Oscar Not Eating Help!

[trapidz]

hi, i got my oscar a few days ago, hes about 12 - 14" and since i got him he dont eat or anything, ive offered him pellets and prawns (all i got at the moment) but he refusing to eat anything.
 
what can i do to get him to eat im just worried he might just stop eating and die through it.
 
 
many thanks Jon

 

[nellynelly]

Do not panic, oscars are right diva's...... If in a few weeks still not eating then try something, best thing to do is leave it a few days, then try, try a varied diet too as cichlids become fussy, if you can find feeder shrimp try these, bloodworm, hiraki floating pellets

 

[Mikey1]

relax and give him time.....i wouldnt worry if he didnt eat for a week, after that its an issue
 
just make sure all uneaten food is cleaned up and not left in the tank....
 
i would just leave him for another day or two and not feed at all

 

[trapidz]

oh thank you, he seems to be trying to move the caves/rocks at the moment so he might still be settleing in. he aint scared if i go upto the tank dont go and hide, untill i open the lid to feed the other fish he shoots to the bottom on the tank and lays there
 
do you have a list i can feed him. like i no he will eat pellets, but like anything else also like homemade as well if they can eat anything like that.
 
thanks


all the other fish eat whats put in there so its no waste, but i cant stop puting food in there as the other fish lol

 

[ShannonKoletti]

Oscars love live food. So perhaps try with that. Bloodworms or krill. Shrimp are really good for them. They like a variety of different food and you can even feed them fruit like apples. I got my oscar when he was about 10cm and I fed him mostly really expensive large pellets then I rotated between bloodworms, and he grew to about 12 inches so I guess I was doing something right.

 

[trapidz]

what shrimps? live? and would i have to breed these?

 

[ShannonKoletti]

No they don't have to be live, any shrimp with the tail still on. Bit expensive but they're really good for them. You just buy them from a local store. You can also buy small live feeding yabbies from your local pet store which would do about the same thing as the shrimp.

 

[trapidz]

ok im going to a LFS tommorrow to have a look see what they have and be buying him a friend as he was with other oscars before i got him

 

[nellynelly]

I feed mine Hiraki green and gold, bottom feeder pellets, frozen bloodworm, deshelled peas, frozen prawns, flake, frozen mussels, crab, get a sea food mix every now and again, rotating and never feeding just one food...... its good to do feeding spardically, missing the odd day, some days missing two days together,


Oscars will arrange tank how they like it, Everytime u open lid its now thinking its going to get caught, fish do remember contary to belief, just give him time, make sure u keep up on water changes and have great filteration, keep an eye on him with the bristlenoses, esp the younger ones