We just got some Oscar fish and we're trying to figure out what they like best to eat if anyone has oscars

Question

what do you feed them
what do they prefer

when I ask what do you feed them and what they prefer I'm not saying I don't know what to feed them or how to care for them I'm a grown woman not a child so Please don't answer my question like your talking to a child. I'm asking because we've tried a variety of different things we give them pellets and we tried the feeder fish and Krill but they don't seem to like any of the above. So I was looking for over options. I did my Research already

Answer 1

Oscars are big messy always hungry fish. They should have a high protein diet of about 75% meat type items and about 25% vegetable matter. As a base food go with a good quality pellet. They will survive on this though they'll thrive with fresh or frozen foods of a wide variety. I recommend against feeding live feeder fish because you'll eventually introduce disease into your aquarium. You can feed shrimp, frozen non-oily fish (for freshwater fish I recommend a salt water fish and visa versa), earthworms, insects, squid, beef or turkey heart, par boiled pork liver, etc. For vegetable matter my fish love peas though I also feed zuchini, spirulina algae, sea weed either fresh from the asian markets or dried from any sushi section of the grocery, peeled brocholi stems, romain lettuce, spinach, completely boiled carrots, etc.

Aquarium size: You mention you just got some Oscars. I hope you have a very large aquarium or plan on giving the extra Oscars away when a pair develop. The smallest aquarium I recommend for a pair of Oscars is a 75 gallon and larger is better. You need extra filtration for these messy eaters. My favorite canister filter is the Hagen Fluval FX-5.

Oscars are very intelligent and if you spend time with them they are relatively easy to teach tricks and become great pets. They will recognize you and know that you are the one that feeds them. They will come to the front of the aquarium and greet you. They can be taught to follow light in the aquarium from a flashlight, lay in your hand when placed in the aquarium, hand feed and other simple things. They make great pets.

Answer 2

Staple food: Get yourself a good quality cichlid pellet and this will ensure a good, well rounded diet for your Oscars.

Fresh food: The best way to figure out a fishes diet is by trying to mimic their diet in nature. Oscars will eat anything, but then, so will dogs and most creatures - this doesn't mean what they eat is good for them.

In the wild Oscars are mainly feeders of insects and invertebrates, and this is how their diet is best in the aquarium. Krill, shrimp and prawns, crayfish, crickets, grasshoppers, these are all excellent foods for your Oscar. Worms are also not a bad supplement.

Feeder fish can be fed, but in the wild fish comprise little of the Oscars diet, and the truth about feeders is a) they are very messy to feed, b) Most of the time they're malnourished from the store and so limited in beneficial nutrients, and c) because of poor keeping at the store they may be diseased.

Avoid any meat from a warm blooded animal - this stuff is not good for them and can cause constipation or worse. It's messy to feed, difficult to prepare (ALL fat must be removed) and offers little more then excessive proteins.

These fish grow huge and are territorial, so I can only hope you researched them first in order to learn how to accommodate them as they grow into adults. Good luck.

Answer 3

What is your water hardness and pH? It will help narrow down the list to fish that will do well in the tank. What temp are you going to run the tank? Fish are all different and not something you can just throw in some water and expect them to do well. Koi and oscar are on opposite ends of water needs. Koi get 3 feet, want cool water, and hard water, and are peaceful. Oscar get over a foot, want soft acidic water, and tropical water temperatures. African cichlids can be a good choice if you get some of the smaller less aggressive ones. If the water is hard and high pH, rift lake cichlids are great. If the water is soft and lower pH, american cichlids are good, or African river cichlids. Rainbowfish are very bright and might be a good fish for you as well!

Answer 4

I've had a pair of rather large Oscars back in the spring. I did have to relocate them, but I can tell you what I do know. This pretty much applies to any fish. Currently the only South American Cichlids I have is a pair of Blue Acara, the rest of my cichlids are Africans. Dietwise, your Oscar can eat most anything, but a varied balanced diet is always the best for them to thrive on.

Flakes can be a staple diet for them, but supplimenting that with other foods helps keep them thriving. You could give a flake feeding in the morning, but in the evening, give them some bloodworms. The next day give them a feeding of krill or brine shrimp in the morning, and at night give some crickets. Oscars of decent size, like 6 inches or up would gobble them up rather rapid. There are so many choices of food, you'd be hard pressed to find something they won't accept.

Pellets can be an alternative staple. By staple I mean feeding that as the main feeding at least 3-4 times a week. Add in other foods to round out the diet though. One thing you really need to streer clear of is feeder fish and beef or other animal organs. Feeder fish bought from stores are a haven for disease and parasites. Animal organs contain fats that build up and can cause liver damage. You can give the same nutrients by mixing up the diet and keep them thriving.

One last thing is that Oscars need space and higher filtration due to excessive eating. It's just their nature to be like that. Make sure to keep them thriving you have at least a 55 gallon tank for a single and at least 90 gallons for a pair. The higher the filtration in the tank, the better for these fish. Best of luck whatever you decide, but do try to mix the diet up and stay clear of those feeders and animal organs.

Answer 5

oscars do well on pellets.
you can also feed them earth worms and some will eat beef heart.
stay away from feeder fish. theres just to many problems with feeder fish.
You say you just got oscars so I take that to mean more than 1. Oscars are messy fish and get big 1 adult oscar needs a 55gal tank by it self. a pair need 110gal .
as oscars get bigger they tend to kill and fight with any other fish in the tank.

Answer 6

They prefer live fish. Why in the World would anyone purchase an animal of any kind without knowing how to care for it? These fish require large tanks (around 75 gallons per fish to really do well),how big is your tank? To keep Oscars in small tanks requires VERY frequent water changes and lots of live food. They can be fed some types of Cichlid Foods (like Hikari) but I'll bet you aren't willing to pay for these higher priced foods.

Answer 7

My oscars ate each other. They are so mean!! I fed them regular fish food. They ate it with no problem, but ended up killing each other anyway.

As much as it sounds like a joke, they seem to like live fish!

Answer 8

Poor Oscars are so misunderstood. Please, for their sake, take the time to research them online in order to be able to care for them properly. It's NOT just add water, put fish in. These fish are intricate and complicated and really are not easy fish to care for. They are susceptible to all sorts of disease if they are not properly housed and/or cared for. Please be sure to be diligent in the maintenance of the tank and regular partial water changes, so that these fish can live a decent life.

Unfortunately, you do not have a clear idea of what you have gotten yourself in to, and that is half the pet shop's fault and half your fault. These are great fish, please please give them the best chance you can at a decent life, and you need to do that by researching all you can about them.

Good luck. ;o)

Answer 9

They prefer to have nothing in their tanks except for them and they eat gold fish!



dont worry about your fingers they dont bite the hand that feeds them!!

Answer 10

They will eat fish regular fish flakes.
but when I had them I fed them frozen bloodworms, and they loved them!