Astronotus ocellatus (Oscar)

Astronotus ocellatus or commonly called the oscar, is a livefood-eating species that is native to the country South America from the basins of the Amazon and in the basins of Orinoco southward to Paraguay. They can grow to a size of 14 inches (35 cm).

Oscar owners should not trust them to live along with smaller fish (goldfish, etc), because these fish will hunt down their tank mates and prey and eat them. Owners can also feed them prepared cichlid foods as an alternative to the gruesome task of feeding the oscars smaller fish.

These fish are commonly used (and are sometimes considered a basis) for South America-based tanks.