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I was at my LFS a few days back buying some small goldfish for feeders and one of the employees told me that I should switch to minnows. He told me that the goldfish would cause HITH. This was the first I heard of this. I had read that HITH was usually associated with being stressed (tank too small, too many tanks mates, etc...). Has anyone heard of this?

well u should go to red rosy feeder minnows b/c they dont carry as many dieases like the feeder goldfish. b/c all u need is one bad goldfish in a feeder tank, to spread dieases to the others, which can cause problems to ur oscar.

I actually just got home with some minnows. My oscar seems a little upset, having tougher time chasin' down those minnows. They are much faster than those goldfish. fun to watch though. Thanks for the info

its still good for him mentally anywazs. make him work for his meal, like he would in the wild. but if u notice that he hasn't eatten in awhile its ok to give him 1 or 2 goldfish, if he is losing wieght.

I also supplement his diet with some large flake, and floating pellets. He also, on occasion, nabs some of the algae wafers I throw in for my pleco

also u can try feeding the oscar color bits, when i had oscars for a friend, they would love to eat them, good for growth and color.

IMO feeder fish should only be given as treats with the main diet of your oscar being pellet or frozen type foods. Your lfs was half correct about HITH. Its not actually directly associated with goldfish but more so with a lack of variety in the diet. Fish need their "veges" aswell.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

awesome, thanks for the info. I also forgot to throw in that he gulps down the bloodworms I throw in for my catfish. He's a real character.

no one can nail down the cause of hith but alot of people think it comes from poor nutrition. this is why feeder fish are not good, they are usually fed just enough to keep them alive which means they offer very little nutrients. personally i would stay away from live food unless you set them up in a qt tank. i would hate to transfer a disease to my fish.

i personally feed my oscar frozen beef heart and blood worms along with omega one super color, color bits, and new life spectrum pellets. it is good for the fish to have a good diet so it can grow large and live healthy.

of course i am a nut about feeding my fish. some good quality foods are made by omega one, they are one of the only company's that i have seen that use multiple kinds of whole fish as their main ingredients instead of the usually wheat and flour meal.

chris

My oscar is quite fond of hot dogs.

Do you think that will cause him any health problems?

Yes hot dogs are very bad for him. HITH is most commonly caused by high nitrates.

He only gets them once in a blue moon but I will have to remember that.

Maybe I'll stick to fish food.