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Hi all.

Two Oscars, Lexington (tiger) and Babe (albino) in 55 gal tank. Have had Lexington since he was a small fry (about 1" or so). Lexington is now approx. 8". Babe is approximately 7" - 7.5" -- slightly smaller than Lex.

About 1 month ago bought Babe (approx. same size as when bought) on a hunch. Decided to introduce the pair slowly to see what happens. What happened was that the two slid back & forth against each other, and they followed each other around. To this day they are always near each other and sliding back & forth against each other.

Is this pairing behavior?

Also, if this is pairing behavior, should I watch for little oscars/eggs? How would I know if they are about to spawn? Am I right in thinking that spawing happens only in the spring for oscars?

Thanks for any help/advice you can give me.

Cara

it's very difficult to tell however seeing the oscars are as large as they are the fact that they get along tells me they are definitely not 2 males. you could have a male/female or 2 females. 2 large males in such a small tank won't get along and will fight to the death the majority of the time.

I do hope that you have some top notch filtration on that tank because oscars put out a lot of waste. Also, I'd plan for a larger tank in less than a year because 55 gallons is too small for even one oscar imo. males can reach ~14-16" fairly easily and will have difficulty turning around in a 55 at that size. 2 jumbo oscars will reak havoc on the biological aspect of your tank and you'll need to do ~50% water changes around every 3-4 days to keep the params in check.

Jason

Jason,

Thanks for the help.

The tank is a stepping stone tank and we anticipate a much larger tank within a short time. We really enjoy our oscars and want to provide the best environment for them. This environment is changing and constantly improving for them.

when the larger of the two, lex, was smaller, (s)he was in with other juvenile (and small) cichlids (livingstoni, gold severum, other oscar). Since the livingstoni was pretty aggressive, (s)he was pretty aggressive back. Does this seem like typical female or male oscar behavior. Lex doesn't take much from any other fish but generally seems to have a mild, if not fairly timid, personality. (Lex is also mad at me right now, not swimming to the top for food and generally turning his/her back on me when I come into the room.)

I have noticed that Lex's pelvic fins are longer than Babe's -- Lex's pelvic fins seem to come to a long & graceful point, whereas Babe's pelvic fin (only has one) comes to a more blunt point. Any ideas?

Also, if we've got a male/female combo, what should I look for as far as mating/eggs? If eggs, then what could I do to improve their environment for eggs?

BTW, LFS is Petsmart or Petco. When I've asked about oscars/cichlids, not a whole lot of knowledgeable info from them. We really want to give these fish the best environment possible.

Thanks for your help!

I have noticed that Lex's pelvic fins are longer than Babe's -- Lex's pelvic fins seem to come to a long & graceful point, whereas Babe's pelvic fin (only has one) comes to a more blunt point. Any ideas?

I'd say there's a possibility that Lex might have had an ancestor that was the 'long-finned' morph. There are no way to tell the gender of oscars by looking at their physical features.

Also, if we've got a male/female combo, what should I look for as far as mating/eggs? If eggs, then what could I do to improve their environment for eggs?

As with most CA/SA cichlids, if your oscars do pair up they'll start cleaning a spot together in preparation for the laying of eggs. I would make sure there is some sort of large cave (a big clay pot would work very well) in one corner of the tank along with a couple of sturdy plastic plants. These plants will most likely become toys for the oscar to play around with but will probably make them happy.

Basically I'd make sure there are a couple of hiding spots and lots of open swimming space for them and they should be happy. Also, lots of water changes with slightly cooler water helps to trigger spawning in a lot of CA/SA cichlids because it helps to simulate the rainy season which is when many cichlids spawn in nature.

One final thing, if you do see eggs don't get too excited. 2 females can and will lay eggs and act as a mating pair. I wouldn't get excited until I see the wrigglers swimming around. I believe if the eggs were fertilized they will be a tannish color whereas if they were not they'll be white but I'm not 100% sure on that. Good luck with them.

Jason

Jason,

Thanks for the info. Anything we can to for our fish!

I'm glad you pointed out about the fins. I'm skeptical that long fins are indicative of gender, but, since other people seem to think it is and isn't, then I thought it'd be worth asking.

Again appreciate your help!

Cara