Feeder fish?

Question

what fish can i feed to my Oscar, can i just feed him any fish that will be able to fit into his mouth?

no its not a turtle its a fish. and why shouldnt i do it lots of people do?

Also at the moment i feed him pellets and things like bloodworms, i was only gonna use the feeder fish as a treat 1s or twice a week

Answer 1

What size is your oscar? This will make a bit of a difference in what sized food he's able to eat.

I prefer feeding any of my fish-eaters (I keep reptiles, amphibians, and fish that are piscivores) rosy reds. Nutritionally, they're better for your animals than feeder goldfish or guppies and the shape makes them easier to go down than goldfish if your animal is small or narrow.

One word of caution about feeding live fish - get to know your source! Feeder fish aren't always well cared for, and may be carrying parasites or diseases that could be passed on to your Oscar. I keep mine in a quarantine tank for about a week before I feed them. This lets me know if they're healthy by giving ang parasites/diseases a chance to become evident (also why I discourage the use of wild-caught fish as feeders), plus I get to feed them more nutritious foods during that time (and especially right before feeding them to my animals) so they get an even better nutritional value - something herp keepers refer to as "gut-loading" - concentrating nutrient and vitamin rich foods into the gut of the feeder.

If your oscar is large, you'll need to feed far more rosys, since these are fairly small when they're sold as feeders. You might want to use more of larger goldfish mixed with rosys and gutload them as well.

As with any fish, it's best to provide them with a variety of foods for better balance of nutrients. This extends to the foods used to gutload the feeders. Sometimes I use more plant-based foods, sometimes more animal-protein based.

Answer 2

comets and other types of goldfishes carry a slimy film on their bodies that can sometimes cause Ich in other fish What I used to do is feed the guppy fry. It only takes a small tank to raise enough guppies to keep most Oscars happy. But don't forget in order for the Oscar to have a balanced diet you need to feed it other things to. Pellets and Brine Shrimp are good and there are several different blends of flake food for them. Read the recomendations on the container of flake food and see what it is god for.. Also if you have a reputable Aquarium shop in the area talk to someone there. Not a good idea to try to get much info from the person or persons catching fish in a place like Walmart or a department store because these people change soften and most of them have not a clue. I have had them tell me to put an Oscar in a community tank and everything will be alright. LOL

Answer 3

This is really based on personal preference.

If you just like a quick chase around the tank and a game of hunter and prey, get some platies which come real cheap becoz they can really swim with their stream-lined bodies.

If you're more of the freddy krueger mind, you could get some poor breed goldfish to feed your oscars, they swim really slowly and you can sit down and watch their defenselessness as they get chomped down, you could smile in glee or something but that is only if you are a sick nut.

So i recommend getting platies, southern platies, some swordtails or something, to allow your oscar to train up his hunting aspects at the same time.Works two ways, treats and exercise cause he got to work for his food as in the wild.

Answer 4

Oscars are not piscivores (fish eaters) and a diet of feeders is not healthy for them. Truth is, piscivores tend to be big and they need bigger tanks.

Answer 5

How many feeder fish can I feed my Oscar? - TOP

A Absolutely none, zip, zero, zilch, just forget about it. Feeders are not an adequate source of nutrition and have been link with HITH in long term feeding. They are also cesspools of disease, and commonly contaminate fish with Ich, and fungus, as well as leaches, gill flukes and various other bacterial diseases.

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Q What kinds of things can I feed my Oscars other then prepared pellets? - TOP

A Beef heart, crickets, mealworms, crayfish, earthworms, moths, grasshoppers, peas, spinach, shrimp, scallops, squid, bloodworms, krill, and ghost shrimp to name just a few.

Something to think about: feeder fish are basically fish that are sick or mmm just downright ugly.theres a reason they dont sell them with the pretty fish.There are many reciepes for it though.He needs vitamins and nutrients.

Answer 6

Try to feed your fish with live goldfish.You have to stun them first if you are feeding your fish for the first time and want it to get used.
Take the feeder baby goldfish and hit its head on a hard surface.Then throw it back into the tank.The goldfish will be swimming in circles and lose its sense of direction.I feed my arowana like this.It makes easier for the fish to gobble them up and get used.
If you want to feed live shrimps,pull out the head shell of the shrimp first.Try guppies,mealworms,cube worms,and chicken meat

Answer 7

i don't recommend feeding feeder fish to oscars because they may carry diseases. They also cause hole in the head disease for oscars after consuming feeder fish for a long period. Try feeding him oscar or cichlid pellets.

Answer 8

Really you have a large choice here. Common goldfish or feeder goldfish, guppies, minnows, rosie reds are all good feeder fish for your oscar.

Answer 9

wow.... oscar the turtle... some of the answers crack me up... small feeder gold fish, guppies, and rosy reds all work well for your fish

Answer 10

My dad usto feed his oscar raw beef or beef heart.