Red Oscar

The Red Oscar is orange-red with dark grey shading and an eyespot on the dorsal fin. They will form a pair, make a nuclear family and are generally peaceful in nature. It is hard to tell the difference between the male and females, but during spawning the female has obvious genital papilla. The Oscar requires a large aquarium with a deep sandy bottom and a few large rocks. Any plants that are in the tank should be potted with the root surfaces covered with rocks to prevent the Oscars from uprooting them. Using floating plants is a good compromise to this problem. Small Oscars form a tight cluster for protection and this is normal behaviour for juvenile fish. Large Oscars are not as territorial as most other cichlids when full grown but will consume anything they can fit into their mouths.