# Large oscars and live feeding.



## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

I have large oscars and i am considering adding some guppies to the tank,with the hope they will breed and provide a food supply that they will have to work for.I know this wouldnt be something everyone would consider but thinking about it logically in the wild smaller fish would be hunted by larger predatory fish.I have a very large tank with large rocks with plenty of hidey holes,I think the stimulation of hunting will make life more interesting for the oscars,what does everyone think??


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

I guess alot of people won't like that idea.. but you do get people breeding white mice for snake food don't you? 
I suppose it might work.


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

thats true but facts remain that its perfectly natural in the wild that the bigger fish eat the smaller ones! they have plenty of room to hide,


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## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

Try it and see, just hope you dont have a fish that eats loads and loads lol


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

Fishyfins said:


> ok, this is really not a good idea, and its really not fair on the guppies. mostly because the adult guppies will be eaten themselves, long before they get a chance to breed.
> 
> as with a lot of the pet trade, aquarists are very much against this sort of thing, because there is absolutely no need for it whatsoever. if the oscars are eating provided food, then they will live a happy life anyray, and there is no need to use feeder fish to feed them. another good argument against it is that when the feeder fish is introduced into a small tank, it has no chance to escape, and such a contrived situation cannot be considered natural in any meaningful sense. a good example on a larger scale is one from the UK only a few months ago, where a private landowner wanted to fence off a large proportion of his forested land with very secure fencing, to be able to keep a pack of wolves. planing permission was eventually refused, because any other animals caught in the fence, such as rabbits, wouldnt be able to escape being eaten, and this was seen a severe breach of animal welfare laws. although in an aquarium its on a much smaller scale, the principle is the same. no possible escape = bad!
> 
> ...


interesting,the only thing that would put me off is the risk of the oscars health,The bit about the law sounds a bit iffy though,have you a link to confirm this?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

I can't quite believe that you actually want to do this, and I'm even more apalled that the suffering and subsequent death of the guppies doesn't bother you in the slightest 

I have provided a link to the Animal Welfare Act and quoted section 4. I strongly recommend that you read it.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/pdf/ukpga_20060045_en.pdf



> *4 Unnecessary suffering*
> *(1)* A person commits an offence if
> (a) an act of his, or a failure of his to act, causes an animal to suffer,
> (b) he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the act, or failure to
> ...


And from Defra's website:



> Anything which occurs in the normal course of fishing (including commercial fishing and angling) is exempted from the Act. *However, all fish for which a person is responsible (such as pet fish, ornamental fish and farmed fish) will be protected under the Act.*


btw, excellent post Fishyfins.


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

I still dont think there would be any suffering,its completly normal for bigger fish to eat smaller ones!!! i would imagine they would be gone in one mouthfull! people feed reptiles live food they have bred.
Maybe im just a lot harder than other people but i dont consider small fish capable of suffering or any other emotions,but there again i shoot and hunt and wouldnt think twice about finishing off a wounded duck etc.
I cant imagine defra doing much about such a trivial subject


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

shortbackandsides said:


> I cant imagine defra doing much about such a trivial subject


I'm quite sure they wouldn't, I'm just pointing out the LAW to you 

It _is_ completely natural for bigger fish to eat smaller fish, but as Fishyfins has already said, a tank is _not_ a natural environment, and putting small fish into a tank with big fish where they have absolutely no possibility of escape is not reproducing a natural situation. And is, in my opinion cruel and compeltely unnecessary.

As for the argument that people feed mice to snakes and so on, again it is illegal in this country to feed live food to reptiles. The mice would have to be killed humanely beforehand.

I know several people who shoot and hunt, and I work on a farmyard myself. None of us would think twice about finishing off a sick or dying animal either, but that doesn't mean we would knowingly and deliberately cause an animal in our care to suffer unnecessarily.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

If any help oscars love worms .... My mate use to feed his them and they loved them. If you dont want to use garden ones due to risk of infection i think most reptile places that have frogs can get them online. They use to get the odd insect to.


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## Guest (May 1, 2009)

A few pointers...

1) It isn't 100% illegal to feed live fish to another, there are certain legal 'loopholes'. In many cases it may be necessary to feed a live fish to another, however only if it is absolutely *NECESSARY*. While mice are bred for feeding reptiles such as snakes, they aren't fed live. The mice have to be humanly euthanized beforehand. You'll be surprised at the powers which Defra have.

2) It's a common misconception that Oscars are exclusively carnivorous, they are in fact omnivores. While they will easily consume small fish, this is purely an aggressive feeding instinct. These fish will actually spend their time picking off small aquatic invertebrates and insects, along with a certain quantity of vegetation.

3) Compared to a natural envronment, aquariums are pretty small. The guppies wouldn't stand a chance with an oscar.

4) Oscars don't have to be fed on live fish. To be honest live fish are quite fatty and may cause health problems. These cichlids can easily be fed on a diet of dry foods supplemented with range of live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brineshimp and daphnia. Mine even enjoyed the occasional chunk of fruit such as orange.

To put it bluntly, unless you have to feed live fish, there isn't any need to do it. Personally I don't agree with such a practice.


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