|  |  | | 
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Helper
| oscars
do they ever quit eating ??lol ! I got 2 new babies a week ago--they just learned that me=food ! now everytime I come near the tank they are begging for food ! ok, ok--I gave in a little but they are still begging and I know I CANNOT feed themanymore today !! But I am soooo excited b/c before they always shied away from me !! How can I get them to let me pet them ?? | 
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Oscars are pigs, get used to it 
That said, oscarfishlover.com has a good article on feeding that contains the following quote: Quote:
So, how much food should you give your Oscar? Baby Oscars fill themselves up very quickly. You will notice that their bellies become slightly rounded, this is the time to stop feeding. As your Oscar grows, distinguishing how much they eat by looking at their bellies is not always that easy. I've found that as the Oscar gets bigger, it can eat a lot of food and you won't notice any difference in their stomach size. For this reason, if I am feeling pellets, I now like to work by the two or three minute rule. Basically, this means dropping three or four pellets in for up to three minutes, and then stop. If in that three-minute period, the Oscars start expelling food from their mouths and gills, cease feeding straight away, even if they haven't had that much.
Okay, what about if you are feeding other types of food, insects, fish, shrimps or krill. If your Oscars are still babies, I should avoid trying to feed them on big fish, by all means chop the fish/shrimps into pieces, just don't give them this food whole, all that will happen is they will swim around for a couple of hours with it sticking out of their mouths which could cause stress. Once your fish starts growing, you can start feeding this type of food whole
| | 
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| no they never stop eating...they will eat as much as you feed them....total beggers.. but dont pet them or you will cause harm to their slimecoat..but hand feeding can be trained and in time , they will do it on their own
EDIT: I wouldnt EVER feed them live fish unless you raise them yourself...they can get very sick from eating pet store feeders ... | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Helper
| o ! thanks for the warning on petting and their slimecoat ! I had no idea ! I often wondered if it was kinda like touching a moth ! Can you not touch them at all or do you just limit it ? | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Mentor
| It's really not a good idea to touch them at all. But I understand the temptation. My JD George is VERY friendly. I just allowed him to "train" me to target feed him so he'd get that "one-on-one" contact he craves with me. | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Helper
| awww !! ok--so no touches just hand feed right ? just a question--when u touch them what happens-- I mean i understand the slime coating but how does it effect them ?? | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Mentor
| Slime coat is like a protective coating. They produce extra slime coat during periods of stress, which helps them deal with stress. They also have a regular slime coat that just protects them from harmful bacteria, etc. When you touch them, you remove that slime coat, which leaves them open to disease and harmful bacteria, etc.
This is the best I can explain it. Hopefully another member will be along shortly that can clarify it. | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Hand feeding depends on the temprement of the fish too. I've had my Oscar for about a year, and hand fed him until he was about 6 inches. Now he's too violent, and attacks my hand if I try it. He also bites me if I put my hand in the tank to moves things around or clean the glass. I still love him though...........  | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by bolivianbaby  Slime coat is like a protective coating. They produce extra slime coat during periods of stress, which helps them deal with stress. They also have a regular slime coat that just protects them from harmful bacteria, etc. When you touch them, you remove that slime coat, which leaves them open to disease and harmful bacteria, etc.
This is the best I can explain it. Hopefully another member will be along shortly that can clarify it. | perfect explination!!!! Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Goody Hand feeding depends on the temprement of the fish too. I've had my Oscar for about a year, and hand fed him until he was about 6 inches. Now he's too violent, and attacks my hand if I try it. He also bites me if I put my hand in the tank to moves things around or clean the glass. I still love him though........... | sounds like a male ...and for once being serious  LOL | |
| | |
September 29th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Mine NEVER stop eating...ever | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Fish Helper
| My babies are now always begging for food every time I walk by their tank ! I have become use to having to ignore this tho it is tempting to endulge them ! I finally got one baby to eat from my hands--I gave them a treat of bloodworms ! They went crazy for them !! | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| One thing I will add to handling fish. If you do like say when moving fish, just make sure you get your hand wet first, that alone should prevent any damage. Just my 2cents.
Brian | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Yeah, I don't handle my fish at all.
I don't hand feed either, as when they are 13" I don't want any injuries. I saw an Oscar bite once, it wasn't pretty. | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| the braver and the bigger they get, they will literally jump out of the tank when the top is open..so dont take allot of time with it open when feeding...picking an oscar up off the floor, isnt fun  | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawnie the braver and the bigger they get, they will literally jump out of the tank when the top is open..so dont take allot of time with it open when feeding...picking an oscar up off the floor, isnt fun | Yeah...my Tiger does that already & he's only 6".
He clears the top of the tank. It's like taking a bath when I feed him. | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| you will learn not to open the tank top as much with time!!!! I had to pick up my 11 incher and it was not fun...he was like a flounder looking for water! | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Any pics of this entertaining event  | |
| | |
October 2nd, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by btate617 Any pics of this entertaining event |  um well ..i wasnt in camera mode when it happened!!!! and trying to figure how to pick up an 11 inch fish was priority..but I bet you have a nice visual!!!!  although I do have a few vids of them jumping | |
| | | | |
Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads 
