Lemon Oscar
Lemon Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) is a captive-developed color form with warm lemon-yellow to golden-yellow body coloration — a clean, warm single-color Oscar form. Oscars are among the most intelligent, personable, and rewarding cichlids in the freshwater hobby — large, long-lived fish that develop genuine recognition of and relationships with their keepers.
Feeding & Care Tip: Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold makes an excellent primary staple — Hikari Micro Pellets as backup. Supplement 2–3× per week with Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Bloodworms or Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp. Feed 2–3 times daily in amounts consumed within a few minutes.
Native to the slow-moving rivers and floodplains of the Amazon basin — Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. Wild Oscars inhabit areas with submerged wood, leaf litter, and warm water. They are mouthbrooders in the wild and form devoted pair bonds. In the aquarium they develop extraordinary personalities — recognizing their owners, begging for food, and rearranging décor to their liking.
Oscars require substantial aquariums — a minimum of 75 gallons for a single fish and 125 gallons for a pair. They produce significant waste and need powerful filtration with regular large water changes. Compatible with other large, robust South American cichlids. Any fish small enough to fit in an Oscar's mouth will eventually be eaten.
Oscars are flat surface spawners that form devoted pair bonds. Pairs clean a flat surface — slate, large rock, or bare glass — and spawn hundreds of eggs that both parents guard intensely. A bonded pair of Oscars is one of the most rewarding cichlid breeding experiences.
Care & Ideal Parameters
| Difficulty | Easy — Moderate |
| Temperament | Aggressive toward small fish — personable with keepers |
| Typical Adult Size | 12–14 inches (30–35 cm) |
| Min. Group Size | Singly or bonded pair — 75+ gallon per fish |
| Ideal Temp | 75–82°F (24–28°C) |
| Ideal pH | 6.0–7.5 |
| Ideal GH | 3–15 dGH |
| Ideal KH | 1–8 dKH |
| Staple Food | Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold; Hikari Micro Pellets |
| Treat / Supplement | Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Bloodworms; Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp |
| Origin | Amazon basin, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador |
| Notes | Lemon-yellow to golden body coloration. 75 gallon minimum per Oscar — 125+ for a pair. Grows to 12–14 inches. |
