i’ve had this 12-14 inch oscar for about two months now and he still hasn’t eaten anything i’ve offered him guppies shrimp frozen food pellets and he seems to have no interest in any of it what should i do?? he’s been in a 300 gal but has temporarily been in a 50 for the past 3 days both tanks have had consistent water changes and perfect water quality that i’ve been testing daily
huge oscar won’t eat
- Thread starter jackson palaszewsky
- Start date
What did the previous owner feed the oscar? And how old is that thing anyway? A 14" oscar has got to be a little long in the tooth.
The short version is that most of the typical adult carnivores in my experience can go a couple months w/ out eating and not suffer in the least however, they don't go three months very often. What differences are there in the tank and feeding he came from as opposed to what you've provided so far?
The short version is that most of the typical adult carnivores in my experience can go a couple months w/ out eating and not suffer in the least however, they don't go three months very often. What differences are there in the tank and feeding he came from as opposed to what you've provided so far?
Try some floating pallets
Finding out what previous owner provided would be helpful
I agree with making an effort to find out what he was fed by his previous owner. He must have been eating something to get that big! Plenty of fish are fed a single food for so long that they become "addicted" to it and may become picky about switching, but Oscars are generally very easy feeders that will always eat if conditions are right. An Oscar hunger-strike is usually pretty short.
Why did you put him into a 50-gallon shoebox, with little room to move and very unstable water conditions? That move certainly isn't an ideal step towards improving his appetite. I understand that there may be emergency situations that call for a temporary move into a very small enclosure, but in those cases the best course is to reduce or eliminate feeding altogether for a short period of time to preserve water quality...which of course is not an issue with a well-fed fish, but can be hard on a fish that is not eating to begin with.
If his water and tank conditions are indeed good...and that's a big "if" because it sure sounds like something is messing with him...then I would suggest getting some live nightcrawlers from a bait shop. I consider them to be just about the most irresistible food for any carnivorous fish; if they don't get him eating, then there is something truly wrong with his circumstances and you need to figure out what it is.
Why did you put him into a 50-gallon shoebox, with little room to move and very unstable water conditions? That move certainly isn't an ideal step towards improving his appetite. I understand that there may be emergency situations that call for a temporary move into a very small enclosure, but in those cases the best course is to reduce or eliminate feeding altogether for a short period of time to preserve water quality...which of course is not an issue with a well-fed fish, but can be hard on a fish that is not eating to begin with.
If his water and tank conditions are indeed good...and that's a big "if" because it sure sounds like something is messing with him...then I would suggest getting some live nightcrawlers from a bait shop. I consider them to be just about the most irresistible food for any carnivorous fish; if they don't get him eating, then there is something truly wrong with his circumstances and you need to figure out what it is.