Oscar Fish

This species of fish from the cichlid family known under a variety of common names including oscar, tiger oscar, marble cichlid or velvet cichlid. This can grow up to a length of 45. The Oscarfish, or to give it its scientific name, Astronontus ocellatus. Astronontus actually means being marked with a star on the back. Ocellatus means bearing an "eye spot" The Oscar is a fresh water fish that is a member of the Cichlid (pronounced sick-lid) family which is native to the Orinoco, La Plata, and Amazon river. This Oscar is also found its way into other tropical and subtropical parts of the wild such as some of the canals in Florida USA. However these are not native and were probably introduced accidentally, or released on purpose.



APPROPRIATE HOME

It is not very sensitive and can be kept even by less experienced aquarists, but you must provide it with an aquarium that is large enough. A 100 gallon aquarium is considered a minimum. It will require a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 and water that is soft or just barely hard.In the wild, it is not uncommon for an Oscar fish to grow larger than 30 centimeters When Oscars are kept in aquariums they rarely grow larger than 30 centimeters. In its natural environment the species typically occurs in slow moving white water habitats, and has been observed sheltering under submerged branches. The best tankmates for Oscars are Large Plecostomus and other large Neotropical Cichlids such as Texas Cichlids, Jack Dempseys, Salvini, and other cichlids from South America which are the same size or bigger.

FEEDING

Oscars are large carnivores and they are known to be happy eaters even in captivity.In nature Oscars eat small fish. But in aquariums small fish can introduce diseases. Use live food wisely and try to keep the Oscars healthy by using vegetable based food with vitamins. Crickets, worms, adult brine shrimp and krill are all suitable food types. Frogs and beef heart will also be appreciated. It is easy to train your Oscar fish into accepting prepared food, such as pellets and flakes. A high quality prepared food suitable for large cichlids is recommended. A prepared food can provide a good base, but we should not keep your Oscar fish on flakes or pellets alone. Supplementing prepared food with some of the food types described above is always advisable.

BREEDING

Oscar fish can be bred in aquariums as long as you provide them with favourable conditions. To get a breeding pair, you must house 6 young Oscars together and let them form their own pairs. Make sure you choose healthy Oscars from different broods. It can be hard to sex young Oscars, but you will hopefully get at least one pair from 6 individuals. If you don’t want to wait and let Oscars grow up together, you can instead buy a breeding pair but this is usually much more expensive. The stress and disturbance experienced by the fish when you move them from their old aquarium can also cause them to brake up and stop being a breeding pair. Once a pair has been formed you should remove the other fish from the aquarium, since breeding Oscars are highly territorial and can hurt intruding fish. If the spawning does not commence immediately there is not easy fix that can kick start it. What you can do is provide the pair with suitable conditions and wait for the spawning to start. The courtship behaviour can be very violent – sometimes too violent and resulting in the death of one of the Oscars before any offspring has been produced.Frequent water changes are important to ensure suitable water chemistry and low levels of soluble waste. Do not change more than 25 percent of the water at once. Feed the pair bait fish or frozen fish. Prawns, crickets, earth worms and other meaty foods are also suitable.Pellets should be avoided since a majority of the pellet will slip through the gills of the Oscar and never end up inside the stomach. Raw meat from cows and pigs should also be avoided. An Oscar would dig the substrate or look out for a flat surface for breeding. They are highly protective of there fry's and should be kept alone. Feeding newly hatched brine shrimps are good as the fry grow fastly when compared to that of powerded flake food.

Highlights

This blog contain as many strains/species of Oscar that we can find. Some of them are more of common than others. All the fish on this page have the same thing in common, none of them will be found in the wild. All of these fish have been bred from the original Wild Oscar. Wild, or Common Oscars as they are also known as are still available. However, most of them are bred in captivity and are not taken from the wild. The Red Oscar appeared in the late 60s. It was bred in Thailand. The Tiger Oscar is the closest you will get to the original wild Oscar when it comes to colouring. A true albino is normally white with no colour pigmentation whatsoever. Oscars that have a white body with red or orange are normally referred to as albino. Strictly speaking, they are actually Lutino or Leucistis.

Arowana Fish

Arowana Fish can be a great choice for those that think big. Some varieties can grow up to Four feet long (120cm). They can be feisty, though become tamer with age to the point of eating from your fingers, and not the fingers themselves. The Arowana Fish comes from somewhat primitive origins (Jurassic Age), and some varieties are nicknamed “Bony Tongued Fish”. They are sometimes called as dragon fish. Arowana fish are canivores, though will generally eat nearly anything. Young Arowana Fish may be fed frozen or live brine shrimp, black worms, and even small fish. When older, some larger fish will do. Baby Arowana Fish should be fed maybe 3 times a day, medium sized twice a day, and adults once a day, or even once every other day. Variety is important for a well balanced diet in Arowana Fish just like for most other fish.

