Chief Brody at 19 months old

This is what a young adult Oscar should look like. Chief Brody is a healthy cichlid with strong coloration, bright eyes and undamaged finnage.

Most oscar owners feed their oscars live fish. I don't do this for a few reasons. First, I don't want to stand there and watch poor little fish be hunted and eaten alive. I'm troubled by the number of people who post videos on YouTube of their oscars eating fish, frogs, baby mice and other defenseless little creatures. Perhaps the FBI should take an interest in these videos, which are surely the work of future serial killers.

Second, Chief Brody seems to be doing fine with a diet of fish food, fruit, vegetables and the occasional frozen beef heart or brine shrimp treat. While not a true vegetarian fish because of the last two choices, Chief Brody is also, thankfully, not one of those fish who kills other fish that would be put to better use as pets.