Hello,

Firstly, this is a kind of rant of complete confusion

I bought my Oscar a while ago now(nearly 12 months)

I brought frozen blood worms and pellets for him/her. Months later I was given the advise not to feed them Blood worms as they will only float out of their gills when they get older(this part has proven true) AND give them Hole in The Head.

Of which they told me to feed him/her meal worms, so I have been for some time now, along with a good quality pellet.

However, tonight when I went to buy my normal supply of meal worms, I was told by the same sales person at the same shop, not to feed Oscars meal worms as it gives them Hole in The Head.

So I hit the net and I can not for the life of me read anywhere, where it says Meal worms or blood worms give Oscars HiTH. I can only read the main cause is poor tank maintenance.

Text book example of why you pretty much need to ignore what your LFS has to say about care for an Oscar...Bloodworm and meal worms are great food for Oscars in occasional small amounts.
Stick to the advice you get from this website and you cant go wrong...

Not sure what they are talking about. Blood worm is a completely natural food that nearly all fish eat at some stage, I don't see how we can give them hole in the head. Meal worms are also found in their natural environments, how could these possibly give a fish hole in the head disease? I think we would all tend to agree that poor water conditions are the main contributor to a fish developing hole in the head disease.

However, it isn't quite fully understood still. So at the end of the day we can just give you general advice that will hopefully cure it, or stop it from developing.

I agree with the Boss completely! I have 4 Oscars and they have eaten both Meal worms and Blood worms regularly... I have NEVER had a problem with HITH...

Keep your water clean, and the water levels right and don't worry about what LFS tell you!

i can only think that your LFS had mealworm stock when he told you that
bloodworm will cause HITH.. later, the LFS had a bloodworm stock thus he
told you not to use mealworm.... or he didn't have any of the two so that
you will whatever is available in the store.....

LFS will normally tell ghost story against anything he didn't have so
that you will get whatever is around :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

LFS's frequently give poor advice. I get sick and tired of hearing about people been given poor advice from 'expert' fish shops. If you have an question ask on here NOT at your local fish shop.

I remember asking some questions in a LFS and some of the answers were not good. After follow up questions the guy said to me "you seem to know what your talking about". I then asked him how long he had worked there and did he keep fish. The guy told me he had been working there for 4 weeks and didnt keep fish- he was only there because it was a job. This is the sort of experts you get in LFS's

Thank you very much for the info.. I thought it would be the case that the Shop had no idea, but she does have Oscars too.. Which kind of lead me to believe her word..

I am getting tired of people not knowing anything or a little. Spoke with a friend of my wifes and she says Oscars are plant eaters, to feed him peas and brussel sprouts and lettuce, it is ok to feed my Oscar meal worms now cause he crushes them, but when he gets bigger I have to take the head off the meal worms as it could grow in his belly(WTF)..

russkris wrote:


Holy Hell!!! (Rolls Eyes)

Stick Around Hun!!! If you have a question just ask...

Here is a link to a thread about what is ok to feed your O's as a treat!

www.oscarfishlover.com/oscar-fish-advice...ar-fish/105294-fruit

This is why I decided to post here. It is getting really stupid..

russkris wrote:


I second Nicki's reaction! HOLY HELL!

First, the wonderful LFS people. They are usually paid minimum wage and work in various departments of the store. Mine told me that I could put 4(four) Oscars in my 120 gallon tank with no problem.. with my Jack Dempsey and Pleco! One guy told me that Oscars and bubblers don't mix. Bad for the Oscars and will make their stomachs bloat. Another told me that it was good to have Nitrates above 40 - keep them around 80. Same guy told me that Ammonia was good in the tank too.

Second, opinions are like assholes... everyone has one and almost all of them stink!

This site has knowledge and experience. I always surf here before I shop. Saves me a lot of trouble and heartache. The boss has put a ton of time and effort into finding the right information based on his experience and others. If you can't find the answer in the forum... ask before you buy!

Good luck with your babies....

LMAO... I totally agree, however the person giving me the info, is the Owner.. We dont have mega super pet shops in Tasmania.. I can see all walls from 1 location.

But I will be here more often now.. I am going to learn as much as I can then go and blast them.. If they are selling a product, then they should give the correct advise.