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Feeding advice for tiger oscars

4K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  iamntbatman 
#1 ·
I have two young tiger oscars about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. I've been feeding them cichlid flakes and pellets but want to vary their diet a little more. Are meal worms a good option for these guys? Is says on the can that they're an excellent choice for cichlids but I want to make sure it's the right thing to feed them. If not, what else should I feed them while they're young to keep them healthy and as they get older what should they be fed?
Thanks in advance!!
 
#2 ·
I love using fresh frozen foods and my fish love it too. Brine shrimp, blood worms, beefheart, etc. I don't feed these exclusively. The bulk of their diet is good quality pellet foods. Variety in diet is key for long term health, IMO. You probably already know this but feeder fish can be infected with illness so I'd steer clear of these unless it's fish you are breeding yourself for this purpose.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, I've heard only bad things about feeders so I'm not planning on using them. They seem too risky and I don't want my guys getting diseases from them. Thanks for your advice!
 
#5 ·
 
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#10 ·
Here's a pic of our whole tank. ImageShack - Image Hosting :: p1020280zx0.jpg You can see the two oscars by the rock on the left, an electric blue jack dempsey in the middle, a bala above the dempsey and a bala on the right and our pleco on the ground beneath the log. there's another electric blue jack dempsey hiding somewhere too!!
 
#12 ·
I once kept a large red oscar that was fond of frozen krill along with the other foods already mentioned. Ocean nutrition is what I feed my Discus as staple . 52 to 54 percent protein depending on which formula. Those I have spoke to stress vitamin C for oscars to help against disease along with clean water and proper tank maint.;-)
 
#13 ·
i like giving them feeder guppies and comets when theyre big enough. i think its good for them to get a good chase in once and a while, they eat other fish in the wild so why not in captivity? if youre worried about diseases, you could always set up a small tank for breeding guppies, platys, swordtails, and mollies for your oscars...just a thought, also crickets might be an idea
 
#14 ·
i think the home breed feeders are a good idea,you know where your food
is comming from,rule out the risk of infections from diseased fish.
 
#16 ·
Nope they're all juvies :)
 
#17 ·
even beyond disease, there are other things to take into account when suggesting live feeders. one of the other major issues with feeders is their nutritional value, or rather, lack there of. for the most part, feeder guppies are just skin and bones, and provide almost no nutrition for your fish. the solution to this is to "gut load" your feeders, before feeding them to your fish. this means to feed them till their fat, then feed the fat little guppies to your bigger fish.
but why?
this is just an extra step. if you have to feed the guppies fish food, before feeding them to your bigger fish, why not just feed your big fish, fish food? doesnt make any sense at all. lol.

fish pellets have come a long way since the old school tetra flakes, and are specially formulated with your fishes diet in mind. the best thing you can do for your fish is to get them off of feeders all together and on a staple diet of pellet food. i keep about 15-20 different kinds of pellets on hand at all times. while this isnt necessary, it is a good idea to switch it up a bit. also you can use freeze dried krill, freeze dried shrimp, crickets, mealworms, super worms, MP, and lots of other things as treats in between.
 
#18 ·
sooo.... treat your home-raised feeders for diseases, keep water quality good, feed good quality food. its not that serious. oscars eat live food in the wild, im sure their food isnt always disease free, but when you raise their food and treat for disease, they shouldnt even encounter those diseases ... yea you could feed them just pellets, and yes if youre feeding the feeders the fish food, you could feed the oscars that as well, IMO its not about that. theyre getting the nutrition they need with the added bonus of being able to chase live food. most predator fish prefer it, other wise they wouldnt chase them. getting healthy food and chasing some feeder fish once and a while will keep them healthy and strong.
 
#19 ·
Omega One makes a quality pellet food for American cichlids. HBH also makes foods called "Oscar Grow" for rapid growth and "Oscar Show" to help adults color up. OSI and Ocean Nutrition also make quality pellets.

Here's what I'd feed them:
A staple of pellets from one of the better companies with twice a day feedings (up to three times a day for very young juveniles). Feed them just about any sort of frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, krill, mysis shrimp, etc. Once they get bigger bloodworms and brine are going to be pretty inefficient so stick to the larger frozen foods. Mealworms and live crickets would be a nice treat once in a while. Personally, I have no problem feeding live feeders once in a while, provided they are home grown. I have a 10g tank with a couple of fancy guppies, some feeder guppies and some Endler's livebearers. The pretty adults are in there for show, but my Jack Dempsey keeps me from getting overpopulated, and makes sure none of those hybrid fry end up back on the market.
 
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