If you are a seafood lover and you are thinking about whether you can eat an Oscar fish or not? Or does it taste good or not?
Then this article is for you. We are going to learn in detail about how to take care of an Oscar fish and whether it can be consumed by humans or not!!
Table of Contents
Introduction to Oscar Fish
Oscar fish is from the family of cichlids. No doubt it’s a beautiful fish but it is a bit aggressive. Since they are territorial so they should be kept in a separate tank with partners of their own kind like other Oscar fishes or cichlids.
They are also called Tiger Oscar, Marbled Cichlid, and Water Dog. Oscar fishes are freshwater fish and obviously, this means they can’t survive in salty water. Oscar fishes are omnivorous and they prefer to eat pellets, frozen dried shrimps and live worms, etc. Also, these food items are rich in proteins which keep your Oscar fish healthy and happy. If they are in the right water conditions, then they have a lifespan of 20 years and they grow up to 8-16 inches. They grow into quite large sizes so if you are having Oscar fish as your pet, then make sure you have a large tank for them.
They spawn their eggs during the rainy season. They are susceptible to Hole in head disease and water changes might be harmful for them so you need to keep good quality filtration system for them. Also, it’s very important to keep their tank clean at all times to avoid dirt and bacteria growing in the tank.
Since now we know the basic information about Oscar fish so let’s dive into our topic.
Can you eat an Oscar fish?
Yes, you can definitely eat it. If you surf on youtube you may find several videos of aquarists and fishermen catching Oscars and cooking them. So you can definitely eat it. But personally, I am not a fan of eating Oscars but I am not judging anyone who eats Oscar fish. Since it’s their choice but there are some risks of eating Oscar fish which you need to know before eating it.
Why is it risky to eat Oscar fish
Naturally, Oscar fishes can’t be found in the US. So if you find any Oscar in a local lake at your place it means their owner has set them free due to any medical issues or most probably those fishes may be on medications. And those medications present in their body can be dangerous for humans.
If you have kept an Oscar fish as your pet then you must know that we use many sorts of medications in the tank of an Oscar fish on a routine basis. Many medications like de-chlorinator and ammonia remover to ich medication and methylene blue are present in the body of an Oscar fish. And you can’t be sure that the fish you are going to consume is free of all these medications.
But yeah there is an exception, if the Oscar fish has been raised in aquaponics or an aquaculture area For example an outdoor pond, which definitely doesn’t have any dechlorinators, medications, or chemicals so in this situation its completely safe to eat Oscar fish.
So make sure you do proper research before eating Oscar fish.
Is it worth it to eat Oscar fish?
Well, this is debatable since people have mixed opinions on this. Since I haven’t personally eaten Oscar fish, so I asked some of my fish aquarist friends that have tried Oscar fish, and all of them had mixed reviews
One of my friends said, that Oscar fish doesn’t have much meat on it so it’s not worth trying.
Another friend had a better experience and said “It’s quite delicious, at first I got confused about that is it really a freshwater fish, because it tastes salty and I thought it was a saltwater fish but surprisingly it’s not!!”
One of the local fishermen in my city, who has tried Oscar fish many times told me ” Oscar fish has a flaky texture. It has a mild flavor and it’s quite appetizing.
These are the reviews we got for the taste of Oscar fish, we hope it helps you for choosing Oscar fish as your meal.
FAQs
Do Oscar fish live in freshwater?
Yes, they do. Oscar fishes are native to freshwater streams found in South America. So it’s not at all possible for them to survive in saltwater
So never add salt to your tank if you have Oscar fish as your pet. The PH of water should be between 6 to 8. Oscars are quite sensitive to nitrate in the water. So even a little bit of nitrate in the water could cause serious issues and your Oscar fish can even die.
For this reason, I suggest you test your tank water ammonia levels on a weekly basis to stay on the safe side. If you observe any readings above 0 PPM, the. you need to take serious action as soon as possible.
If you have the perfect water conditions and you raise your Oscar fish accurately, they can have a lifespan of 15- 20 years! The main thing is to keep the best water conditions for them.
Can we use Oscar fish in aquaponics?
Yes, this is possible!! But for this, you need a very large tank even if you want to raise just one fish. So if you are not having lots of space, then don’t raise Oscars. Also, you can’t raise Oscar fish with other fishes that are not from the Cichlid family. So the preferable situation is that you need to have a whole separate tank only for Oscars.
Can you eat cichlids?
Yes, you can definitely eat them. They have white flaky meat with a mild flavor. They are also healthy to eat and many people enjoy eating it.
How to cook Oscar fish?
You can either fry them, bake them or grill them. It’s totally up to you how you like to eat.
You may find several recipes on the internet which might be helpful for you to choose your desired method of cooking them.
Is Oscar fish dangerous to eat?
No, It’s not. But yes there is an exception as already mentioned above in our article, that oscars which are on medications are not safe for humans to eat.
But if they are raised in aquaponics then they are totally safe to eat. They are also considered healthy to eat.
Conclusion
Oscar fish is completely safe to eat and is also the favorite meal of many people around the world. Due to its flaky and mild flavor, it became the favorite fish of many people. So you don’t have to worry about whether it’s good for you or not. If you are raising an Oscar fish the main thing is to have the right water conditions for them to survive in your tank and you are good to go.
