What do I feed baby Oscar Fish?
That’s the one question I’ve been getting after posting the following Instagram reel –
This video shows my oscars’ growth in the past 1 year. So, in this guide, I’ll share a list of food you should feed your baby oscar fish.
Here we go –
13 Foods I Recommended for your Baby Oscar Fish
Flakes and Pallets
Flakes and Pallets are the two best fish foods to start feeding your baby oscar fish. So, after setting up your new fish tank, you can start feeding flakes and pellets to your oscar fish.
Granules
Since pallets are hard to chiew for baby oscars, they tend to cause mouth deformation in a Juvy oscar of at least 3 inch.
So, if you notice any kind of deformation in your oscar’s jaw, you should stop feeding them pallets and replace them with something soft like granules in their diet.
Tubifex worms
Tubifex worms are a good food source for baby Oscar fish. They are high in protein and can be bought online or found in your backyard.
When you’re ready to feed them, just drop them into the tank with your baby Oscar fish, who will be more than happy to eat them up.
Earthworms
Earthworms are a great source of protein, and they also contain a lot of iron and of amino acids.
These nutrients are essential in helping your baby oscar fish grow properly.
Iron content present in earthworms helps the blood cells in your baby Oscar’s body do their job by delivering oxygen throughout his body.
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Blackworms
Blackworms are a great food to feed baby Oscar fish, especially when they’re first born. They’re small and easy for a baby Oscar to eat and provide the protein that young fish need.
Blackworms can be easily found in many pet stores, both online and offline pet stores.
If you want more than just one worm per feeding, try placing the blackworms into the water instead of on top of dry land.
Once Oscars have grown past their initial stages, however, there are other foods I recommend switching up with some other options.
Crickets
Crickets are also a high-protein food for your baby fish. This helps them develop properly and proliferate. Crickets also contain calcium, so they are suitable for developing their bones.
The fat content in crickets is minimal, so you don’t have to worry about your baby fish getting fat!
Crickets contain vitamin B12 and chitin, both of which are beneficial for their overall growth.
Mealworms
If you want your baby oscar fish to grow faster, you need to feed them a high-protein diet derived from carnivores’ food.
And mealworms for oscar fish are a great addition.
These types of food contain all the nutrients the Oscars need for their growth.
You can use frozen ones if you don’t want to feed your Oscar fish live worms or crickets.
However, ensure they are alive when feeding these diets because dead worms will not provide enough nutrition for your fish to grow properly!
The most nutritious way would be gradually introducing them onto chopped-up small pieces of dried shrimps first before adding flakes that contain various drinks such as krill, squid & clam, etc., followed by frozen, dried mealworms.
Peas and other chopped veggies
Peas are a great source of Vitamin C and plant protein. Therefore making it an excellent food for baby Oscar fish.
You can also mix peas with chopped veggies such as spinach, green beans, cucumber, and zucchini for a treat full of vitamins and minerals.
P.S. You can also use frozen chopped veggies for later use.
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Silkworm pupae
Silkworm pupae are the larvae of silkworms, a type of moth.
They are sold in a can and often look like tiny brown worms.
You can find them in both online and offline markets.
You can feed your fish one at a time or three at a time—either way is okay as long as you do not overfeed them.
Brine shrimp
Brine shrimp are one of the best foods you can feed your baby Oscar fish. They are small, saltwater crustaceans that you can easily culture in your home aquarium.
Brine shrimp contain a lot of protein and are easy to feed your fish.
Fun Fact #1 – Some people also call these tiny creatures sea monkeys.
If you decide to feed brine shrimp to Oscar fish, remember that they will only be able to eat them if they’re less than twice their size.
Scallops
Scallops are also a good source of protein and contain vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, beta carotene (a form of vitamin A), niacin, selenium, zinc, folate, and iron.
Scallops have lots of calcium, so they make a good choice if you are trying to avoid high phosphorus levels in your tank.
Krill
Krill is a good source of protein, which is excellent for baby Oscar fish. It’s also easy to feed and can be used to introduce your fish to new foods.
If you’re looking for something that sticks with Oscar’s natural diet and provides them with the necessary nutrients, krill is your best bet.
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Chopped up Superworms
Chopped-up super worms are another great source of protein for your baby oscar fish.
They are also effortless to find and keep alive, so if you’re looking for an easy way to get more protein into your fish’s diet, this is it!
You can feed superworms to Oscars just as quickly as they can be fed to other types of fish. This makes them a versatile food source that works perfectly with any tank setup.
Once you’ve decided to feed your baby oscar fish with superworms, make sure to feed them in groups (but not too big for your oscar fish tank).
How much should you feed them?
Oscar fish have large stomachs compared to their bodies (which means they can hold more food!), but their jaws only open wide enough for about half an inch—so if you’re feeding them a piece of food bigger than this size, it won’t fit!
If yours does manage to swallow something too big for its mouth, don’t panic—it’ll just pass through on its own (and may even help clean out any parasites or bacteria in there).
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Conclusion
I hope this article has given you some ideas for ‘What Should You Feed Your Baby Oscar Fish.’ If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to reach us at [email protected].