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Genus

Astronotus

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Species
1
Photographed
1 of 1
Difficulty rated
1 of 1

Where the name comes fromEdit

from the Ancient Greek ἄστρον (astron), meaning 'a celestial body', and νότος (notos), which is normally said to mean 'back' but also appears to signify 'south'.

Subadult wild-collected specimen from the German aquarium trade.

Astronotus ocellatusOscar

Agassiz, 1831

Max length
350mm SL14in SL
Tank
150 × 60cm60 × 24in
Temp
20–28°C68–82°F
pH
6.0–7.5

The oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, is a large cichlid widely distributed in the Amazon region, recorded from Colombia and Venezuela south to Argentina. It grows to 350 mm SL and typically lives 10 to 20 years, both of which need taking into account before purchase. Most fish on sale come from commercial breeders in Eastern Europe or the Far East, in numerous ornamental strains, and genetic analyses suggest the genus contains additional, morphologically cryptic species.

Moderate