I met someone who was abusing his oscar yesterday

[fishcatch22]

hi,all. so there was this guy at wal-mart buying a goidfish to feed to his oscar, right? and I walk up to him and say I hope he knows they are terrible feeders as they are a waste of money (he was buying a fancy goldie, not a feeder one), have little nutritive value, and can relay diseases to his oscar, so I recommended that he instead feed it oscar pellets and krill instead. and you know what that @$$hole said!?!? and I quote: "Where's the fun in that?" that sickko cares more about his satisfaction than the well-being of his fish, and to make it worse, he also said that he had it in a 10g aquarium, so I said he needs a 55g, bare minimum, and he said, and I quote, "But they just grow to the size of their enviroment!" I wish I knew where he lived so I could break into his house and save that poor oscar! :mad2: :(

[Gumby131]

well, the only reason i feed feed my angel live food, is the fun of watching him eat them... maybe that dude isnt so mean, maybe he just likes to watch hes fish stalk the feeder, while it is blissfully looking aroud its new home, and then CHOMP!!!. its all gone and there is no more feeder fish.

[tricksterpup]

does this surprise you at all?
To many people buy fish like this just to watch them kill some other fish. Its the attitude of having a predator and thinking its cool. The fish will get hole in the head due to lack of nutrients.
I went to a LFS and there was this guy who wanted to buy an Eel, a lion fish, and a trigger cause they were mean fish.

[fishcatch22]

yeah, but shouldn't he care wether if his fish is getting a good diet or not!?!?

[Zen4t5]

There is nothing wrong with feeding predatory fish live food. It is catergorized as a predatory fish for a reason. I think people humanize fish too much. It is more against nature that this fish is not eating live food. You just have to make sure the diet is supplemented. There is nothing wrong with the occasional junkfood (AKA Goldfish). I agree with fishcatch that the nutritional value of gold fish is crap and the ten gallon tank is cruel. This oscar does need to be saved.

[tricksterpup]

yeah, but shouldn't he care wether if his fish is getting a good diet or not!?!?
True, but giving them a natural diet from the wild would be feeding him Tetras and other expensive fish.
But yes, there is plenty of pelleted foods for them that would be perfect for them.
I am not really into predator fish, for the fact most people do not know how to properly care for them.

[hondamx]

He rather watch a fish get destroyed and have his fish get a disease then feed him some normal food and have a healthy oscar. He couldn't even have it be healthy even if he was feeding it right. !0 gallon tank. It's probably squished!!!!!!!

[IceH2O]

I raise convict fry soley for the reason of feeding to my Birchirs and Spotted Perches.My wifes guppy finally had a batch of fry that seem to be surviving, they'll eventually be fed to them also.

I enjoy watching the stalking, waiting and pouncing. Thats why I bought pred fish. Am I mean?

But I don't only feed them live food. They get it once a week, for 3 weeks or so and then they need to wait until another brood is ready.

I make sure my fish get a varied diet. There is nothing they get twice in a week.

[UncaBret]

I enjoy watching the stalking, waiting and pouncing. Thats why I bought pred fish. Am I mean?


Yes you are! You are a mean, terrible, mean, terrible not nice person that should be taken out in the street and flogged!!!!!

And you're a Mets fan! Double beatings!!

[IceH2O]

And you're a Mets fan! Double beatings!!

LMAO, Cubbie Fan???

You don't need to be punished, watching those games are punishment enough, lol.

[RockabillyChick]

oscars SHOULD be fed live foods, just not goldfish. they eat insects and crustaceans in the wild. the best live foods are crickets, worms, meal worms, shrimp, etc.

[fishcatch22]

yeah, I know, my mom LOVES oscars and has had one since I was born. he's in a 75g tank with a common pleco. that may be a little small for the two, but they have lived together in there for 5 years, no prob. he gets oscar pellets, earthworms, and live ghost shrimp.

[ChileRelleno]

1) O's are not true piscivores, they are omnivores who tend towards being predomininantly insectivores. They need and normally eat a widely varied diet and in the wild, other fish constitute a good percentage of that diet.
The feeding of feeders only, is the bad thing here.

