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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Bum
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what are they doing
 Are my oscars fighting? I noticed twice now that my oscars are circling each other flaring their gills and opening their mouths and locking together by the mouths. Are they going to hurt each other should I give them a time out or is this just play? |
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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Sounds like fighting yes, dominance. If you let them stay together theres a chance everything will be fine and its just a shove match, but theres also a chance one could get injured. If they really arn't going at it i'd leave them, but if they are really really fighting i might seperate them. However once you put them back together the same thing will happen.
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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Bum
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They didn't seem to be going at it hard it was actually kind of cool to watch. The display only lasted a couple of minuets wish I had a video camera and I could have posted the video.
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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Brett Harrington wrote an article for cichlid-forum.com, found here, that includes the following quote (bold emphasis is mine):
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Signs that your Oscar is preparing for spawning activity include such rituals as jaw-locking, tail-slapping, chasing, nipping, posturing, nudging, and rolling over. For some fish in consists of all of these activities to the full range of very few of these behaviours. This "foreplay" can last anywhere from a over a day, to just a few minutes, with periods in between where the Oscars will busily clean the spawning site, which could mean cleaning a rock, or removal of vast quantities of gravel.
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They could be testing each other as a mating ritual, or they could be establishing dominance for territories in the tank.
To be honest, two oscars in a tank that small are going to fight, especially as they get larger, pair or not. There's not really enough space in a 55g for two oscars and a common pleco, so if you haven't yet, you may want to think about either providing larger accommodations or trading them in as they get bigger. |
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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Bum
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I know it is small for right now the pleco is only 4 inches right now. I am planning on a bigger tank for them 120 gal or larger but that is at least a year from now if it gets more agressive than I will have to make a tough decision to get rid of one or find a used tank like a 30 or something for temporary housing for one of them untill I get the big tank. After it was over they were back to hanging out together. Does any one know how to tell male from female or if you have a mating pair?
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August 9th, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J J Indy
I know it is small for right now the pleco is only 4 inches right now. I am planning on a bigger tank for them 120 gal or larger but that is at least a year from now if it gets more agressive than I will have to make a tough decision to get rid of one or find a used tank like a 30 or something for temporary housing for one of them untill I get the big tank.
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One thing to keep in mind with oscars is their tremendous potential growth rate. 1" per month (up to 8" or so) is not abnormal, with a hearty diet. You could have two 8" oscars within a span of 3-4 months
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Originally Posted by J J Indy
Does any one know how to tell male from female or if you have a mating pair?
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From the same article I linked to earlier:
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Unfortunately, determining the gender of an Oscar based upon finnage, colouration, markings, behaviour or size are not very reliable.
The only reliable method of determining the gender of an Oscar, is by netting them out of the tank, and holding them still while examining their genital area with a bright light available. It does take some practice to tell the difference, but the male's spawning tube points back towards the tail, and is located just in front of the opening of the anus. The female on the other hand, has a spawning tube that is less pointed, and points straight down. The female's genital area gives the impression of two openings including the anus.
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From oscarfishlover.com:
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Oscars are what we call monomorphic, meaning that male and female look the same. This means that you can't go to a shop and choose a male and a female like you can with other species of fish. Contrary to a few people's belief, you cannot tell the sex of an Oscar by the shape of its fins, the length of its body, or even it is colouring. You will normally only know the sex of your Oscars when they start laying eggs. There are various ways you can increase your chances of obtaining a male and a female. Probably the easiest way is to find somebody who is willing to let you have a known mating pair of Oscars. Most people would prefer to get their Oscars at a young age so the best way to make sure you get a pair is to buy several Oscars at a very young age and wait for them to pair off. The law of averages say the more Oscars you have, the better the chances you have of finding a pair. It is suggested that Oscars become sexually mature at around one-year-old. I actually dispute this and would say that they actually become sexually mature at 16 to 18 months.
I don't think you can actually determine when an Oscar will become sexually mature by its size alone. Depending on what you feed your fish, what size tank you keep it in, and how well you look after it will play quite an important role in the growth of the fish. The Oscars that I keep in my 300 gallon tank are considerably bigger than the ones in the 125 gallon tank. They actually started laying eggs in the different tanks at virtually the same time, at around 18 months old. For this reason, I'm quite confident in my belief that Oscars are not quite ready to breed at one-year-old. Having said that, this is just my experience with three lots of Oscars. it is also worth noting that Oscars will not pair off until they become sexually mature so you will have a long wait if you buy them as babies.
Only when Oscars start laying eggs will you know for sure that you have got a male and a female. The females egg tube is overall in the shape, not unlike the pointed end of an egg. The males sexual organ is pointed and looks rather like a thorn.
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Basically, if you don't have a lot of experience with oscars, you'll know you have a mated pair when you see eggs. If you happen to see one of them laying the eggs, that's your female. |
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