APPROPRIATE HOME

Eventually a very large aquarium with an exteriro power filter (The Arowana eating habits produce a lot of waste and you should therefore, pay extra attention to water conditions {Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate} in your aquarium) with a Bio-Wheel, and a maximum of 1/4 inch of gravel. The water temperature should be between 75 and 80 degrees F. Changing 25% to 33% of the water weekly is advisable, or better yet, 20% twice a week. You should maintain the pH neutral. Pay particular attention to the temperature and pH ranges suggested below on the various species, since if you have it too warm, it might cause them to age faster, look less Arowana, and even shorten their life. A to cold temperature might on the other hand kill them.

RECOMMENDED FEEDING

When they are small, Arowanas should be fed live and frozen brine shrimp, black worms, and a few small fish. My friend Fred used to keep his Arowanas in an aquarium with hundreds of small White Clouds. I could see the Arowanas usually did well, but I wondered how many White Clouds were eaten by the small Arowanas. As Arowanas grow larger they are usually fed larger fish. Silver Arowanas have been seen leaping out of the water to eat insects from trees. African Arowanas will survive and grow on the diet given above, but this fish is also a filter-feeder, and feeding filter-feeding fish in aquariums is usually very difficult.

HIGHLIGHTS

Arowana Fish may live for many years, and if well cared for Arowana fish may live longer than 20 years in captivity.

Asian Arowana can be categorised in the following varieties:

Green Arowana - Indonesia
Banjar Red - Banjar Nasin
Red Tail Golden - Sumatra
Golden Crossback - Malaysia
Tong Yang - Hybrid between Golden Crossback and Red Grade 1
Red Grade 1 - Kalimantan (Kapaus River, Sentarum Lake)

Dollar Fish

A longtime favorite for community tanks, there is little doubt where this attractive silvery fish got it name. The Silver Dollar fish comes from South America and has been a favorite among tropical fish hobbyists for many years. Although Metynnis argenteus is the most commonly encountered of the sub-family of Myleinae, keep your eyes open and you'll no doubt see several other varieties at your local pet shops. I enjoy visiting shops in other towns to see which varieties they have on hand. Look for spotted or even striped specimens, as well as ones with fins of different sizes and shapes. These fish are Charcins, and are sometimes mistaken for Pacus or Piranhas. Silver Dollars do grow large and fast so you will probably need a big tank to accommodate them. Because they grow to the size of a dinner plate (8 inches in diameter),

HABITAT

The ideal habitat for Silver Dollars provides them with a large area to swim, as well as places to hide. Subdued lighting and dark gravel is recommended, as well as plenty of plants. When it comes to plants, the Silver Dollar remembers that it's a vegetarian, so consider using the plastic variety. Otherwise be prepared for some casualties among your plant population. Water conditions are not critical, unless you are interested in breeding them.

BREEDING

For breeding Silver Dollars the best tip I can give is to use soft water. Although the parents will not eat the eggs other fish will, so they should not be bred in a community tank. After several unsuccessful attempts I finally had a pair spawn when I set up a tank with very soft water at 80 degrees. The eggs drop to the bottom where they hatch 3 days later.

FEEDING

Silver dollars are vegetarian by nature so they'll eat everything green but seem to avoid things like java moss and java fern as well as toughed leaved plants like anubia.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

They are definitely skittish, and will leap out of the tank if the lid is open and they are startled. Speaking of schools, it is advisable to keep Silver Dollars in small schools of four to five fish whenever possible.

Auratus Fish

The Auratus has a general elongated appearance. The profile of the dorsal area is more curved in than the belly area. The anal and dorsal fins end in a round shape. They do not reach the tail area. The caudal fin is somewhat triangular in shape with a concave end. Females are smaller than males. They are african fish, the southwestern shore of lake Malawi.

THE HABITAT
In the lake, it is not bound to any particular habitat. It occurs both in rocky habitats and intermediate zones (rock and sandy).Auratus is an aggressive fish and intolerant of others in its territory. The set up should be a typical Lake Malawi biotope. Plenty of rockwork and caves with hard alkaline water with a pH of at least 7.5 is needed. The bottom substrate should be of a material that will aid in the pH buffering capabilities of the water. Good substrate choices could be Dolomite or crushed coral to aid in buffering the water. Tankmates should be from the same area and be able to fend off their attentions. Feeding is not difficult as they will accept all types of flake frozen or live. In their home territory they would graze of the algae covered rocks called Aufwuchs, so it is important to supplement with food containing spirulina and this should be given regularly.

BREEDING
Not really difficult, they are a typical African mouth-brooder incubating the eggs and protecting their fry in special sacs in the mouth. They are excellent and protective parents and have been known to raise young in crowded community set ups. During this brooding the female will not eat. The young fish will leave the mothers mouth after about twenty five days and be about 1/3 of an inch in length. They will accept all types of food and can grow quickly.

