The most important thing you can do as an Oscar keeper is try to provide them with a well balanced diet which includes meaty foods, veggies, and the occasional worm or insect as a treat.
60% of the natural diet of an Oscar is comprised of mostly aquatic and terrestrial insects. They will on occasion eat crustaceans and smaller fish but most fish eaten by an Oscar in the wild are relatively sedentary catfish. Remember that just because you have a relatively large fish it doesn’t always follow that they eat smaller fish.
How Often to Feed
Juvi Oscars should be fed three times a day. As they reach the 9" mark feeding can be reduced to once or twice a day. As they mature this can be reduced to once every couple of days. It's always better to keep them a little hungry than overfeed.
Food Prep
Any and all freeze dried food should be soaked in tank water for 5 to 10 minutes before feeding.
Although many people feed Oscars Beefheart I try to avoid feeding any meats from warm blodded animals it can cause digestive issues.
Although garlic is on the list and very beneficial to an Oscars health it should not be place directly in the tank. The juice can be addes to other foods by soaking. It strengthens their immune system and will help get ride of any internal parasites
A Word About Feeders
The risks involved in using feeder fish are high and the nutritional value in feeders is very low.
Feeder goldfish purchased from a local fish store are not cared for well and can carry a myriad of disease such as bacteria, virus and parasites, which can be transmitted to the fish who eat them either by being in the tank or by being ingested. They have no nutritional value and a high fat content. They contain large amounts of thiaminase, which is an enzyme that breaks down thiamin (vitamin B1). Consuming too much thiaminase develops a B1 deficiency, which can lead to illness or even death.
Other feeders such as guppy’s or convicts have more nutritional value than goldfish and do not have the fat content but there is still the risk of transmitting disease especially if they are purchased from a local fish store. Raising your own feeders can eliminate some of the danger but can be expensive in the long run. Remember that you have to house and feed these fish until they are large enough to be called feeders.
If you must use feeders, whether or not they are store bought or raised at home they should be quarantined for at least a month before they are fed to other fish.
There is a theory that feeder fish may promote aggression in the fish consuming them. Fish such as large cichlids who have been fed feeders may view all fish as food thus making it difficult to keep other fish in the same tank. There is no conclusive evidence that this is correct.
Then there are the ethical and moral aspects of feeding one animal to another when, in most cases it is not necessary. Granted there are some cases where the fish we keep, as hobbyists require live food but there are other alternatives to feeders.
A better alternative to feeders is insects or worms but both of these present problems as well. Crickets a favorite of large cichlids can be purchased at a local pet store but can transmit disease as well. Worms found in the garden are usually safe but there is always the risk that they have been sprayed with pesticides. Red worms are another favorite and can be raised in a compost heap and that’s good for the environment.
