Should I Feed My Oscar Live Fish?

The pet store told me that feeding live fish was normal for oscars but the internet says differently. They say to stick to insects instead of live fish. I already give him apples and spinach for his fruit and veg, and fish for his protein, but I don't know if there is anything else I should be feeding him

oh yeah and cichlid pellets sorry forgot that

 

The pet store told me that feeding live fish was normal for oscars but the internet says differently. They say to stick to insects instead of live fish. I already give him apples and spinach for his fruit and veg, and fish for his protein, but I don't know if there is anything else I should be feeding him

The problem with feeder fish is that they are not always kept in the best conditions and could be transmitting a disease to your fish. If you grow your own feeder fish that's a different story. I would stick to the research you did and stay away from feeder fish.

 

ok awesome thank you! (now to figure out if I want to breed my own feeder fish or find a home for all the tiny fish they insisted on selling me in the pet store)

 

Most feeders (especially goldfish & rosy red minnows) are unhealthy as they have little/no nutritional value & are very fatty.

 

Guppies are an easy one to grow yourself, you can feed them high quality foods and make sure they are healthy before they get tossed to your oscar, but I would rely more on a stable pellet food for him and use the guppies as a treat.

 

Why not get a second fish tank going, and breed mollies, or guppies or something like that and feed them the fry (not the parents). You will then know "the source" of your oscar's food.

 

You can breed your own live food. Dwarf shrimp are easy and so are live bearers.

 

In the wild, fish make up a very small percentage of the diet of Oscars. They really are poor fish hunters. What they normally eat are shrimp, crabs, snails, and insects, and they've evolved very powerful pharyngeal bones/teeth for crushing shells. Of course, given an opportunity they will take a fish, but that's not a normal part of their natural diet. The use of feeder fish started a long time ago, and is so ingrained in the hobby that it's hard to explain to people that it is bad for them.

I've never fed veggies/fruit to Oscars, they really don't need it. I've never known anyone with experience who suggested feeding them such things. They are predators, just not piscivores.