Oscar diet

Question
QUESTION: I have a pleco and i feed him algea wafers. I have had him for 3 1/2 weeks. I found that he needs more in his diet. What should I feed him or that enough.

ANSWER: Hi Tombo,
Pleco like all kinds of food...here is a list:

They must have Bogwood or Driftwood, as most plecos eat wood, and need it in their diet.

Shrimp Pellets
Frozen Bloodworms
Sturgeon Pellets

Deshelled Peas
Zucchini
Cucumber
Romaine Lettuce ..not iceberg
Spinach..mine love spinach
Caulifour
Melon, and Melon rind
Peeled Potatoe
Fresh Shrimp
Some people tell me they also eat carrots, and sweet potatoes.


The veggies I would blanch first.  Put them in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, and then under cold water or ice water.  This is to insure that there is no pesticide left on them.

You can use a fork, or a spoon to secure it to the bottom of the tank.  Elastic around a rock works well to secure lettuce, there are also suction cups that work well also.

I'm sure there are many other foods that plecos eat, but these are the main ones.
Hope this helped.
Lynda








---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What would be a good diet for an oscar. I give him brine shrimp and
boodworms. He doesn't like carrots

Answer
Hi!
An Oscar will eat brine shrimp. frozen blood worms, Beef Heart, Oscar Pellets made by Hikari or Tetra, a good quality flake. all dried food is good for Oscars, and well as the frozen ones.
Oscars also love mealworms that you should find at your pet store, and if you really want to give him a good treat, get a box of mealworms, and let them stand there for a couple of weeks...they will turn out to be little black beetles, and Oscars love them!
Never feed your Oscar feeder fish.  They have no nutritional value, and they are full of disease.  When eaten by an Oscar the Oscar will get the disease the feeder had.  There are no chances to take, and with all the food available to us today, we do not need to take these chances.  Never overfeed an Oscar.  Feed him until he can eat for 2-3 minutes, 2-3 times a day.
Also I would like to add the the size of his tank is very important.  In order to be happy, and healthy, an Oscar needs a 55 gallon tank all to himself.  If he does not have a tank to suit his needs, his growth will be stunted, and his internal organs will not be able to grow properly causing sickness, and death.  The Oscar is one of the most mistreated fish, through no fault of the person who buys this fish but the fault of the vendor who does not give the right information just to make a buck!  We get so attached to our Oscars, it's a sin that some are treated badly.   Two Oscars need 120 gallons, three oscars 180 gallons and so on, so you can imagine how important this is to an Oscar.  Water Changes every week are also very important to your fish.  Check for ammonia, and nitrates every week, and do 25% water changes every week with a good water conditioner such as stress coat.
Hope this helps
Lynda