Edit Astronotus ocellatus
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Name
Scientific name
Astronotus ocellatus
Described by
Authority Agassiz, Year 1831
Family
Cichlidae
Summary
The oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, is a large cichlid widely distributed in the Amazon region, recorded from Colombia and Venezuela south to …
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
350mm, standard length
Tank size
Minimum length 150 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm
Water
Temperature and pH
Temperature 20–28°C, pH 6–7.5
Hardness
5–20dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
A pair
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Supporting text
Etymology
Astronotus: from the Ancient Greek ἄστρον (astron), meaning 'a celestial body', and νότος (notos), which is normally said to mean 'back' but also appears to si…
Distribution
Widely-distributed in the Amazon region and has been recorded in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Arge…
Habitat
Most often found in the shallows of slow-moving or still waters in forested areas. It appears to favour silt-laden white water habitats, where it is typically …
Aquarium size
An aquarium with base dimensions of 150 ∗ 60 cm60 ∗ 24 in is just about large enough to house a single adult with larger quarters required for a pair or group.
Maintenance
Unsuitable for the carefully-aquascaped aquarium since it has a tendency to dig into the substrate but otherwise relatively unfussy. A natural-style set-up cou…
Water conditions
Temperature: 20 – 28 °C68 – 82 °F pH: Captive-bred examples are not fussy with somewhere in the range 6.0 – 7.5 normally recommended. Wild-caught fish may requ…
Diet
This species is a generalised omnivore, feeding on a range of items including smaller fish, insects, crustaceans, zooplankton and various types of both terrest…
Behaviour and compatibility
Although not especially aggressive for a cichlid of this size this species' predatory nature dictates that it should not be combined with much smaller fishes. …
Sexual dimorphism
In wild populations adult males are sometimes a little larger and more colourful than females, but this species does not tend to exhibit external sexual differ…
Reproduction
This species is a substrate-spawner developing extended pair bonds. The best way to obtain a pair is to begin with a group of half-a-dozen or more youngsters w…
Notes
This species is also referred to as 'velvet cichlid', 'red oscar', 'tiger oscar', or 'marble cichlid'. It is a popular aquarium fish although its adult size an…
References
References
7 on this profile