# Young oscar eating everything! Please help!



## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Hey guys, my oscar is about 3 inches at the moment in a 180 gallon tank with Bristlenose plecos and Clown loaches.
Whenever I use algae disks to feed my bottom feeders or algae eaters, Jimmy (The red tiger oscar) goes straight for their food and swallows it whole.
I'm worried he is eating too much because I feed him a homemade food as well as cichlid crisps.
The homemade about twice a week and cichlid crisps the rest.
I just worry that he eats too much, even in the middle of the night he gobbles them up.
Any ideas?
Also, any idea when he'll begin to actually show some red?

Thanks!


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

That's the problem with mixing different kinds of fish. You might want to think about getting a small sinking pellet food. The Oscar won't be able to eat them all before some of them sink to the bottom where the loaches and pleco can get to them.


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

or distract him with some krill or something floating while the disc sinks


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

Let the sinking food slide down inside a tube :thumb: .


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Okay, the tube sounds good.
I can distract him with other foods when he swims off with his food all proud.
But when he finally is able to swallow he just comes back and gobbles everything up.
I have a dark and light side to the tank but I've tried dropping it everywhere.
With the tube idea, is 1" or 2" PVC pipe and just put the food in there, and let them eat it?
I may have to wait until Jimmy is a bit bigger and can't fit into the pipe.
Oh well.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Great Idea Boost! :thumb: I would slide the food down the tube and get it close pleco and loaches and see what happens. Even better distract Jimmy with a little food for him why you sneak the tube in and bingo hope it works for ya!


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Hey guys, I tried using a round takeaway container and cutting some 1" slits down the side.
But it wouldn't sink, and Jimmy is relentless.
I worry because my loaches are small and I need them to start growing a bit bigger, and same with the plecos.
If you have seen any DIY ideas for a bottom feeder food trap.
I try and teach him to not eat it by trying to scare him away when he does, but he just hides.
Spoilt fatty!


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## johncl (Mar 10, 2010)

Feed other fish after lights out.


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

I have tried that as I said.
But he still eats it.


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## gnomemagi (Jun 13, 2009)

You will probably run into an issue - the Oscar is going to outgrow the loaches / pleco quite quickly, and then may see them as a snack himself.

In a year, a 3" Oscar is going to be 12". In a year, a 3" Clown Loach (much bigger than what you get in most stores) will probably only be 4.5" or so.


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Yeah, that was always something I knew would happen.
Jimmy isn't violent moreso just hungry.
But I understand what you mean.
I was thinking of adding more hides.
At the moment I have rocks making a U shape, a hollow round log, and a driftwood upright log.
But as for hides I was thinking of making a pipe triangle out of 1" pipe.
Like so-
O
OO
OOO

Or something abouts that.
But any ideas?


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

use the tube to drop the disc down to the bottom vertically... top of the tube out of the water and bottom of the tube slightly into the substrate... leave it sitting there for a second so you're sure it's all the way to the bottom and them pull the tube out.


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

the tube is a good idea. I feed a small amount on the opposite side of the tank and the O goes for it....while she goes to that end I dump the rest into the tank for the rest to get a chance.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

smart idea rice :wink:


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## johncl (Mar 10, 2010)

grenouillepwns said:


> I have tried that as I said.
> But he still eats it.


Sorry didn't see that in your post.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

Try cucumber slices, just peel the skin and slice it. Keep it in big slices and hook it to a fork or it will float. 
My pleco loves cucumbers, dunno if the loaches will eat it or not, my O's nibble on it and look for something else.


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Okay thanks alot guys.
Most of those things I have tried haha, like the baiting the O and then feeding the others.
Hopefully they'll get bigger and then Jimmy will be scared of him.

Thanks!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

doubtful on jimmy being scared lol


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## grenouillepwns (Apr 4, 2010)

Hahahahaha, I can always hope.
Tonight was pretty bad, he ate about 4 algae disks and 4 bottom feeder shrimp things, after eating his cichlid crisps, his stomach completely swelled up and he's having trouble swimming.
He was so insistent on eating everything, now he wont eat the peas I try and give him.
Feck.

I'm not going to feed him for 2 days.
And pray that he stops eating everything, and doesn't eat a pleco.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Smart idea let him get cleaned out! I'm having the same problem to now lol. So I feel your pain but good luck :thumb:


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