Hello, I got 4 Tiger Oscars for about 2 weeks now in my tank. Their only small ones and have a brightly-Dark Red color. They get 3 meals a day -2 pellet (it says Color enhancement ) meals and 1 frozen-live meal. It feels like their color is slowly fading away. How can maintain the vibrant colour? What food do u suggest and what water sanity?

These pellets do claim to enhance colours. However, I think you'd have to feed them solely on these pellets to achieve this. We always advocate feeding Oscars variety of food, rather than just one type of food all the time. If you feed your fish on foods like good quality pellets, krill, shrimps, maybe cockles and mussels and lots of other things that your fish shop will have in their freezer, you'll find that your fish will get all the vitamins it needs, and well display its colours naturally, rather than you having to enhance them.

One important thing to remember is that the fish suddenly loses its colour, check your water conditions. The colour of a fish can often indicate the state of its health.

Remember that baby Oscars are normally a completely different colour to when they are as adults. Tiger Oscars are a great example of this.

OFL wrote:


i agree with OFL 100%. local fish shop usually sell the craps labeled color enhancer but with poor water quality, they will be useless. the truth is good diet and pristine water will make the color of your fish vibrant.

my oscar looks like a black tiger when i've got them juvenile but now, they are white as if soaked to a gallon of white paint and glazed with black stripe.

as ofl stated, the best way to have vibrant colours in your oscars is by giving them a varied diet with a quality pellet as a staple. as long as this is done, along with pristine water your oscars will have all the necessary item they need for good health and colour.

on a side note you said you have 4 tigers oscars. i hope you have done your homework on tank size and filtration or fairly soon your water quality could be a cause of concern for you and your oscars.

Hey Nerco,
now that u bring that up, I’m getting worried long term. The tanks 450L and I have two external canisters and an internal sponge filter. Tank-Mates are 5 Small Clown loaches, 2 SAE, 3 Pleco . I do 15% weekly water change and my recent readings for water (ph, hardness, Nitrite, Nitrate etc…) is on the line of OK. But it’s only being 2 weeks that I had them. Will this setup be successful long term? Any tips?

Your tank is approximately 90 gallons. That is barely big enough for two Oscars. Long-term, serious water quality problems. Clown Loach a fairly slow growing, however, within five years they will be fairly big. You haven't said exactly what kind of pleco you've got, if they are common, we're talking 12 inches plus within a couple of years. Not sure what SAE is.

Even though your fish may still be small, it won't be very long before you are running into water quality problems. Your tank is just not big enough to maintain the bio load that all those fish will create. I would seriously advise you to start reducing stock before things get out of hand and your fishes health are put at risk.

Isn’t 450L around 119 US gallons? Seriously do Oscar require that much space, I thought it was around 25 gallons per Oscars. SAE are Siamese Algae Eaters

I always work by UK gallons which are slightly smaller than US. You mustn't forget that Oscars can reach in excess of 12 inches. Most people would accept that 55 gallons is a minimum size for one Oscar. If I was starting over with one Oscar, I would go slightly bigger than 55 gallons., UK gallons remember

from personal experience i can tell you that for four oscars you will need at least a 150 gallon tank(thats 180 us gallons) and even this might not be big enough when the pleco and the clowns get big. i originally had my four oscar in a 190 gallon tank(220 us gallons and eventually had to move some of them into another tank because the maintenace was begining to get a little heavy. there was also some aggression for the dominant male thing going on. now i have a total of 4 tanks one 190 gallon(220 us gallons) with three oscars and assorted little fish, one 150 gallon(180 us gallons) with 2 oscars and a couple of jacks, a 90 with my pair of jags in it(it will be replaced with 125 gallon in the spring) and a 50 gallon african tank . i now only change 25% of my water once a week and my nitrates never climb over 25 ppm.


you can keep oscar in smaller tanks however the maintenace becomes to much so you dont really enjoy your fish all you seem to do is change water. a larger tank will releive the maintenace and make your fishkeeping experience a lot more pleasant.


just my 2 cents

Donni xD wrote:


actually, i come across in one study that oscar can thrive in a 25 gal capacity tank. however, there must be parameters to be followed: feeding once a week with limited quantity; regular change of water; and no tank mate.

result: stunt growth; 8 inches long in three years. dull color.

when it was released to a bigger tank and feed normally, it outgrow all other fishes of same size in the tank after about 6 months.

the question was: is that happy fish keeping? the people here do their fish keeping in a right manner: happy owner, happy pets. i believe that is fair enough and logical.

I will only add, you can keep a man in a room 6ftx6ft. its called prison. He will live there but will not be happy.(((