FEEDING
Melanochromis chipokae is easy to feed. In the lake it is a true omnivore. Reports have found filmentous algae, zooplankton and cichlid fry in the stomachs of wild caught individuals. Provide a good quality cichlid flake and spirulina flake.

COLORATION
The Auratus have two distinct coloration patterns differentiating the sexes. The females body is a golden yellow. She has a series of three Black to brown stripes running lengthwise down the body. These are fringed by White strips. The bands are separated with the Golden color of the body. The fins are also yellow in color. The upper part of the tail fin and the dorsal fin have black markings on them, with the tips being highlighted in Red. The male is completely different in color. His body is Black to brown in color. He has a Yellow stripe edged in white running the length of his body. The males fins are very dark Brown fringed in White. The top of his body is a mustard color which is followed up through the dorsal fin. The upper part of his tail fin has pale yellow spot. Looking at these fish you would not think that they are the same species. Another interesting aspect of the auratus is its ability to change sexes, in an environment devoid of males a female will switch sexes and become male. It has also been stated that the same is true of the males.

THE HIGHLIGHT
The species grows to 12 cm (even more in an aquarium) and is regarded among the most aggressive mbunas. It should be housed with species of equal or bigger size and of the same temperament. Keeping more than one male in a tank is almost impossible in tanks smaller than 150 cm (450 liters). Even then, all other males will be probably killed by the dominant one. Despite the presence of two females, my dominant female killed the submissive one in less than a month. Females are also territorial and intolerant of their own species and are extremely aggressive when carrying eggs. It is not unusual for a male M. auratus to kill one or more of the females. This is especially true in small tanks so I recommend you take the minimum tank size seriously into account if you plan to keep this fish. A Juvenal looks alot like the female and I think the biggest difference is that a female will have black/dark blue along the top portion of her tail. Also Juvenals color patterns don't seem to be as well defined. The common name for them is Golden Cichlid.

Jewel Fish

The Jewelfish, also known as Jewel Cichlid or JewlFish, is from the family cichliade, and can grow up to 6 inches long. The origin for the African Jewelfish is in the Nile river, Niger , Congo river. It's originally from Africa and is the most beautiful, bellicose, aggressive and eager to fight, of the cichlids. There are lot of different species of the Jewelfish. All different species behave the same and have the same conditions. The Jewelfish is not a community fish (they are ferocious) and cannot have any other fish in a tank with them. Due to them being so beautiful many people like to have them as pets. They grow upto to 5 inch and live for a maximim of 8 years.



Environment
The are found in very high numbers in the rivers of west Africa, but have also spread to areas of the middle east, and also to parts of South America. Just recently, they where discovered in areas of North America around the Gulf Coast, in states such as Florida. Also they can be found in creeks, streams, lakes, and rivers. Since they are from Africa, it needs soft and a bit more acidic water in order to stay alive in captivity. They live in water that is partly salt water and partly fresh water and is in a tropical location because it prefers a water temperature of 75 to 85 degrees. When in captivity, the African Jewelfish must be kept alone, as it is a very aggressive fish and will feed on another fish of its kind. Need to provide lot of hiding place for them to safety.



Breeding
They will turn a deep red color to let the male know (When the African Jewelfish is ready to breed). The male and female will bond or jawlock and the male will release sperm on the eggs. The female will then lay the eggs on a flat surface - usually a dugout in the back of the aquarium, although you can provide flat rocks to encourage them. The female will protect her eggs and will kill anything that comes in close proximity. In a couple of days the eggs will hatch and the female will still protect them. The female can reproduce every three weeks.



Food
The Jewelfish are carnivorous. They feed on insects and Caridina. Caridina are associated with shrimps and prawns. They can also eat some plants, such as algae and other weeds, as well as debris. During captivity, African Jewelfish can live by you feeding them varied diet of frozen, live, flakes and pellets as they usually accept mostly all forms of fish food. The also eat algae wafers and shrimp pellets. They can be easily compared to the bottom feeding fish in an aquarium, as they like to eat the algae and other depris that forms in the tank. Jewelfish are also known to eat their own young because they are carnivorous.



Color Strains
Turquoise jewels definitely sport a different color. Is it turquoise? Perhaps. They seem to blotch out the jewel’s regular sparklies and make them less red (or blue) and more of what some call turquoise. The colors in the turquoise below exist in the regular jewels. When the two strains cross, we’ll see more variations. Not in the betta, platy, or guppy rainbows but definitely more colors. They are also found in green and red color, which are very common.



Highlight
“Jewel” refers to the little iridescent sparklies (the maculatus or “spot” in their scientific name) that cover their bodies -- not their colors, and certainly not their personalities.