The Infamous Oscar Appetite

[Serpentine]

I'd heard that Oscars were pigs but I didn't properly appreciate it until I got a couple of them, a little lutino and a little red. They are all of maybe 3 inches long if we're being generous.

Feeding them is like throwing chum off a boat into a group of circling great white sharks. They see me reach for the food canister and start dancing with excitement, unable to contain themselves. The food barely hits the water before there's a tremendous splash and gulp. They jockey for position, mouths open and eagerly waiting as more food falls from the sky. It doesn't matter if a piece turns out to be slightly too big. They make it work. They devour each morsel as if it's the first they've ever had and the last they'll ever get. The other tank denizens wisely stay out of the feeding frenzy and wait their turns.

I have a bunch of tanks with everything from festae, Texas, jewel, Uaru, firemouth, blood parrot, angelfish, German blue ram, Geophagus abalios, festivum and blue Acara cichlids. Throw in a silver Arowana, big plecos and some black ghost knives to boot. They all have healthy appetites and some are pushier than others. None of them are THAT insane about food. My goodness.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. The hype is real. Those piggies will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. It's quite something to see. Woodchippers with fins.

 

[Matteus]

I'd heard that Oscars were pigs but I didn't properly appreciate it until I got a couple of them, a little lutino and a little red. They are all of maybe 3 inches long if we're being generous.

Feeding them is like throwing chum off a boat into a group of circling great white sharks. They see me reach for the food canister and start dancing with excitement, unable to contain themselves. The food barely hits the water before there's a tremendous splash and gulp. They jockey for position, mouths open and eagerly waiting as more food falls from the sky. It doesn't matter if a piece turns out to be slightly too big. They make it work. They devour each morsel as if it's the first they've ever had and the last they'll ever get. The other tank denizens wisely stay out of the feeding frenzy and wait their turns.

I have a bunch of tanks with everything from festae, Texas, jewel, Uaru, firemouth, blood parrot, angelfish, German blue ram, Geophagus abalios, festivum and blue Acara cichlids. Throw in a silver Arowana, big plecos and some black ghost knives to boot. They all have healthy appetites and some are pushier than others. None of them are THAT insane about food. My goodness.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. The hype is real. Those piggies will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. It's quite something to see. Woodchippers with fins.

So poetic and very true. The first year or so is always so fun to watch them eat. Then they develop an attitude that can never be compared to anything else.

 

[Serpentine]

Is that the water puppy personality that I've heard about?

Or do I need to watch my back?

 

[Matteus]

Is that the water puppy personality that I've heard about?

Or do I need to watch my back?

Both. It’s cute at first but it has its moments. Last night I did something really dumb and risky and my o ended up eating one of my prize fish. I came up stairs and saw it swimming around like it was so proud of itself. I was like “oh no, what did you do?” Turned on the light to see one missing and another with some serious chew marks on it’s body. (Which means the entire fish was in his mouth for some period of time, as their teeth are in their throat). So I didn’t know what to do at 1:30 am, put it in a bucket with an air stone. He thrashed around for a solid 30 seconds straight, as if to say “f you” to me.


So to conclude, if you have any doubts whatsoever about the Oscar eating another fish, even if it is really fast, and even if there are lots of hiding spaces, and even if there are other fishes in its tank smaller than the ones being introduced, don’t do it. Here’s the general rule for oscars: if it fits in its mouth, it will be eaten, if it doesn’t fit in its mouth, it will still do everything possible to try. Much like what you already said in your op.

 

[Serpentine]

Alas one of my young clown loaches already found this out the hard way. I grabbed my lutino and shook the loach out of her mouth but he was too messed up. I hadn't thought he would fit in her mouth. Wrong.

 

[Go_redfish]

Pics? We love us some oscars around here!

 

[Jexnell]

After eight months of living together.......

 

[Matteus]

Alas one of my young clown loaches already found this out the hard way. I grabbed my lutino and shook the loach out of her mouth but he was too messed up. I hadn't thought he would fit in her mouth. Wrong.

Exact same thing happened to me after about 3 months living together.

 

[Matteus]

This is how I found the first cl that my Oscar chewed up. Both eyes popped and the spine jammed out. Died the next day. Then I found him with another one the next day so I switched out the cls for a bigger sized modesta that are faster growers and more aggressive. It has been successful so far.

 

[FINWIN]

I'd heard that Oscars were pigs but I didn't properly appreciate it until I got a couple of them, a little lutino and a little red. They are all of maybe 3 inches long if we're being generous.

Feeding them is like throwing chum off a boat into a group of circling great white sharks. They see me reach for the food canister and start dancing with excitement, unable to contain themselves. The food barely hits the water before there's a tremendous splash and gulp. They jockey for position, mouths open and eagerly waiting as more food falls from the sky. It doesn't matter if a piece turns out to be slightly too big. They make it work. They devour each morsel as if it's the first they've ever had and the last they'll ever get. The other tank denizens wisely stay out of the feeding frenzy and wait their turns.

I have a bunch of tanks with everything from festae, Texas, jewel, Uaru, firemouth, blood parrot, angelfish, German blue ram, Geophagus abalios, festivum and blue Acara cichlids. Throw in a silver Arowana, big plecos and some black ghost knives to boot. They all have healthy appetites and some are pushier than others. None of them are THAT insane about food. My goodness.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. The hype is real. Those piggies will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. It's quite something to see. Woodchippers with fins.

Yup, my Brick is the same way. When he was tiny (2-3") he'd bounce off other fish to get food. Now that he's 8" he just opens his mouth wide like a big maw and inhales clusters of pellets...then leaps out of the water and grabs my knucke!