"Cookie" wrote in message
om...
"T" wrote in message
thlink.net...
"CanadianCray" wrote in message
...
snip
"Cookie" wrote in message
om...
Ok, I saw this 6 in Needlenose Gar (Xenetodon Cancila) at
PetsMart,
and wondered if it would be compatible with my 4 in Tiger Oscar,
4
giant danios, and 1 plec. I have the 50 gallon tank at 75 F and
am
currently feeding freeze dried krill, bloodworms, tubifex, and
tropical flakes (not all at once though
:-) I haven't found much info on the web or in fish books. I
understand that they will eat fish (but so does Oscar and can
be fed
krill and pellets. How big do they get? Will they quarrel?



I don't think tubifex worms are good to give to Oscars.. Don't know
about
the Gar.. Although a really intresting fish... Seen a 12 inch Gar
recently
housed with a couple of 10 inch Pacu's.. Talk about contrast...

Tim...


Tim:

What aren't tubifex worms good to give to Oscars?

I don't know why Tim would advise against feeding tubifex worms, but it
probably has something to do with HITH (hole in the head) which is a
disease which more commonly affects large fish like Oscars. The
conclusive cause for HITH had not been determined, with the evidence
pointing to poor diet (vitamin/mineral deficiencies), and/or parasites
and/or water quality, and more probably, some combination of the three.
Tubifex worms naturally exist in a very dirty environment (mostly
bacterially), so there is reasonable concern that they might be a carrier
for HITH. I think Hikari irradiates their tubifex worms, and
freeze-dried worms might not present a problem (I don't know). In any
case, tubifex worms quickly become too small to be of interest to large
carnivores. hth

NetMax