Anybody who has been keeping fish for a while
will agree that this
Species: Astronotus ocellatus
A Oscars lifestyle is highly addictive. Once
you've caught one fish, you'll want another,
then another and then another. Oscar fishing can
be so addictive that many people end up with
more than one in there boat or frying pan. We
hope that both existing Oscar fisherman and
newcomers alike will find this website
interesting and helpful for catching more fish.
If that isn't enough for you, we also have a
forum where you can socialize
with other members whether it be asking
questions, helping someone out with lure
question they may have, or you can just use it
to chew the fat if you like. We have lots of
guides/members
who have a very good knowledge of catching
Oscars. If you want a quick, accurate polite
reply then please register with us and you will
have full use of the forum.
Fishing advice is given as a guideline only. Our guides & myself are
trained professionals, while the majority of our
members are not trained. For a reliable
technique, I would suggest you seek advice from
a trained fishing guide. They can be found
through South Florida, places like
Everglades, Miami
Lakes, Tamiami
trail among others.
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there is a particular category or subject you
are looking for, then using the search box will
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will see a search box. Enter a phrase or word
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Now
for more detail specifics about the Oscar:
The Oscar is a species of fish from the
cichlid family known under a variety of
common names including oscar, tiger
oscar, velvet cichlid or marble
cichlid.
In South America, where the species
naturally resides, A ocellatus are often
found for sale as a food fish in the local
markets.
However, its slow growth limits its
potential for aquaculture. The species is also a
popular
aquarium fish.
Appearance, size and coloration
A. ocellatus
have been reported to grow to a length of 45 cm
(approximately 18 in) and a mass of 1.6 kg (3.5
lb). The wild caught forms of the
species are typically darkly colored with orange
ringed-spots or ocelli on the caudal peduncle
and on the dorsal fin. It has been suggested
that these ocelli function to limit fin-nipping
by piranha which co-occur with a ocellatus
in its natural environment. The species is also
able to rapidly alter its coloration, a trait
which facilitates ritualized territorial and
combat behaviors amongst nonspecific's. Juvenile
A. ocellatus have a different coloration
to adults and are striped with white and orange
wavy bands and have spotted heads.
Distribution and habitat
A. ocellatus
is native to
Peru,
Colombia,
Brazil and
French Guiana and occurs in the Amazon river
basin, along the Amazonas,
Içá,
Negro,
Solimões and
Ucayali river systems, and also in the
Approuague and
Oyapock drainages. In its natural
environment the species typically occurs in slow
moving water habitats, and has been observed
sheltering under submerged branches. Feral
populations also occur in
China, northern
Australia, and now in
Florida, USA as a by-product of the
ornamental fish trade. The species is limited in
its distribution by its intolerance of cooler
water temperatures, the lower lethal limit for
the species is 12.9 °C (55.2 °F).
Sexual dimorphism
and reproduction
Although the species is widely
regarded as sexually monomorphic, it has also
been suggested that males grow more quickly, and
in some naturally occurring strains, males are
noted to possess dark blotches on the base of
the dorsal fin.
The species reaches sexual maturity at
approximately 1 year of age and continues to
reproduce for 9-10 years. Frequency and timing
of spawning may be related to the occurrence of
rain. A. ocellatus are biparental
substrate spawners though detailed information
regarding their reproduction in the wild are
scarce. It has been observed that the closely
related Astronotus crassipinnis may, in
times of danger, protect its fry in its mouth in
a manner reminiscent of mouthbrooding geophagine
cichlids. This behavior, however, has not yet
been observed in A. ocellatus. In
captivity pairs are known to select and clean
generally flattened horizontal or vertical
surfaces on which to lay their 1000 to 3000
eggs. Like most cichlids, A. ocellatus
practice brood care, although the duration of
brood care in the wild remains unknown.
