Oscar ID

[David R]

4 comments | Blood Red oscar wild caught | New Pupuke Aquarium Centre

Blood Red oscar wild caught.

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Advertised as "Blood Red Oscar, wild caught", but AFAIK the Blood Red is a selectively-bred strain. The juveniles look interesting anway, any idea what they might grow into?

 

[HUKIT]

It’s just a fancy made up name to sell more fish. No mention of the collection point or where they’re imported from. Imperial Tropicals sells them imported from Columbia with no specified collection point for $20. I don’t know what they cost in New Zealand.

Wild Colombian Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - shop Imperial Tropicals

Buy direct from the breeder — live shipping with 100% safe and healthy arrival guarantee. Shop Wild Colombian Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) and hundreds of other common and exotic freshwater aquarium fish direct from one of the leading aquarium fish breeders in North America since 1970. Learn...

imperialtropicals.com

 

[Jexnell]

That's the thing with Oscar's. The fry coloration and adult coloration are normally two very different things.

My little six dot fry

Turned into this

Only time will tell what they will finally look like.

 

[David R]

It’s just a fancy made up name to sell more fish. No mention of the collection point or where they’re imported from. Imperial Tropicals sells them imported from Columbia with no specified collection point for $20. I don’t know what they cost in New Zealand.

Wild Colombian Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - shop Imperial Tropicals

Buy direct from the breeder — live shipping with 100% safe and healthy arrival guarantee. Shop Wild Colombian Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) and hundreds of other common and exotic freshwater aquarium fish direct from one of the leading aquarium fish breeders in North America since 1970. Learn...

imperialtropicals.com

They're $69NZD, about $40USD IIRC, which when you include all the shipping and quarantine costs plus the smaller market is probably about right. It's pretty unusual to get wild caught fish here at all, let alone with collection point data. and they're often pretty pricey too.

They look a little different to the regular tiger juveniles we get here, but yeah I guess who knows what they'll grow into.

 

[duanes]

There are really only 3 actual Astonotus.. (oscars)
crassipinnis
ocellatus
and mikolgii
all the others are man induced color variants
all those terms like Tiger, Long fin, , Blood Red, Blue, white etc etc mean inbred, aquarium strains, and have about the same relitonship with the wild,
as glowfish, BPs, FHs, or fan tail guppies

 

[David R]

duanes looking at the ones in the video, you think they're leaning more towards the man made type or some form of wild A. ocellatus?

 

[duanes]

duanes looking at the ones in the video, you think they're leaning more towards the man made type or some form of wild A. ocellatus?

I wouldn't be surprised if the ones caught in Colombia are wild caught, that is one of the countries most commonly exporting wild caught tropical species these days.
And judging by the pics they provide At least on the surface), they don't appear to be "designer pastel" oscars.

But just one caveat, because, and "if" they are really wild caught, A mikoljii.......they may require adherence to more strict water parameters than the average locally bred common aquaium oscar strains, and stock aquarists are used to. They may need an RO unit to reduce normal tap water conductivity, or the ability to add acids to reduce pH)

For example,
If these were caught in the low pH (4-6) soft, tannin rich waters of the Rio Negro, or Orinoco, unless you also have the ability to match those strict water parameters, and tannin stained conditions, the same water parameters to the ones Altum Angels, or Uaru fernadensepezi keepers cope with , it may be an expressive exercise in futility.

 

[David R]

Thanks. Soft water isn't an issue for me as my house is supplied with pure rain water (<10ppm TDS, no mineral hardness) which I have to remineralise for the fish. I'll check them out in person next time I'm in town.

 

[duanes]

Thanks. Soft water isn't an issue for me as my house is supplied with pure rain water (<10ppm TDS, no mineral hardness) which I have to remineralise for the fish. I'll check them out in person next time I'm in town.

Nice
Most aquarists (including me) are subjected to hard, high pH, and high conductivity water, and that could be a death sentance (or at least a less than healthy fife style) for wild caught sensitive species.