I have a tiger oscar, its in a 75 gallon tank, and is the size of one of those small nerf footballs. Would it be a bad idea to feed it crappie minnows? I have no need to, but have some and was just curious.
Dan
Dan
Feeding my oscar
- Thread starter spacemanspiff
- Start date
There's no need to feed live food. If he eats high quality cichlid pellets like Hikari, you are are all set. Frozen food like blood worms or brine shrimp is also good. Feeders can introduce disease and extra waste. If you feel compelled to feed live food, raise your own mollys or swordfish in a separate tank, or even convicts. That way they will be disease free. Of course your oscar may not have a clue what to do 
Your oscars will know what to do, they are an instinctive hunter.
I do agree with the sentiment that you shouldn't drop fish in your tank that aren't from a verified disease free source. They would in fact be quite happy to eat the minnows, but the risk of disease is pretty high IMO.
Dave
I do agree with the sentiment that you shouldn't drop fish in your tank that aren't from a verified disease free source. They would in fact be quite happy to eat the minnows, but the risk of disease is pretty high IMO.
Dave
If you do try feeder fish, I have found that rosey reds are less likely to carry disease than goldfish. Maybe its just at the pet store I go to, but they have worked well for me.
You can also keep feeder fish in a quarantine tank. If the fish live for more than a week then its likely that they are ok. But there still is a chance that they can be sick.
Rosey reds can be bred easily. I was looking on google and it says that the male ferilizes the eggs from several females at once. The specific article talked about there being a mass of compacted eggs 3 inches high. That definately means lots of fish! You might give it a try if your itnerested.
Last, never put the water from the plastic bag of feeder fish in your tank. Use a net to scoop out the fish. That will save you a lot of trouble.
Oscars will take pellets, but it fun to watch them hunt too. I mix up the food to the cichlids I have. How would you like to have Ramen noodles every day for dinner ;-)
You can also keep feeder fish in a quarantine tank. If the fish live for more than a week then its likely that they are ok. But there still is a chance that they can be sick.
Rosey reds can be bred easily. I was looking on google and it says that the male ferilizes the eggs from several females at once. The specific article talked about there being a mass of compacted eggs 3 inches high. That definately means lots of fish! You might give it a try if your itnerested.
Last, never put the water from the plastic bag of feeder fish in your tank. Use a net to scoop out the fish. That will save you a lot of trouble.
Oscars will take pellets, but it fun to watch them hunt too. I mix up the food to the cichlids I have. How would you like to have Ramen noodles every day for dinner ;-)