what not to feed a oscar

**oscarkid36** · 12-10-2011, 11:02 AM

i'm starting a thread on what not to feed a oscar to help others. feel free to add

dog food
cat food
any type of lunch meat
feeder fish
wild caught minnows
wild caught frogs
wild caught tadpoles
corn

**Aeonflame** · 12-10-2011, 11:55 AM

Sloths
Orangutans
fruitbats
breakfast cereals

I think it would be easier to state suitable foods for oscars, instead of the things they should not be fed.

**Fishguy2727** · 12-10-2011, 12:14 PM

Ditto. Focusing on the ideal diet would be easier and more helpful.

If you are going to discuss what not to feed I would only mention the things that are commonly fed to them, like live foods of any kind.

I only feed and recommend New Life Spectrum. It is by far the best food out there right now IME. This is especially important with oscars because they are so prone to HLLE.

**Lady Hobbs** · 12-10-2011, 01:55 PM

Agree. Live foods means all of it without listing individually. Stick with good quality pellet food. I see no reason they can't enjoy fish foods like meat sticks and shrimp pellets, as well. Also some human veggies now and then might be enjoyable to them.

Check out Kens Fish Food online. He has a big variety of meaty foods for fish for a bit of variety now and then. I worm all my fish and I think Oscars should be wormed especially so they don't develop pitting later on. PraziPro is great stuff.

**Northernguy** · 12-10-2011, 03:30 PM

What about small rodents? lol j/k

MCHRKiller wrote a good article about O's here.You may not have seen it.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=35714
There are a few good threads here about oscar diet.You may have to search though.

**Alasse** · 12-11-2011, 03:19 AM

Live food can be fed as a treat, providing it is not the O's complete diet.

Mine used to get feeder fish (NOT goldfish), garden worms, shrimp/yabbies and meal worms, loved them, certainly did them no harm

**Fishguy2727** · 12-11-2011, 03:40 AM

I wouldn't even do that. They are the best way to introduce pathogens, are unneeded. May not do harm every time, but IME it is better to stick to high quality pellets.

**gm72** · 12-11-2011, 03:55 AM

I have to agree with the feeder fish. Relatively low nutritional value and a very high possibility of introducing disease unless you raise them yourself.

**Alasse** · 12-11-2011, 05:29 AM

Well thats you *L* If done correctly live food does no harm and enriches the fishes life.

I breed my own or if i need to buy quaranteen them, better to gutload them while in holding

We will beg to differ on the needed. I beleive they are required in the diet. High quailty pellets are great and i agree they should be the main part of the oscars diet, but live food has benefits too.

Being able to actively hunt relieves bordom. This is a natural behaviour, they are predators after all. Hard to hunt a pellet *LOL*
If the critters are gutloaded high quality feed themselves they pass that onto the oscar. Variety is the thing. Pellets day in day out makes for a boring time IMHO

**Goes to 11!** · 12-11-2011, 05:41 AM

Originally Posted by gm72

I have to agree with the feeder fish. Relatively low nutritional value and a very high possibility of introducing disease unless you raise them yourself.

I do raise my live feeders myself & they are gut loaded with a combo of quality pellets & flake.

His primary diet is pellets but I find that my Oscar really enjoys chasing a portion of his diet. As mentioned, It's a natural thing for him.