Felix versus the Fry

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Ulu

Ulu

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2018
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The Sunny San Joaquin
I have a 12" Oscar named Felix in a 75g, all alone. He fights with other fish I've tried, so he's had no mates until recently.

fel2.jpg

My brackish system is breeding guppies and mollies like magic, and I'm out of space. This was shot before the fry explosion. It's now 40 gals of hungry fry and fingerlings.
49.jpg

So I put some 120 fry about 1/4" to 1-1/4" long into the Oscar tank. I assumed he'd eat them quickly. This isn't happening.
He does seem a bit put out at times though...

fel1.jpg

Being confronted with multiple schools of fish at once was a new thing for Felix. He's eaten a few, but it has been quite far from the carnage I expected. I guess Oscars really aren't piscavores at heart. Mine has been raised mostly on worms, crawlers, mealworms and pellets. A few crickets, but I hate crickets. He loves them, but doesn't seem to understand schools of fry.

Young Felix munching on a cricket.

w2.jpg

He's got that bass-mouth vacuum cleaner extention thing going on.

I'd previously tried just a few guppies at once, and they generally vanished until just a couple were left hiding under the sponges.

guppies.jpg
]
Anyhow, today's survey shows many gravid mollies and guppies to feed, and a surplus of juvenile fish. I'm just going to start feeding them to the cats soon.
 
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Too much work to catch all those tiny taste crackers! Felix wants bigger snacks, lol. ? I'm all too familiar with that "open bass mouth". I swear I think my O Brick could hold a golf ball in his maw when he yawns!
 
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In my experience with Oscars is that they are piscavorves. Think of it this was, you have a great white shark vrs a school of mackerel. The shark isn't going to bother spending the energy trying to catch something that won't even provide the same amount it just spent trying to hunt it. I've had Oscars that would even bat an eye at a 1-2in guppy but the moment you put in a 3-4in feeder minnow and Bam it's and instant feeding frenzy. The Oscars didn't want to spend the energy trying to catch such a minimal reward but the moment a bigger prize is available they are all over it. It's the same with night crawlers and a cube of blood worms, it's a far greater reward for much less effort.
 
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Ulu said:
I have a 12" Oscar named Felix in a 75g, all alone. He fights with other fish I've tried, so he's had no mates until recently.

View attachment 1407665

My brackish system is breeding guppies and mollies like magic, and I'm out of space. This was shot before the fry explosion. It's now 40 gals of hungry fry and fingerlings.
View attachment 1407669

So I put some 120 fry about 1/4" to 1-1/4" long into the Oscar tank. I assumed he'd eat them quickly. This isn't happening.
He does seem a bit put out at times though...

View attachment 1407664

Being confronted with multiple schools of fish at once was a new thing for Felix. He's eaten a few, but it has been quite far from the carnage I expected. I guess Oscars really aren't piscavores at heart. Mine has been raised mostly on worms, crawlers, mealworms and pellets. A few crickets, but I hate crickets. He loves them, but doesn't seem to understand schools of fry.

Young Felix munching on a cricket.

View attachment 1407670

He's got that bass-mouth vacuum cleaner extention thing going on.

I'd previously tried just a few guppies at once, and they generally vanished until just a couple were left hiding under the sponges.

View attachment 1407666
]
Anyhow, today's survey shows many gravid mollies and guppies to feed, and a surplus of juvenile fish. I'm just going to start feeding them to the cats soon.
Click to expand...
Lol just get a juvinile flowerhorn and you won't have to worry about all them juviniles anymore.
 
Magnus_Bane said:
In my experience with Oscars is that they are piscavorves. Think of it this was, you have a great white shark vrs a school of mackerel. The shark isn't going to bother spending the energy trying to catch something that won't even provide the same amount it just spent trying to hunt it. I've had Oscars that would even bat an eye at a 1-2in guppy but the moment you put in a 3-4in feeder minnow and Bam it's and instant feeding frenzy. The Oscars didn't want to spend the energy trying to catch such a minimal reward but the moment a bigger prize is available they are all over it. It's the same with night crawlers and a cube of blood worms, it's a far greater reward for much less effort.
Click to expand...

Yeah, too small is like trying to eat rice one piece at a time!! Can't even get the flavor... :grinno:
 
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Backfromthedead said:
He'll get them all eventually.
Click to expand...
If he's anything like the ones I had, he will eventually eat them as long as they get close enough. Mine didn't go totally out of their way just to get a snack but if one got just a few inches away from its mouth you'd see this basic shoulder shrug moment of "well, might as well if it's just gonna sit there".
 
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