Red Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus)

The Red Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) is the Oscar with the black mostly bred out, leaving a body washed in orange red from the gill plates back, set off by darker fins and face. It has everything that makes Oscars one of the most loved big fish in the hobby: it recognizes its owner, begs at the glass, sulks when you rearrange its rocks, and lives for well over a decade. It is also a fast growing, heavy eating fish that needs a big tank and serious filtration, so it rewards the keeper who plans for the adult rather than the juvenile. Browse the rest of our freshwater livestock and supplies and our full fish collection.

About the Red Color

The red is a selectively bred color line, not a separate species, so care is identical to our Tiger Oscar. Juveniles often show some grey or darker marbling that fades as the red spreads with age, and color on any Oscar tracks its health: good food, clean water, and a calm tank bring out the deepest red, while stress or poor water turns an Oscar pale. A color enhancing pellet such as Hikari Cichlid Gold helps hold the red naturally. Note that Oscars change color with mood, so a red Oscar that goes pale for an afternoon after a water change is behaving normally.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 75 gallons for a single adult, with 125 gallons or more for a pair or an Oscar with large tankmates. A juvenile can start smaller, but it will outgrow a small tank within months.
• Filtration: Oscars are messy eaters that produce a lot of waste. Run a canister such as the Sicce Whale Canister Filter or Aquatop Forza Canister Filter rated well above the tank size.
• Water changes: 30 to 50 percent weekly. High nitrate over time is linked to hole in the head disease, so do not let water changes slide. Treat new water with Seachem Prime.
• Water parameters: 74 to 81°F, pH 6.0 to 8.0. Stability matters more than hitting a perfect number.
• Feeding: a quality cichlid pellet as the staple, such as Hikari Cichlid Gold or Hikari Cichlid Staple, with frozen krill as a treat. Feed juveniles small amounts two or three times a day and adults once a day. Skip feeder goldfish, which carry disease and offer poor nutrition.
• Decor: smooth rock, driftwood, and heavy ornaments that cannot be tipped. Oscars dig and move things, and loose plants will be uprooted.
• Lid: Oscars can jump, especially when startled. Keep the tank covered.

Specifications

Compatibility

Many keepers give an Oscar a tank of its own, and that is the simplest way to keep one happy. If you want company, tankmates need to be too big to swallow and the tank needs to be large. A mixed color pair with our Tiger Oscar or Snow White Albino Oscar makes a striking display in a big enough tank. A school of full grown Silver Dollars works well as dither fish once the Oscar and the dollars are close in size.

What goes wrong: anything small enough to fit in its mouth, which includes tetras, guppies, rasboras, small corys, and shrimp, will eventually be eaten. Small plecos and snails often end up as snacks. Two Oscars in a tank that is too small will fight, and one usually ends up hiding and stunted. Live plants are usually dug up.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Hikari Cichlid Gold Pellet color enhancing staple for that red
• Hikari Cichlid Staple everyday pellet to rotate in
• SFBB Krill Cube frozen treat a couple of times a week
• Aquatop Forza Canister Filter for the heavy waste load
• Hikari Texas Holey Rock Cave heavy decor it cannot tip
• Fritz Nitrate Test Kit to keep an eye on the number that matters most

FAQ

Will it stay red?
Red Oscars usually get redder as they grow, as long as they are eating well and the water is clean. Every Oscar goes pale when stressed, after a water change, or at night, and the color returns once it settles.

How big will it get, and how fast?
10 to 12 inches as an adult, and a healthy juvenile can grow about an inch a month early on. Buy the adult tank first, or at least have it planned.

Can I keep two Oscars together?
Yes, in a tank of 125 gallons or more, and ideally raised together from a young size. Pairs that bond often become inseparable, but two Oscars in a tank that is too small will fight.

My Oscar is lying on its side after I moved the rocks. Is it dying?
Usually not. Oscars are famous for sulking, lying still or going pale after a water change, a rearrangement, or a scare. Test the water to be sure, keep the lights low, and it normally bounces back within a day.

Can I feed it feeder fish?
We do not recommend it. Feeder fish are a common source of parasites and disease, and they are poor nutrition compared to a good pellet. Oscars take pellets eagerly.