Pez Óscar
Article Index
characteristics
The oscar fish, astronotus ocellatus, It is a fish of Cichlid family, of which only one other variety the crassipinnis astronotus. It is often referred to other vulgar name, how velvet cichlid, red Oscar, tiger oscar fish or marble cichlid. This is a very original fish, what It changes its appearance as it ages, It is very attractive in its youthful state, with light brown and yellow colors, while they age are less visible. They are easy to reproduce in captivity, provided they have enough space and are well fed. It is said to be taught to do little tricks, It is smart, You can eat from our hand, and they may even be petted. Respond to pampering lavished them by their owners, It is sensitive and demanding, as forming part of the core acquainted.
Morphology
It is a good sized fish, You can measure up 35 centimeters. Oval shaped and fairly flat, rounded finned, eyes slightly bulging, big mouth and strong jaws. Not in vain, eat everything that moves within the aquarium that is smaller than him. Pure state, Oscar fish tends to be dark, blotchy ringed orange caudal peduncle and the dorsal fin. Nevertheless, in captivity is cryptic coloration, It consists of spots and stripes arranged irregularly, than in young specimens are typically black, with white or orange stripes, with dots on their heads. Colorations Oscar fish bred in captivity are varied, through marbling colors, flecked, spotted, with red colors, black, all red or all black shade shade. Specialized stores, you may obtain copies of albino Oscar fish. coloration, You can also change, when it becomes territorial. No morphological differences distinguish between male and female, though some scholars argue that the male grows faster than female, and that in some natural populations (difficult to appreciate in aquarium), Males have black spots at the base of your spine.
Distribution and habitat
- Easytest with 50 test strips water.
- Strips for analysis 6 important water values in 1 minute.
- nitrites (NO2) Zero to 10 mg / l.
- Mide el pH de 6,four a 9,0.
El astronotus ocellatus, It is a native fish in the Amazon region, being present in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. With such a wide geographical distribution, it is not uncommon that you have found in many river systems, different habitats. the favorite, son shallow and calm, with white water and silty, where it is usually located near or under tree roots groundcovers.
Aquarium conditions
Oscar fish need a good aquarium, which have the least 200/300 liters of water, in which the temperature is maintained between 20 ° and 28 ° C. The pH should be maintained within a range of 6 a 7.5, with a hardness between 90 Y 357 ppm. Need water well oxygenated, but they do not like too much movement of the water, so it is convenient to place a pair of inputs oxygen in the tank. They are prone to digging fish in the substratum, which should be soft and sandy, with some rocks, roots and large branches of driftwood, For more give naturalness, and provide them with places to hide. We do not recommend highly charged decor, rather minimalist, as They are very active and everything you put decorating it and if delicate move, they break. It is recommended weekly water changes, in which you switch between 30% and the 50% of the volume of aquarium. Another important detail, heater water aquarium, it is convenient to place it outside, since it is known that some fish have broken heaters. Yes we cant, should be set well hidden for some hard stone to move, so that they can not access.
Diet
It is an omnivorous fish in the broadest sense of the word, It will eat almost anything you throw at it to the aquarium. If there are smaller fish, it eats. insects, crustaceans, zooplankton, all kinds of vegetablesâ € |aunque it thinks what he likes, They are fleshy food, fruit and other plant materials as preferred option. It must be provided with a high protein diet, in which a pill to cichlids should be the basic part and supplement, with The frozen food live, worms, prawns, River shrimp, crickets. These fish are in danger of overfeeding, because they are very smart and they learn to order food to their owners, every time you see them approach the aquarium.
Behavior and compatibility
Oscar fish It is not aggressive, Nevertheless, its size and voracity inhibits you to share aquarium with other fish smaller. You can search other related cichlids size, to share space with, although this requires having an aquarium of a large.
Reproduction
The reproduction of the fish is relatively simple óscar, because they are exceptionally prolific, a couple can lay up 1.000 eggs. But, as all reproductions of fish in captivity, They require a number of prerequisites.
- To find a breeding pair, you should start with a group of at least six young fish the, that the reach sexual maturity will be paired naturally.
- Fish that do not form couples are removed from the aquarium.
- The aquarium should have flat rocks or similar structures, to provide them with a fair amount of spawning sites.
- During courtship, the couple will select and clean the place where spawning will occur.
- The eggs are white and opaque after sunset. The viable, They change their coloration during the first 24 hours.
- Adults often take care of the fry even after the hatching, but once you swim themselves, you can separate them.
You have to be aware that this fish grows much and is very prolific. In some places it is considered an invasive pest, because many of aquarium fish when they grow, They are released and continue to reproduce in freedom.
Tips
It is an aquarium fish very well-liked, but before introducing it into our aquarium we consider an adult once, is a large, and usually live between 10 Y 20 years. Nowadays, There are many variants of the ocellatus ornamental astronotus, modified to be bred in aquariums and offering morphological differences and coloring: tiger oscar fish, albino tiger oscar fish, Red Oscar fish, Oscar fish tail veil, Red lutino oscar fish, Oscar fish limona € |
Oscar fish diseases
Oscar fish It can be affected by a disease called hexamita, causing holes in the head. This causes cell necrosis disease in muscles of the head. La Hexamitiasis, It is caused by a protozoan called Hexamita, which it is in the intestines of animals, They are arriving there ingested with food. Usually not a problem, unless the fish are subjected to stress in aquarium, the result of an excessive number of fish, quality water unsuitable, sudden temperature changes or improper diet. It can be a serious illness, if measures are not taken in time.
- The article is easy to install and use. Remove the dirty things from the bottom of your aquarium effectively. Support two sizes of pipe…
- Siphon tube supplied. Caudal 520 liters per hour.
- With this tool, You can remove dirt from the bottom of your aquarium. Supplied with two sizes of suction tube, It is suitable for…
- It can also be used as a water trap to change the water, or to empty your aquarium when connecting a hose to the outlet.