Feeding and Prey
Examination of the stomach
contents of A. ocellatus by Winemiller
(1990) demonstrated that the natural diet of
this fish consists primarily of aquatic and
terrestrial
insects (which comprise up to 60% of the
diet), although small fish, and to a lesser
extent crustaceans, are also consumed. Most fish
eaten by A. ocellatus in the wild were
relatively sedentary catfish, and included
Bunocephalus, Rineloricaria and
Ochmacanthus species. The species uses a
suction mechanism, generated by jaw extension,
to capture prey, and has been reported to
exhibit "laying-on-side" death mimicry in a
similar fashion to Parachromis
friedrichsthalii and Nimbochromis
livingstonii. The species also has an
absolute requirement for vitamin C and develops
health problems in its absence.
History, Taxonomy
and Synoma
The century zoologist
and founder of Harvard University’s Museum of
Comparative Zoology, Jean Louis Rodolphe
Agassiz. The genus Lobotes however, is
entirely marine, and fishes of this genus, known
as tripletails (Lobotidae) are of no meaningful
relation to cichlids. It is surmised that
Agassiz chose Lobotes in describing the
oscar based on the fact that he believed his
specimen or specimens to have been collected in
the Atlantic Ocean. Considering the similarity
in appearance of the oscar to the marine
tripletails and the erroneous locality
information, the original placement of the oscar
in Lobotes is not surprising. Current
taxonomic placement of the oscar is in the South
American cichlid genus Astronotus.
Astronotus is derived from the Greek words "astra"
= ray and "noton" = back. Ocellatus is
Latin for spotted, referring to the spotted
pattern on the body of this fish. Synonyms
include Acara compressus Cope 1872 and
Hyposticta acara Cope 1878. Astronotus
has long been considered a monotypic genus, but
recent studies indicate that a number of other
species of "oscar" abound in South America.
Astronotus ocellatus as originally described
appears to be restricted to Peru and Brazil.
Selective Breeding
A number of ornamental varieties
of A. ocellatus have been developed for
the aquarium industry. These include forms with
greater intensity and quantities of red marbling
across the body, albino, leucistic and
xanthistic forms. A. ocellatus with
marbled patches of red pigmentation are sold as
red tiger oscars, while those strains with
mainly red coloration of the flanks are
frequently sold under the trade name of red
Oscars. The patterning of red pigment differs
between individuals, in the United Kingdom one
A. ocellatus reportedly had markings that
resembled the Arabic word for "Allah". In recent
years long-finned varieties have also been
developed. The species is also occasionally
artificially colored by a process known as
painting.
In the aquarium
A. ocellatus
are popular as pets, and are regarded as
intelligent by aquarists. This is in part as
they learn to associate their owners with food
and are purported to be able to distinguish
their owner from strangers.
Despite their large size and predatory nature
A. ocellatus are relatively placid aquarium
residents best housed with other fishes too
large to be considered food items. They also get
along with aggressive fish such as a convict
cichlid.
A. ocellatus
are known to uproot plants, and move other
objects in aquariums and are best maintained in
volumes of 200-600 litre (75 or more gallons).
A. Oscar is relatively tolerant of a
range of typical aquarium water chemistries,
though its large size and messy feeding habits
necessitates that efficient filtration be
installed on the aquarium. A. ocellatus
is undemanding to feed in captivity and will
accept a range of foods that include pieces of
fish, prepared cichlid foods, and even small
household lizards! Oscars may also tend to jump
out of an aquarium if the lid isn't supported
sufficiently.
Geographical Distribution
Although the type locality for Agassiz’ specimen
was published as "Atlantic Ocean" the Oscar is a
strictly freshwater species
restricted to the Rio Ucayali drainage and upper
Amazon river of Peru and Brazil. The error
committed by Agassiz is easily attributable to
the fact that many early species descriptions
were based on specimens shipped to zoologists
from far-flung locales and often these specimens
were accompanied by little in the way of
specific locality data. Indeed, there are many
instances of early species descriptions with
locality errors similar to the case of the
Oscar. A non-native population of Oscars is well
established in South Florida, USA.
Popular links:
http://www.oscarfishlover.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/FISH/Gallery/Descript/Oscar/Oscar.html
