If you are wondering can Oscar Fish live in cold water then you are in the right place.
In this article, I am going to answer the same question and also share with your some other important information.
No, Oscar Fish cannot live in cold water for a long time.
The ideal temperature range for Oscar Fish is between 74 to 81° Fahrenheit.
Table of Contents
What is the ideal temperature for Oscar Fish?
The ideal temperature for Oscar Fish is 77° Fahrenheit.
You should try to maintain the temperature between 74-81° Fahrenheit in your aquarium.
If you keep Oscar Fish in very warm water then it can cause Oxygen deprivation that can result in several harmful conditions such as Heart damage, Nerve damage, etc.
And it can also affect their immune system.
If the water is too cold then it can also lead to certain diseases such as Ick and Hole in the head in Oscar fish.
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What is the lowest temperature an Oscar Fish can survive?
The lowest temperature and Oscar Fish can survive is 55° Fahrenheit.
But if you keep your Oscar Fish at this temperature for a long time then it will not survive.
At this temperature, it can die within a couple of months or even weeks.
Oscar Fish is cold-blooded so they cannot regulate their internal temperature that’s why they require warmer water.
And if you keep it in cold water then it can cause several issues such as their growth will be stunted, their immune system will get affected that will make them susceptible to infections, they can cause fatty liver disease, etc.
Will Oscar Fish die if the water is too cold?
Yes, if you keep Oscar Fish in cold water for a long time then eventually it will die.
As mentioned earlier, Oscar Fish is cold-blooded so they cannot regulate their internal temperature.
When you keep it in cold water then their metabolism slows down and consequently they stop growing.
Keeping Oscar Fish in cold water also affects their immune system and which makes them susceptible to a lot of infectious diseases.
Fat is very difficult to digest for an Oscar Fish. And at low-temperature fat is mobile in their body. Consequently, it can cause fatty liver disease and block vessels.
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How to increase the temperature in an aquarium?
There is only one reliable way to increase the temperature in an aquarium. And that is introducing a heater in your aquarium.
But before adding heater in your tank, first of all, you should get a thermometer.
You can get a stick-on type thermometer so that you can check the temperature of your tank whenever you look at the aquarium. Check out our recommended Thermometer
There are two types of heaters available in the market
- Hang on the back
- Submersible
Usually, hang on the back heater is cheaper than the submersible because the submersible heater needs to be watertight.
The common type of heater is glass tubes.
But there are also a few other types of heaters like Titanium and Stainless steel heaters. They are becoming more and more popular because of their unbreakable design.
Some heaters come with warm and cold adjustments. And in other heaters, you can precisely set the temperature.
You will require anywhere between three to four watts per gallon depending on the size of your aquarium to keep your aquarium warm for your Oscar Fish.
You should get two heaters for your tank so that if one of the heaters stopped working then the other can heater will keep your aquarium warm.
Checkout our heater and thermometer recommendations
How to keep your aquarium warm during power cuts?
Oscar fish can not tolerate the low temperature. This becomes an issue in the winter, especially during a power cut.
Thankfully, there are a few ways to keep your tank warm during power cuts.
1. Retain the existing heat in the tank
The first thing you should do after the power cut is to retain the existing heat in your tank.
You can do so by covering the tank with a blanket or newspaper.
2. Keep the room warm
The second thing you should do after the power cut is you should try to keep the room as warm as possible in which your aquarium is located.
To do so you should not frequently open and close the door and windows of the room.
3. Partial water change
If you have anything to boiled water like a portable propane camping stove or wood or charcoal or barbecue then you should boil the water slightly and add it into your tank.
Another way is to boil the water as much as you can and then put it in a plastic water bottle or plastic container (just make sure that it will not get melted due to the temperature of the water).
And then keep the container floating on the surface of the water of your aquarium.
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Natural Habitat of Oscar Fish
Oscar Fish is native to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana.
And it is mainly found in the Amazon river basin.
The Amazon river basin is mostly covered with the Amazon rainforest forest which is the largest in the world and it is a dense tropical forest.
There are about 2,500 known fish and additional 1000 unknown species exist in the Amazon basin.
Out of which about 6% of the fish belong to the Cichlid family. The family to which Oscar Fish belongs.
The climate of the basin is mostly hot and humid.
And the average annual temperature is about 77 to 82° Fahrenheit.
And there is no distinction between summer and winter seasons.
Oscar Fish lives in slow-moving river water. And in the wild, it hides under vegetation and submerged branches.
Oscar Fish cannot tolerate low-temperature that’s why the distribution of this fish very limited.
But as Oscar Fish is very popular among Aquarists, it is also found in Florida, China, and Australia.
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Which fish can survive in cold water?
Below is the list of fish that can survive in cold water
- White Cloud Mountain Minnow
- Galaxy Rasbora
- Paradise fish
- Hillstream loach
- Platy
- Dwarf crayfish
- Asian Stone Catfish
- Cherry shrimp
- Fancy goldfish
- Weather loach
- Zebra Danio
- Barb
- Bloodfin tetra
- Croaking tetra
- Guppy
- Bristlenose Pleco
- Rhinogobius duospilus
- Rosy Red Minnow
- Rosy Barb
- Dojo/Weather Loach
- Medaka Ricefish
- Odessa Barb
- Gold Barb
- Pygmy Sunfish
- Bloodfin Tetra
- Panda Corydoras
- Mosquito Fish
- Least Killifish
- One Sided Livebearer
- Empire Gudgeon
- Rainbow Goodeid
- Amano Shrimp
- Thai Micro Crab
- Crayfish
- Axolotl
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FAQ
Can Oscar Fish survive without a heater?
No, most likely your Oscar Fish will require a heater to survive in your aquarium.
Oscar Fish is a tropical fish and it is found in the Amazon basin where the temperature is between 77 to 81° Fahrenheit.
And you should try to emulate its natural habitat and maintain temperature anyway around 77 to 81° Fahrenheit.
And to do that, you are most likely going to need a heater.
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Do Oscar fish like cold water?
No, for the proper growth of your Oscar Fish you have to keep it in the warm water of temperature anywhere between 77 to 81° Fahrenheit.
Oscar Fish is cold-blooded so it cannot control its internal temperature.
There are several reasons why you should not keep your Oscar Fish in a cold water
- If you keep your Oscar Fish in cold water then its metabolism stops and consequently your Oscar Fish will stop growing.
- When you keep Oscar Fish in cold water its immune system gets affected and then it becomes susceptible to diseases.
- Keeping Oscar Fish can cause fatty liver disease, block vessels, hole in the head, etc.
- If you keep Oscar Fish in cold water for a long time then it will not survive for more than a couple of months.
What type of water do Oscars live in?
Oscar Fish is native to the Amazon basin.
The temperature of the Amazon basin age between 77 to 81° Fahrenheit.
In its natural habitat, Oscar Fish lives in the slow-moving water.
And in the wild, Oscar is found in the areas where there is a lot of vegetation.
Besides, the ideal pH range for Oscar Fish is between 6-8 and its hardness tolerance range is up to 20 KH.
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Conclusion
Oscar Fish cannot live in cold water.
If you keep it in cold water then after a couple of months it is most likely going to die.
So you should keep Oscar Fish in the warm water of temperature anywhere between 77-81° Fahrenheit.
I hope you found this article helpful.
If you do, please share it.
As always, happy fish keeping!
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