My Oscar wont eat!

J0seph123 · January 28th, 2008

I have a four inch Oscar that always stays near the bottom of the tank and whenever I drop some Cichlid staples into the tank, he doesn't eat them. Only a few times I have seen him come to the top to eat. But, whenever I put some sinking algae wafers for my pleco, since the algae wafers sink, he usually eats them. How can I get my Oscar to come to the top more often to eat the food he's supposed to eat?

P.S:whenever there is live feeder fish in the tank, he goes from the top to the bottom of the tank to get them.

susitna-flower · January 28th, 2008

He is just doing his thing!

The food needs to "appear alive" WILL he eat blood worms? I float frozen worm cubes in the tank and fish eat them all up before they sink....

Maybe it would help if there was a fish in there big enough that he couldn't eat it, but that would come out and eat with him....create a little competition.

Just ideas as I'm not a carnivore lover.. I mainly do community tanks...I'm sure someone will come along who can give more ideas.

Neville · January 30th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by J0seph123

I have a four inch Oscar that always stays near the bottom of the tank and whenever I drop some Cichlid staples into the tank, he doesn't eat them. Only a few times I have seen him come to the top to eat. But, whenever I put some sinking algae wafers for my pleco, since the algae wafers sink, he usually eats them. How can I get my Oscar to come to the top more often to eat the food he's supposed to eat?

P.S:whenever there is live feeder fish in the tank, he goes from the top to the bottom of the tank to get them.

normally Baby oscars eat a lot, u can try small shrimps (u don't have to peel the skin), prawns, dried worms, bloodworms or any kind of small white fish, feeder guppies etc. feed your oscar lots of protein. U can also feed insects, crickets and juicy earth worms.
some oscars don't like pellets.

joshthefisherman · January 31st, 2008

Ive heard a person having the same problem and he wanted his oscars to eat pellets but it wasnt he said if the oscar didnt eat them then he just simply didnt eat that night in two days the oscar realized if he didnt eat the pellets he would have to sleep hungry also the oscars instinct is not to eat fish food so it may take time for him to adjust to eating pellets

Gunnie · January 31st, 2008

Your oscar is not going to starve to death just because he doesn't like the food you are feeding him. Keep trying to get him to eat the pellets, and add some variety of other things as previously mentioned. It may just be a matter of the brand of pellets you are feeding. You can also find sinking cichlid pellets. I think they have them on www.kensfish.com. The wafers will not hurt him to eat them. Also look at Omega One and New Life Spectrum cichlid pellets. They are good quality brands for any fish's staple food.

zpecialt · February 5th, 2008

I had some trouble with my tiger oscar when we first got him back in October. He wasn't eating for about two weeks straight when I went out and for a few more types of food. I had pellets and cichlid flakes, neither of which he seemed very interested in. I picked up some dried bloodworms and I think the way they unravel at the top of the tank caught his interest. Since then he's been a monster at feeding time. Eats everything I put in now.

Hope it works out for you!

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