Veil Tail Oscar

Overview

The oscar is a large, intelligent cichlid that cruises the middle of a big tank. It is a fish for keepers past the beginner stage.Oscars are known for their personality and are often called wet pets. They learn to recognize their keeper and can be taught to take food from the hand. They will also follow movement at the front of the tank, which is unusual for a fish.

Caring for the oscar

Plan for at least 75 gal (284 L) for a single adult oscar. It rearranges its tank, so use a sandy floor and secure decor. A few large pieces of driftwood and rounded rocks give it cover. It usually uproots plants, so leave them out or keep them potted and sturdy.

The oscar is adaptable but does best in soft to neutral water. Keep it at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It is a heavy eater and a messy fish, so it needs strong filtration and regular large water changes. Make a big volume of clean, well-filtered water the priority, rather than a detailed scape.

Feed a quality cichlid pellet as the staple, with occasional prawn, mussel and earthworm. Avoid a diet of feeder fish or plain mammal meat.

It is usually kept singly or as a bonded pair, in a tank of its own or with big, sturdy tank mates. It is predatory and territorial, and it will swallow any fish small enough to fit in its mouth. It can bully companions, so anything kept with it must be too large to eat and able to hold its own.

It is a substrate spawner. A pair cleans a flat rock, then guards the eggs and fry together. Breeding is hard, mostly because of the fish's size and the difficulty of pairing. Mismatched adults can fight fiercely rather than spawn.

Good to know

The oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, belongs to the cichlid family, Cichlidae, and grows quickly when well fed. It is named for the ocellus, the eye-like orange-ringed spot at the base of the tail. That spot is thought to deflect attacks away from the real eyes.