does any body know how to sex oscars??

Question

I have 2 oscars one tiger one albino they are approx one year old, succesfully breed malawi cichlid, cant get the oscars to breed.

Answer 1

These large Cichlids have been in the hobby for years, they originally come from Central America. And do well in soft acidic water or harder alkaline water, as long as extremes are avoided. For a long time they were the largest fish commonly available. Any one who has ever kept an Oscar will agree that these fish have real personalites of there own. And they are truely adept at begging for food, even leaping from the water to take it.

If you intend to keep or breed these fish, there are a few things that you must keep in mind. Firstly these fish grow large, over a foot in some cases. They will dig, break heaters and thermostats given half a chance, rearrange the tank including small stones (this can be dissasterous if the stone is rammed into the glass, and they can lift suprisingly big stones,). So the tank must be Oscar proof. Good filtration is also a must, these fish are messy eaters. Which brings me nicely on to feeding them.

In the wild Oscars are piscovores which means they eat smaller fish and this is what they should be fed on. You can get small white bait type fish or frozen fish cut into strips, prawns, earth worms, crickets etc etc. They should not be given raw meat, this contains animal fat and is damaging to fish pellet food is of little use to because these break up and are passed out of the gills, wich means it is of no use to the fish and harms the water quality.

Water changes are very important with Oscars and should be done once or even twice weekly but only change 25 % of the water at once. You will need efficient filtration and more than is usually stated in books or by filter manufacturers, If you have a 50gall tank then get filtration for at least a 100 gall tank if you want the water to stay clean.

When breeding Oscars there are two further points to consider. They produce lots of young and they become very aggresive and protective.

By lots of young , I mean into 4 figures, from a mature pair. And their 'courtship can be but not always, a very violent afair that can lead to serious injury or even death to one partner. To get a pair in the first place you will need a large tank and 6 young fish. These should be sourced from different places and not from the same brood. Let them grow up together and if there are males and females in the group (it can be hard to tell) sooner or later a pair will form, The only other way would be to buy a breeding pair. But a big disturbance like moving tanks could destroy the pair bond.

Once you have a compatable pair all the others should be removed for their own safety and so that the pair can settle down together. There is no great secret to breeding these fish, if you have a compatable pair and they are well looked after, they will spawn. This could be in a pit or on a hard surface. Both parents will look after the eggs and fry, but as is the case with all Cichlids they may not get it right at the first few attempts. The fry are quite large and are easy to raise. they do very well initially on newly hatched brine shrimp, they will also eat crushed flake but they won't grow as quickly.

Answer 2

hi. you will not be able to tell the sex of a Oscar.There are no external differences between a male or female Oscar.All you can do is wait and see if they like each other and are indeed a breeding pair you might be lucky.They will clear a spot on the tank floor of all gravel if there are no rocks to lay the eggs quite a few maybe up to 100 or even more.you should read a good Oscar book to see how to raise the young.It is very worth while if you have got a pair.good luck

Answer 3

Hi again - forgot to say tou need a group of about 6 oscars (purchase from different sources to avoid in-breeding) and a pair will naturally form - then the remaining unpaired fish must be removed or they will be killed.
Best wishes
Lynne
fish keeper since 1954

Answer 4

me either tikitiki It is very hard to tell the sex of them but some have said you have to look on the bottom of the fish where there holes are the male hole is different from the female another way is when an Oscar reaches its full size the female will be smaller then the male

Answer 5

Wow, I haven't seen this many idiotic responses in a long time lol. Anyway, here's a link for a good forum with lots of info on that. Yes, it's difficult if you're not experienced, basically you got to check their vent area. Good luck!

http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=4

Answer 6

Have a look here: http://www.cichlids.com/info/Astronotus_ocellatus The sexing of Oscars, according to this link, is difficult!

Answer 7

Well obviously they can't breed. Your putting too much pressure on them! Stop watching them!!!

Answer 8

Check this out..

..Alternatively, try relaxing music, wine, or a XXX video. Works for me and the missus.

www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/cichlids_neotropical/oscars_p6.htm

Answer 9

The pectoral and anal fins usually give a clue in most species of fish, try investigating from that angle.

Answer 10

show them oscar porn to get them in the mood