichlids, and you don’t want to see a biting war in a small fish tank.
Oscar also grows about an inch per month and slows down when he reaches sexual maturity, which is six inches. A captive Oscar can grow to be 10 inches long, so a 75-gallon tank is adequate. However, if you want to keep other fish, you will need a larger tank, such as 100 gallons.
Recommended Tank Mates
Because Oscar is a huge species, make sure your tank is spacious enough before adding other fish; else, your Oscar will be unhappy. However, if they are kept alone in a tank, they are less likely to experience “lonely.” After all, they, like betta fish, are territorial creatures.
However, if you want to observe Oscar with other fish, there are a few things you should bear in mind:
1.Aim for a minimum size of 5 inches or larger to avoid acquiring any fish that can fit inside your Oscar’s mouth.
2. Select bottom-dwelling species that will not compete with your Oscar’s inclination for upper and mid-level regions.
3.Look for fish who are not afraid to compete with Oscar for food; if the other fish are too timid, Oscar will pursue them around the tank, leading them to stress.
Food options
After you’ve positioned your fish, it’s time to feed it.
Oscar is essentially a carnivore, hence they should be fed a meat-based commercial diet. Insects, worms, crayfish, forage fish, and aquatic invertebrates are also suitable food sources for this species, though they primarily eat on tiny fish and insects in the wild. Some Oscars may tolerate frozen foods if they are first thawed.
Conclusions
Oscar is an intriguing choice; as long as you can give adequate conditions for survival, you will receive a healthy Oscar.
