Maintaining Oscar Fish in the Aquarium
Oscar Fish (Astronotus Ocellatus), a tropical South America origin, is quite popular in many areas such as in Australia, China, and United States. This = is one of the popular fish that many aquarists love to raise in the aquarium. If you happen to have or plan to have one, here are seven ways to maintain oscar fish in the aquarium.
1. Selecting the large aquarium
Oscar fish can grow up to 16 inches long. The fish are considered as the large tropical freshwater fish. The fish need a big aquarium that can cover up and accommodate their body well.
2. Providing a healthy environment
Creating a healthy and clean environment in the aquarium is very important. You need to provide the aquarium plenty of warm and clean water with the heater and a thermometer. The fish are also not allowed to be in too warm or too cool temperature. The temperature of the tank should be about 23.5 degree up to 27-degree Celsius (74 to 77 degree Fahrenheit) so that the damage of its immune system can be minimized. The water pH in the tank should also be in around 7.2. You can measure the level of water pH by using water pH test kit.
3. Changing the water
Changing the water regularly is a must. You should change the water about 10 up to 15 percent every week by putting a good quality filtration system. The purpose is to avoid the water from becoming harmful that can be poisonous to this tropical animal. The filter will process the clean water by removing the waste of the fish.
4. Providing a high-quality fish food
Oskar fish needs a high-quality food. This animal is a carnivore. You need to provide it with varieties of high-quality food which contains high protein diet. The varieties of food can be from freeze-dried, frozen, live, or processed food. You can get them on the market.
5. Providing accessories, rocks, and plants
As this oscar fish can be large, you need to provide the accessories, rocks, and plants. You will be amused how this fish can play around with the accessories, gravel, and plants. It can move the gravel and the plants in the tank and change the position of those things whenever it likes. Those things can make the fish busy to play around. Then they also prevent the fish from jumping out from the aquarium.
Maintaining Oskar Fish in an aquarium can be demanding. But, if you can follow these tips, the chance of being successful is higher.
References
www.firsttankguide.net/oscar.php
https://small-pets.lovetoknow.com/fish/oscar-fish-care