Oscar Fish Pictures

Oscar fish are native to the slow-moving freshwater rivers and creeks of South America. They are a very popular aquarium fish and come in many beautiful colors. Oscar fish are strong, and can accidently jump out of the fish tank if they spot something above that looks like food, so be sure to use a tight-fitting aquarium lid with a latch for your fish. They can also pull up plants and even move rocks and gravel, but their antics will give you plenty to do cleaning up after them!

Oscar fish need a large aquarium tank. According to Oscar Fish Lover, one Oscar needs a 75-gallon fish tank with a good filtration system. Two Oscars may need a 125-gallon or larger tank. Oscar fish can grow up to a foot long, and need a large tank in order to swim about freely.

Oscar fish are carnivorous. In the wild, they eat smaller fish, insects and pretty much anything that swims or flashes before their eyes. In captivity, feed your Oscar fish a prepared mix made for them and supplement their diet with crickets or meal worms. Be careful about other fish in the tank; if they are smaller than the Oscar, the Oscar may try to eat them.

The common Oscar fish is a direct descendent of wild Oscar fish living in the fresh waters of South America. These are the ones you'll find most frequently at the pet store. You can identify them by their dark brown-gray base color with stripes of yellow, gray or pale green. The common Oscar does not have orange or has very little orange on his body.

Tiger Oscar fish are the result of breeding red Oscars with common Oscars. The result is an attractive aquarium fish with a dark brown-black base color and red stripes. Tiger Oscars vary in the amount of red or orange on the body, so depending on your color preference you can find ones that are darker or lighter in color.

Albino Oscar fish may be almost entirely white or white with lots of red and orange stripes on their bodies. The eyes of a true albino Oscar fish will be red or orange. If the fish has dark eyes, he's a light type of Oscar fish but not a true albino.

The veil tail or veiltail Oscar fish features beautiful long fins and tail. You can find veil tail Oscar fish in all standard Oscar colors ranging from dark to albino. Be careful not to overcrowd your Oscar fish when you have a veil tail, as overcrowding can lead to nipped fins, ruining the graceful, flowing look of the veiltail Oscar.

It's hard to tell the difference between male and female Oscar fish just by looking at them. Experts recommend that anyone interested in breeding Oscars get a few and watch to see which pair off; these are breeding pairs. Oscar fish reproduce by laying eggs. They guard the eggs carefully until the babies hatch. However, it is common for them to lose their first group of babies.

If you'd like to learn more about how to keep Oscar fish healthy and happy, learn about their care, feeding, tank care and more. Oscar fish come in many beautiful colors, and make fascinating pets. Just be sure to give them the habitat they require, and they'll reward you with years of enjoyment.