sl wrote in message . ..
he will eat flake. but i've tried 3 brands of cichlid pellets. he
might mouth them, then spit them out. if i feed flakes the other
oscars won't eat pellets, flakes only. also the flakes don't seem
substantial enough to satisfy a largish oscar. what can i do? is he
in a down spiral? i do regular changes, vacuuming, the water is
clear, and all levels are in optimal tolerances. but this has been
going on about 2 months where flakes or nothing. i have a couple
cory's that i don't want eaten. he will eat feeders, but i've heard
feeders are an empty food for tank kept fish, and should only be
occasional food. i have tried krill, bloodworms when he was smaller.
could he have painful gums or something? thanks


Still feed him krill and bloodworms. If he is eating flake, then
technically there is no problem. Feeders aren't neccessarily "empty"
food, but you shouldn't just feed feeders. There is a possiblity of
introducing diseases from the feeders. Why not try plain frozen (thaw
if first) shrimp, live ghost shrimp. Try crickets too. If you are
feeding him enough flakes that are high in protien and/or are
formulated for carnivorous fish or cichlids, then he can thrive on
that.

Hope this helps,

--Cookie