Are you wondering if you can feed your oscar fish worms? Are worms healthy for oscar fish? In this article, we’ll find out if oscar fish enjoy eating worms and if it’s a good option for them.
Can Oscar Fish Eat Worms? Yes. Oscar fish will try to eat almost anything that fit in their mouths. Worms are protein rich, but some may contain pesticides, pollution or other chemicals. Oscar fish are omnivores so please provide plant matter to balance their diets.
Which Worms Should I feed My Oscar Fish?
Oscar fish are not picky eaters. Worms are not a natural part of their diet in the wild. They tend to eat more crustaceans, insects, larvae and water plants. Here are some types of worms you can try feeding your oscar fish.
- Earthworms
- Bloodworms
- Mealworms
- Waxworms
Please be sure to introduce worms in the tank that do not come from locations where chemical fertilizers or pesticides are present. The worms may carry these unwanted chemicals in your aquarium and alter the health of the fish and water.
Are Worms Healthy For Oscar Fish?
Worms are a nutritious option for oscar fish. These fish grow rather quickly in their first year and they pack a large appetite.
Oscar fish have large mouth to ingest a full-sized worm without having to cut it into pieces. Simply place the worm in the tank and watch it disappear into the mouth of an oscar fish. Sometimes you can watch two oscar fish pulling at each end of a worm like a game of tug-of-war.
The protein in the worm is healthy, but the nutrition offered from water plants are not present. Flakes and pellets for cichlids and specifically oscar fish will always be a better option as a single food to feed oscar fish because it contains a balance of protein and plant matter.
Where Should I Get Worms For Oscar Fish?
The worms found in lawns and gardens are a little more risky. These locations contain chemicals most of the time to keep them free from pests and to ensure the growth of the plants.
Worms are not considered when people use chemicals on their plants and crops. The are a by-product that birds, mice and moles naturally consume. Oscar fish don’t usually eat worms in the wild due to their lack of availability.
- Bait and Tackle Shop
- Local Fish Store
- DIY – grow your worms in a bucket
Your best option is to buy worms from a bait and tackle shop or a local fish store to alleviate any concerns about the quality of the worms. In a controlled environment like a bucket, you can grow your own worms as well.
Why Are Worms An Unhealthy Option?
1. Worms May Absorb Unhealthy Substances.
Worms from unknown sources or outdoor gardens, lawns and farms may contain:
- Chemicals
- Pesticides
- Pollution
They simply absorb anything in their environment. If a worm has been fed corn meal, you can be assured that they are healthier than a worm caught in parks, gardens or lawns.
2. Worms Will Contribute To The Waste In Your Aquarium.
Worms can also make the water quite messy with the addition of their waste. You will have to change the water more frequently if worms are commonly fed to your oscar fish.
The castings from worms help fertilize soil, but they make aquarium substrates dirty. Vacuuming the gravel might be required.
3. Too Many Worms May Constipate Your Oscar Fish.
Your oscar fish will prefer eating worms than water plants. This will create an unhealthy level of meaty protein that could lead to indigestion, bloating and constipation for your oscar fish.
Please try to add plants. Some say that feeding an oscar fish peas after they consume too many worms or live foods will help them pass their waste and prevent bloating.
4. Worms Will Make Your Oscar Fish More Picky.
They can’t help it. The worms are just too good. They enjoy eating them live or thawed out from a frozen state and dropped into the tank. They will most likely prefer the worms over flakes and pellets.
This may lead to your oscar fish avoiding pellets and flakes that are designed for their optimal health with balanced nutrients. A slice of pizza or a burger beats a dry nut or legume any day of the week for most humans.
Oscar fish may respond similarly by preferring worms and holding out for more. If you notice that they aren’t eating the flakes, please remove them if possible to prevent dirtying your substrate with food waste and the rising ammonia that could build up from it.
How Many Worms Should I Feed My Oscar Fish?
The amount of worms depends on the size of your oscar fish and the amount of staple food you are feeding them. Worms shouldn’t be the staple food for oscar fish.
Remember to feed your oscar fish a diet consisting of 70-90% high quality pellets or flakes for cichlids or specifically of oscars. Add other types of food as a snack. Here are some options:
- Worms
- Shrimp
- Beef heart
- Crickets
- Plankton
- Veggies (zucchini, lettuce, cabbage)
- Peas
- Fruits (Banana, pear, papaya)
Add these snacks sparingly and infrequently. You only have 10-30% wiggle room to add these snacks on top of their regular diet of pellets and flakes. Try not to overdo it.
Protect the digestive system of your oscar fish and the water quality of your tank at the same by taking it easy on all these additional foods. Keep in mind that live foods will dirty your water faster with more added waste.
Conclusion
Oscar fish will enjoy worms. They do not regularly eat them in the wild, but worms are nutritious with high quality protein. Worms may carry pollution or chemicals from urban gardens or rural farms. They also dirty the substrate.
Try to add worms as part of an oscar fish’s supplementary diet because more plant matter is necessary to keep your omnivore oscar fish healthy and active.
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