i save and oscar from a tank that was pretty bad, they fed them half feeder and half flakes, when i saved him i fed him only flacks and pallets cause i didnt want to introduce parasite and hamper the healing process, not they he is fully healed i gave him some feeder fish and he doesn't seem to be interested in them, they have been in the tank for over 24 hours now and none have been eaten. ive seen him swim around them a few times but that it...

Give him sometime, If you feed Oscar same feed for a couple of days he will stick to it and does not eat others, give him sometime starving will do the thing and he will eat feeders.

BTW congrats you save that O

aprillia wrote:


First off, that was very wise to stop the feeders, and if he is healing then really I would advise not to feed him feeders at all. First off you cannot guarantee they are free of parasites, and secondly they are not nutritious for the oscar in the least.

Your best bet would be to continue with the pellets and vary it up with some shrimp, earthworms, prawns, insects like crickets or beetles, mealworms, etc. etc. There are a tons of other, better food choices...especially when health is a serious concern. He also doesn't need to be expending his energy chasing feeders around, he needs all of it to ward off infection and aid in the healing process. Obviously water quality needs to be of paramount importance, and if certainly could not hurt if you could also add some vitamins to the feeding routine. If you can maintain excellent water conditions for him that will be the main contributing factor in restoring his appetite, not simply offering food.

That being said, I would never use feeders as a regular 'staple' food either, even if they were parasite free, and the oscar was completely healthy. Personally I find it cruel and pointless, however that's just a personal thing, here I think it's more important to look at it as a health issue.

ok well ty for the replays, he is pretty much fully healed now he has been with more for 2 month or so and gotten much better, i was just under the impression there good for them and they give them somthing to do and keep them entertained kinda thing... but ill ook into other things tyvm all

aprillia wrote:


Personally I don't believe feeders serve any sort of 'natural instinctual' requirement for oscars. In the wild they will eat targets of opportunity...I wouldn't think they would pass up a nice juicy beetle floating in the water to chase a fish around for the 'recreational' value. I believe they are like most other predators, they are looking instinctually to obtain the most nutritious meal possible with the smallest amount of energy expenditure possible, because they don't know when their next meal is coming, if ever.

Some people do think it is good for them to be able to engage in predatory behavior towards other fish occasionally, I dunno. I do think we tend to humanize them a bit, i.e. thinking they get 'lonely,' or need 'entertainment,' like we do. IMO Oscars are especially likely to be viewed like this, mainly because they really seem to exhibit more 'pet like' behaviors--which, of course, is a big part of why we love them.

I don't think there's really any definitive answer... so you just have to do it how you see fit. My oscar seems to be just fine with shrimp, worms, pellets, and insects, so I'm just gonna stick with what seems to work and, most importantly, i know is safe and healthy.

Anyways, good on you for taking that oscar in, the other day I saw 2 large oscars who were suffering from bad HITH at my LFS and I wish I had the room to take them...they were both well over 12 inches though so unfortunately I don't have it.