TankBud

Variety of Oscar

Albino oscar

Astronotus ocellatus

One of 4 varieties of Astronotus ocellatus · See all varieties →

FreshwaterFish

Albino oscar (Astronotus ocellatus)

Varieties · Astronotus ocellatus

See all 4 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
13.8 in
35 cm
Minimum tank
75 gal
284 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae

Overview

The albino oscar is a white to cream oscar, with the orange-red pattern still showing and pink to red eyes. It asks a little more of its keeper than a beginner fish does.

Did you know

The orange-red marbling on an albino oscar is the same pattern the fish would have had anyway, with the dark half missing. Set an albino next to a tiger, and the blotches sit in more or less the same places.

Caring for the albino oscar

A single adult albino oscar needs at least 75 gal (284 L). It rearranges the tank, so give it a sandy floor and secure decor. Add a few large pieces of driftwood and rounded rocks for cover, and leave plants out or keep them potted and sturdy. Keepers often give albinos shaded spots rather than bright open lighting.

Keep the water soft to neutral, at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It is a heavy eater and a messy fish, so run strong filtration and make regular large water changes.

Feed a quality cichlid pellet as the staple, with occasional prawn, mussel and earthworm. Do not feed it a diet of feeder fish or plain mammal meat.

Keep it singly or as a bonded pair, on its own or with big, sturdy tank mates. It is predatory and territorial and will swallow any fish small enough to fit in its mouth. Anything kept with it must be too large to eat and able to hold its own.

It is a substrate spawner, and a pair cleans a flat rock and guards the eggs and fry. Breeding is hard, mostly because of the fish's size and the difficulty of pairing. Albinism is usually recessive in fish, so two albino parents give albino young. A cross to a normal oscar gives normal-looking carriers.

Good to know

Albinism blocks melanin, so the albino oscar's dark base drops out. Its eye reads red from the blood behind it, and a true albino has no dark pigment in its eyes at all. Shops sometimes tag any pale oscar as albino, so the eye is the practical check. Albino animals are generally reported to have weaker visual acuity and more sensitivity to bright light.

In the wild

Albino oscars come from a pigment mutation kept going in ornamental farm stock. No wild albino population exists, so every fish sold traces back to captive breeding. No reliable source names the farm or the decade behind the line, so treat it as a hobby line of uncertain origin.

From published sources

Tank mates

Each fish here is named as a tank mate for the albino oscar by at least two published care guides. Fishkeeping World and Imperial Tropicals recommend keeping it on its own instead. Add tank mates at adult size, since an oscar eats any fish that fits its mouth. The tank needs more than the oscar's own 75 gallons (284 liters).

Sources: Aquarium Co-Op, Fishkeeping World, Aquarium Source, Practical Fishkeeping, Seriously Fish, FishLab.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is an albino oscar a different species from the oscar?

No. An albino oscar is a variety of the oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does an albino oscar need?

An albino oscar needs at least 75 gal (284 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does an albino oscar eat?

An albino oscar eats a quality cichlid pellet as its staple, plus occasional prawn, mussel and earthworm. Feeder fish and plain mammal meat should not make up its diet.

How big does an albino oscar get?

An adult albino oscar reaches about 13.8 in (35 cm).

How does an albino oscar breed?

Albino oscars are substrate spawners, and a pair cleans a flat rock and guards its eggs and fry. Two albino parents give albino young, while a cross to a normal oscar gives normal-looking carriers. Breeding them is hard.

What fish can live with the albino oscar?

Published care guides name leopard sailfin pleco, silver dollar, common pleco and silver arowana, among others. Add tank mates at adult size, since an oscar eats any fish that fits its mouth. The tank needs more than the oscar's own 75 gallons (284 liters).

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