2) Goldfish and etc, being coldwater fish, their body fat is higher and not generally soluble at a tropical fishes body temp, this leads to digestive disorders primarily in the liver. Same goes for mammilian/avian fats.
This too is a bad thing in this case.
The feeding of various tropical feeders negates this.

3)Housing, a 10gal is wholly insufficient, likely underfiltered too.
Bad water/ insufficient habitat and poor diet will cause stunting and disease, leading to a early death.
This is very bad and terribly sad, any like treatment of mammal/fowl would result in arrest for neglect/abuse.

Overall the topics situation indeed sucks, and the ignorance of said fishkeeper is abhorrent!
But let this ignorance stop here, let's be open and learn while we're here and other fish forums. :read:


But I'd like to take this opportunity to try and kill the ideas that feeder fish are very lacking nutitionally wise and that feeding live fish is cruel/inhumane, granted if done for sadistic pleasure it is wrong and sick, but!
Feeder fish (Properly cared for.) are very nutritous, particularly protein wise.
What is the most common main ingredient of many fish pellets, sticks and etc?
Fish and shrimp meals. I can provide nutrition facts if desired?...
Feeding a predatory fish, fish, is perfectly OK as long as they are part of a balanced/varied diet.
How can it be OK to feed other live foods but not fish? Just because we hold a spot in our hearts for fish? "BAH! Nonsense!" Food is food and your predatory fish will engage its instincts and be better for it, mentally and physically.

[ChileRelleno]

double post

[fishcatch22]

GOOD NEWS!!!! I saw the guy again and convinced him to buy a 55g and stop feeding goldfish, and the oscar in question is now in a 55g tank where it can grow up right (did I metion it was only 5" long?) and he now feeds it oscar pellets with a once a week treat of a live ghost shrimp.

[slowlyburn]

Who involved in this thread are vegetarians? All those people are excluded from my comment... SHUT UP!!! Are you kidding me? So you would be ok with me buying a feeder fish, killing it myself and then letting the fish eat it? You eating meat is no different than some guys fish eating another fish. Are hunters "mean, bad, nasty" because they kill YOUR food for you??? I understand the arguement of nutritional value but if you load your own stock of feeders than why not? Some people hunt and some dont. Some people like to watch and some dont i guess...

[dorkfish]

GOOD NEWS!!!! I saw the guy again and convinced him to buy a 55g and stop feeding goldfish, and the oscar in question is now in a 55g tank where it can grow up right (did I metion it was only 5" long?) and he now feeds it oscar pellets with a once a week treat of a live ghost shrimp.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[UncaBret]

LMAO, Cubbie Fan???

You don't need to be punished, watching those games are punishment enough, lol.
Heck,no! I'm not that much of a masochist! I perefer teams that occasionally at least make the play-offs.

[Rowangel]

But I'd like to take this opportunity to try and kill the ideas that feeder fish are very lacking nutitionally wise and that feeding live fish is cruel/inhumane, granted if done for sadistic pleasure it is wrong and sick, but!......Feeding a predatory fish, fish, is perfectly OK as long as they are part of a balanced/varied diet.

Nicely put. I feed live baby shrimp (sometimes fish) to my Spotted leaf fish once a week in addition to bloodworms and brine shrimp. And while I find it fascinating from a behavioral viewpoint how he hunts, I’m not doing it because I enjoy watching my fish ‘attack.’ I’m doing it because he requires fresh foods for his health and balanced diet.

[UncaBret]

GOOD NEWS!!!! I saw the guy again and convinced him to buy a 55g and stop feeding goldfish, and the oscar in question is now in a 55g tank where it can grow up right (did I metion it was only 5" long?) and he now feeds it oscar pellets with a once a week treat of a live ghost shrimp.
Wow, that is truly amazing. A complete turn-around. If I hadn't read it myself I would never believe it.

[cichlidkeeper91]

well, the only reason i feed feed my angel live food, is the fun of watching him eat them... maybe that dude isnt so mean, maybe he just likes to watch hes fish stalk the feeder, while it is blissfully looking aroud its new home, and then CHOMP!!!. its all gone and there is no more feeder fish.
well you are killing you fish you know that right. My fish died like that and I regret doing that all of it.