Came across a link today where somebody had caught an Oscar in the wild in New Jersey. After checking, it seems New Jersey temperatures can drop well below freezing so it seems that Oscars can adapt themselves to live in temperate conditions. This photograph allegedly shows an Oscar caught in a local water in New Jersey. I have no reason to believe that the person was telling lies.

Here is a similar story about South Carolina and Massachusetts!


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I've had a trio of electric blues survive in my goldfish pond this year, the coldest it got was around 2 degrees.

I've tried adding a oscar in summer & he was fine. doesn't the depth of the water also matter where temp is concerned?

I stronly believe that although some fish come from a certain part of the world where temps vary, I'm sure they have ways of adapting to lower temps aswell.

that is exactly what i thought....

So out the door goes the lowest lethal temperature of 12,9oC?
couldn't those fish have been released short time before getting caught?

I don't have a heater

Neither do i, but temps never drop below 23,5oC.
I recently adviced against putting someone's O in an outdoor pond.
She was living in an airea where the water froze over in the winter.
It could be that O's can adapt to the cold, just like to see some scientific proof.

having been in the pond operation for more than 10 years, fishes, all sort,
can really adapt to the new environment. i was surprised that a tilapia could
thrive in a sea salt water while grouper can thrive in fresh water. same is true
with the temperature.

one thing i know for sure, fishes grow slower during cold season....the reason why
we have less produce during this period...although we can recover losses from the
high selling price of the fishes

So, if someone was to put their o's in an outdoor pond, that may freeze over , would you advice against it?
And where wouldt you draw the line?
I'm sure some o's will adapt but most will still die in low temps, i'm affraid.

Noddy wrote:

the draw line should be when are you going to release the o in a pond.. is it
during summer or winter...the answer should be summer when the water temp of
the pond is almost identical to the tank. additional consideration is the depth of
the tank. it should have enough depth to avoid freezing to the ground.

in a commercial pond, we never release fingerlings on the onset of cold season.
you will never get good harvest if you do it. we always consider growing time before
cold weather.. as i have said, less produce but command good price due to limited
supply.

Noddy wrote:


I would say don't do it. surviving and living are too very different storeys. I bet any one of us could survive locked in the toilet and drinking toilet water for wks. dose that mean we should live like that? how long have these fish been in the pond? 2 days a month? if its been in the pond a few days at a fair temperature there is no reason for it to die. I haven't herd any member keeping a oscar for yrs at low temps. have they acclimatised or just been dumped a few days before

I don't think it's advisable to put any tropical fish into an outdoor environment that that doesn't maintain a tropical climate all year round. I've no doubt that some tropical fish can adapt to living in colder climates but I suspect these fish are basically wild so to speak now and have not actually been released from an aquarium. Many creatures can evolve to live in different environments that are not their natural environment.

We also must mention that releasing any creature whether it be fish or mammal into an environment where it doesn't belong can be catastrophic and could actually have a detrimental affect on native species. I think most countries have strict laws about releasing the fish into the wild and you can get yourself in a lot of trouble if caught doing it.