Oscar growth and diet

[Wesley M]

So my 3 Oscars are doing really well for the most part. They all eat pellets like they will never eat again. Right they're just eating NLS cichlasoma formula, and Cobalt Aquatics shrimp pellets. The shrimp pellets say they're meant to be used along side a staple pellet. The NLS is my staple pellet for now. My tiger Oscar and albino tiger eat the NLS and the shrimp pellets, however the red will only eat the shrimp pellets. As a result he seems to be growing significantly slower. He just spits out the NLS. I've tried starving him for a couple days but he won't have it. I'm worried to do it for too long because he is so small already and not eating the good food. (on a side not he may be genetically messed up because his fins the stick down from the belly are deformed and abnormally tiny.)

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[notho2000]

You may have hit it on the head. External deformation may be indicative of something internal not being quite right as well. This fish would probably not survive in nature, and in the aquarium might end up being a bit of a runt. The fact that it is eating at all is a good sign, and it might be just a matter of time before it starts taking the other food. At this stage, he might be intimidated by the other larger, more aggressive Oscars. Time will tell. If he's not able to compete for food he'll continue to fall behind. Another option is to give him his own tank for a while and attempt to get him "caught up".

 

[flowerhornfishman]

yeah, . my cousins had two oscars once, and the other grew slower than the other one. as a result, the bigger one ate the smaller one. O.O we dont want tht to happen to u. good luck with him though.

 

[Reaper13]

Shrimp pellets are a treat & should only be fed here/there as such. It likes the shrimp better & therefore it won't eat the main nls pellet. Feed your staple pellet till everyone eats it on the regular. At that age feed only till their bellies get slightly rounded then quit. Better to slightly under feed than over feed. Another option is to feed another pellet beside nls. Maybe everyone can get use to the new pellet together.

There is no sure fire way to make all of them workout so be patient & just be prepared to rehome one if need be. It's tricky mixing a group of oscars as they are loners by nature.

 

[Wesley M]

Thank you, I'll try incorporating another pellet. I'll have to crush up some larger pellets (it's all I have on hand). Should I start them on Omega one cichlid pellets, hikari cichlid gold, or hikari cichlid staple?

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[Wesley M]

Reaper, my original plan was to get the three and raise them as long as possible while deciding the one I liked best. Then keep the favorite for life. But damn if I don't love all three of them! I've already come up with names for them haha the albino tiger is Double B (bawl bag) because every time something in the tank changes or someone steals his food he goes and pout in the corner haha the red is named runt (because he's kinda deformed and small). And the tiger is named pig (because he eats the most and gets fat haha) I'm going to focus on not overfeeding them now.

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[Empyreal]

I feed my oscar omega one cichlid and southern delight, with a few freeze dried krill every now and them. He loves all (prob SD the most) and has grown a good 4 inches and prob 0.5in in girth since I got him. He's in my profile pic

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[flowerhornfishman]

Reaper, my original plan was to get the three and raise them as long as possible while deciding the one I liked best. Then keep the favorite for life. But damn if I don't love all three of them! I've already come up with names for them haha the albino tiger is Double B (bawl bag) because every time something in the tank changes or someone steals his food he goes and pout in the corner haha the red is named runt (because he's kinda deformed and small). And the tiger is named pig (because he eats the most and gets fat haha) I'm going to focus on not overfeeding them now.

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hahah, ure oscars sure has some funny personalities there. but ure Double B is the funniest. the way he pouts on the corner when his food was stolen. hahah cute .
btw,i name my oscar Pyonsuke, for no reason. xDD i feed it earthworms sometimes shrimps and nightcrawlers. my koi always chase him when he steal the worms from them hahah.