Oscar feeding

[RD.]

Also, after reviewing the two foods that you are feeding, I would personally drop the Aqueon Shrimp pellets from the rotation for the next several days, and see if things improve. The Aqueon pellets have a max of 8% fiber, the Omega 2%. I do not know of any research that demonstrates that Oscars require a high fiber diet (8%), and I personally would feed less of that food (Aqueon) and more of the Omega, eventually replacing the Aqueon altogether with a more suitable choice, my preference being NLS.

HTH

 

[lardieleftover]

Thank you very much I was feeding the aqueon shrimp pellets left over from some other tanks a while back. Makes sense now

 

[RD.]

I recently posted the following in another discussion and thought that this info might interest you as well.

According to the experts, studies on oscar fish feeding habits are still scarce (SILVA, 2005) and ingredient digestibility is poorly known.

The study below is from 2012, which determined that carbohydrate rich ingredients were poorly digested and therefore not used efficiently by juvenile oscars. Keep in mind this would hold true for both commercial foods, as well as fresh/frozen foods.



http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-86722012000200006&script=sci_arttext

Carnivorous fish use protein and fat efficiently, but not carbohydrates because they lack the enzymes needed to digest this material (HIDALGO et al., 1999). Despite evidence that intestinal bacteria of oscars can digest proteins, carbohydrates and fats (RAMIREZ; DIXON, 2003), the present study indicates that nutrient use by juvenile oscars is similar to that of carnivorous fish. Other cichlids such as the Nile tilapia also do not use dietary carbohydrates efficiently (SHIAU, 2002).

A study on the digestive enzymes of 11 teleost fish showed that these enzymes are not related to type of diet or fish feeding behavior (CHAKRABARTI et al., 1995). According to the authors, fish can occupy more than one ecological niche because most of the species are opportunistic. Moreover, the food source varies according to its availability in the environment. The feeding habits of oscars range from omnivorous to carnivorous and their ecological niche is still a matter of discussion (SILVA, 2005). Considering that fish are opportunistic and that in the Amazon basin (the natural habitat of oscars) food availability varies greatly throughout the year, evaluation of stomach contents can provide misleading results on its feeding behavior. Therefore, this can be better assessed by investigating the digestive strategy for nutrient utilization (CHAKRABARTI et al., 1995).

HTH

 

[Oscared]

Is Hikari a good choice for Oscars as well?