The Best Food for Oscar Fish

Oscar fish are a popular species of freshwater fish from the cichlid family and originate from South America. These fish should have a similar diet to the one they will have in the wild if you want to provide them with the optimal nutrition to keep them healthy. Without a proper diet, your Oscar fish will not be able to grow and thrive properly.

Oscar fish are carnivores and prey on catfish, fallen fruit, shrimp, and crawfish in the wild. The majority of these foods can be replicated in captivity where you can find either freeze-dried, frozen, or live foods to feed your Oscar. If you are looking for a staple pellet food for your Oscar, then you want to look for ones that have been specifically formulated with an Oscar fish’s dietary needs in mind.

A-Z Animals Top Picks for Food for Oscar Fish

#1 Best Overall: TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food

The best overall food for Oscar fish in this review is the TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food.

One of the major features of this food is that the flakes are easy to digest and do not discolor the water preventing you from increasing your water cleaning regimen. TetraMin tropical flakes are made with fish meal, brown rice, and yeast. This food also contains a selection of vitamins and minerals and a high level of protein and fat. It also contains omega-3, which helps your fish maintain a healthy immune system against disease.

This product has a high acceptance rate with fish, with the only complaint about this product being that it might be considered quite expensive. But this should matter little to fish owners as they indeed get the quality they pay for, which is a healthy, quality food that keeps fish healthy and thriving without requiring extra cleaning or resources. 

Pros and Cons of the TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food

Overall Best

TetraMin Tropical Flakes Fish Food

• Easy to digest and do not discolor the water
• Contains vitamins and Omega-3 that protect against disease
• High protein and fat content
• Made with fish meal, brown rice, and yeast

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2. Most Affordable: Aqueon Medium Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

Choosing the right food for your Oscar fish doesn’t have to break the bank, which is why we recommend the Aqueon Medium Cichlid Pellet Fish Food as the most affordable option.

This fish food is the best for affordability because you get a large bag of high-quality fish food for an affordable price, so if you are on a budget, this is a great food to check out. This food comes in a granule form, which is quite small for Oscars, however, you can feed slightly more to make up for the food’s small size.

It contains protein-based ingredients such as shrimp and squid meal as the first few ingredients and these foods can help support your Oscar’s immune system while providing them with essential vitamins and minerals to support their coloration and growth. Plus, this food does not cloud the water easily like many other types of fish foods, which can help keep the water quality good.

Pros and Cons of the Aqueon Medium Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

Most Affordable

Aqueon Medium Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

• Protein-based ingredients such as shrimp and squid meal
• Food comes in a granule form
• Doesn't cloud the water

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3. Best for Color Enhancement: Aqueon Color Enhancing Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

As the best option for helping to enhance and maintain the color of your fish we suggest the Aqueon Color Enhancing Cichlid Pellet Fish Food.

This is a protein-rich cichlid fish food that has ingredients that not only encourage your Oscar to eat the pellets but are also formulated to support your fish’s immune system and bring out their true colors which can be dulled by the wrong foods and stress. This fish food has color-boosting ingredients that help enhance a fish’s bright coloration and help them maintain its vibrant coloration.

These pellets are small in size and may not be suitable for all fish. The pellets are high in protein from fish and shrimp meal, along with a variety of vitamins and minerals that help Oscar fish to grow to their full size while enhancing their colors.

Pros and Cons of the Aqueon Color Enhancing Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

Best for Color Enhancement

Aqueon Color Enhancing Cichlid Pellet Fish Food

• Color-boosting ingredients that help enhance a fish’s bright coloration
• Boosts your fish's immune system
• Help Oscar fish to grow to their full size

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4. Best Protein-Based Food: Omega One Freeze-Dried Shrimp Freshwater & Marine Fish Treat

For a high quality protein-based food we suggest the Omega One Freeze-Dried Shrimp Freshwater & Marine Fish Treat.

This food is made from high-quality white shrimp and has a high protein content at 60%. It also contains a variety of vitamins and minerals to promote overall good health. This is a safer alternative to live foods because the freeze-dried shrimp have undergone a process that helps prevent the risk of carrying diseases and parasites that could affect your Oscar fish.

This is not considered to be a staple fish food, so it should be fed alongside a pelleted food that contains a range of different ingredients as this is only freeze-dried shrimp. The food does not shrink and can be broken up into pieces if you are wanting to feed young Oscar fish. Plus, it doesn’t cloud the water.

Pros and Cons of the Omega One Freeze-Dried Shrimp Freshwater & Marine Fish Treat

Best Protein-Based Food

Omega One Freeze-Dried Shrimp Freshwater & Marine Fish Treat

• Made of freeze-dried shrimp
• Should be fed alongside a pelleted food that contains a range of different ingredients
• Shrimp do not easily cloud the water or dissolve and can easily be gulped up by adult Oscar fish

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Choosing the Best: What to Look For

Before choosing a food for your Oscar fish, it is important to consider these three factors:

Ingredients

Oscar fish are obligate carnivores which means that they will eat a variety of live foods in the wild that they prey upon. In the wild and in captivity, Oscars will eat freshwater fish, shrimp, and other crustaceans that they come across. When it comes to choosing a suitable food for your Oscar, you need to look for one that has a high protein content ideally over 40%. The food should contain animal-based proteins as one of the main ingredients, which usually include fish meal and shrimp. Vitamins and minerals are also necessary when choosing a staple food for your Oscar.

Price

The price of the food is important if you plan to feed your Oscar that specific food for a while. Most Oscar fish foods are fairly priced, and the price of the food will vary depending on where you purchase it from. The volume of food in the bag and the quality of the food will affect the price. It is better to purchase a medium or large-size bag of fish food with good quality ingredients that will last you a long time for a slightly higher price than it is to purchase lower-quality foods.

Food Size

The size of the food you are feeding to your Oscar fish should be considered because Oscars grow quite large and have big mouths that enables them to eat other fish. Small foods such as mini pellets and granules may be difficult for your Oscar to eat, and you may need to feed them more small-sized foods to ensure they are eating enough in comparison to foods that are large and designed for big fish like Oscars.

The Different Types of Fish Food: Pros and Cons Compared

• Pellets: This is the most common and high-recommended staple food to feed Oscars. All the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals your fish needs in compacted into a uniform pellet.
• Granules: This is a very small version of pelleted foods and has a round appearance with varying colors. It is better suited for small Oscars that have not grown to their full size yet.
• Flakes: Arguably the most accessible and cheapest option of fish food, flakes come in different shapes and sizes. The only issue with flake foods is that they can be considered low-quality, and the flakes easily dissolve in the water before your fish has a chance to eat it.
• Live foods: Live foods such as baby brine shrimp, worms, shrimp, or even small feeder fish can be purchased to encourage your Oscar to prey on live food like they would in the wild.
• Freeze-dried foods: This includes freeze-dried shrimp, tubifex worms, and bloodworms that have no moisture content and can be stored for long periods of time because they are fully dry.
• Frozen foods: Similar to live foods, frozen foods are deceased and stored in a freezer. These foods can include small feeder fish, shrimp, and worms, and the moisture and meaty parts of these foods are retained.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each type:

Pellets

Granules

Flakes

Live Food

Freeze-Dried Food

Frozen Food