CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

ok i know all you oscar fans have asked many q,s but this one to me is very important so hear goes. after many attempts to breed full grown oscars. i am going to start with 8 little tiger oscars and pair them up i would like to start from squar one and i need info that most pepole wont give. i need from start to finish what to do preferably from someone who has bread them many times. please help as mutch as possible my e-mail if you would like to send it is johnyray33@hotmail.com thanks agian

You may want to hound cichfreak with some questions he's quite experienced. Anyway, here's my tips, if you notice two oscars liplocking AND tail-slapping(each facing opposite ways slapping their tails together), and maybe tail quivering then you may have a pair forming. If instead of liplocking what you see is "continuous" brutal tearing at each other then you're likely seeing two males who don't like each other. This type of fighting can get quite violent beware! Males do have more color, usually also bit more "saturated" color, pattern may extend higher up, ie more red goes toward top of dorsal fin. Male may have dark spots right under dorsal fin surrounded by red, ie "ocelli" under dorsal fins. Sometimes about 3 of them under dorsal fin. Females may have these dark spots, but not always visible or more "faint" and usually not surrounded by much red pigment at all, just faint black spots, female head will tend to be smaller, thinner, male more roundish fatter. Male will have bigger fins, longer pectoral points, bigger dorsal, sometimes overlapping tail fin abit. End of dorsal fin on mail is sometimes more pointed than female. Yet some males will have quite rounded dorsal fins at the end but they will be noticeably bigger than female counterpart and overlap more of tail fin. There is also something about the slant "angle" of the mouth but won't go into that. Also, probably easiest is to look at some pics and try judging by genital papillae. In other words, if it looks like an "ovipositor" , it's likely a female. Female has wider, barrel shapped genital papillae because the ovipositor needs to pass through that ~2mm egg. (Usually points more 'straight' on female and more slanted on male oscar.) Others can provide give you some links to good articles on sexing by venting.

thank you sir but i was realy wanting step by step the breeding proses i already know how to sex them. i was looking for what is the best way to set up tank, water temp ,size of tank and so on what to feed them during this time and all of that. dont mean to be a pest but that info is what i realy need:(

For step by step.

Temp of tank: Raise the temp of the tank to about 82 degrees.

Tank conditions: you need to get the tank to almost perfect conditions(0=amm,0=nitrite,and low=nitrate).

Tank size: As bid as possible and they must be left in for sometime so they are used to the tank.

Tanks Decoration:Doesn't matter as long as the fish feel safe(hiding spots), as long as there is a flat rock(slate) or they will dig a hole to the glass bottom.

Feeding: VARIETY,VARIETY,VARIETY. Feed them a natural diet that is healthy and lot of it.

Hope this helps
JR

seems like everything was pretty much covered but here's a few more small points that might help you a little.


Oscars can usually be spawned right after a large water change.(adding blackwater extract helps too)
Oscars seems to spawn ALOT more often during bad weather (rain,snow etc..).
You can trigger spawning by raiseing the temperature.


If you know how to sex them and know you got a pair.Keep them at 80degrees,until they show some interest in each other ,then raise the temp and do a water change (during bad weather if possiable-but not necessary) if they're ready there should be eggs by the next morning.


*short version~ before I disconnect

ok the input is great still havent heard from webmaster looking for that but the rest is great and i realy needed it. if enynone has eny special tricks to help with the proses i am compialing all the info so dont hold back keep it coming. steel need more like what rocks to use and lighting, best kind of oscar to breed with i know there all pretty mutch the same but eny little bit helps. please keep going. thanks agian to all

still havent heard from webmaster

that was the first reply

like what rocks to use and lighting

doesn't matter:

oscars will spawn under different lighting and even no lighting for some people -

same with rocks ,doesn't matter as long as the oscars can make a flat spot they'll spawn a few people I know even spawn the in bare tanks. I always use natural looking gravel and avoid the bright florescent colors but thats just a personal choice.

best kind of oscar to breed

best to breed for what reason?

they all breed the same.
Longfins seem to have more deformed babies.
IF your wanting to breed them for money ? , golds,blood reds,lemons and the pumpkin albinos are worth the most,but they're also the most expensive to buy and hardest to find.

dud i know he has already replied thats not what i was talking about. this is geting alittle crazy.
ALL I NEED IS SOMONE (WHO HAS BREAD OSCARS MANY TIMES) TO REPLY STEP BY STEP FROM BEGINING TO END ON HOW TO BREED THEM. ENYTHING THAT YOU CAN THINK OF INCLUDING SECRETS THAT WORK FOR YOU. AND ENYTHING EALS THAT WOULD HELP. REPLY ONLY!!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE THIS INFO IN ORDER FROM START TO FINISH. please dont misunderstand i do thank all that has replied in the past but this is very important to me and i take it serously. as well as all of you do. i am very thankful for all your help. and if thers enything i can ever do to help all of you please contact me thank you agian

Johnny there is no magic, I have no terrible big secret, stillearnin has bred more oscars than many of us here. You have to wait it out, you can't put on some secret song and in 30min you have eggs. Raising temp sometimes triggers spawning, ie going from 78 to 84F for example....water changes sometimes trigger it, rain water sometime/distilled water, slight lowering of the pH of water/adding wood/peat moss/etc, feeding more high protein live diet, cleaner water/pristine, better genes/notsiblings/wildisgood in your oscars, good piece of slate to lay eggs on, again water changes/CLEAN water, and most of all TIME......

ok just to let everyon know that is reading this i am not thinking that breeding oscars are a game nor do i think it is a magic show. i am simply trying to get step by step info for some reson. i do not know why but. for some reson noone seems to understand that. but thanks for the info enyway i guess i need to find a book own it and i ment no disrespect to mr.stilllearnin

i am simply trying to get step by step info for some reson. i do not know why but. for some reson noone seems to understand that.

sorry but I'll agree I have no idea what your asking.


here's how I bred oscars (step by step)

1- Buy some or keep a few of my own babies
2 -grow them up
3- pair them off
4 they breed



or

maybe this is more like what your looking for? (click here) good luck with the breeding

o my god thank you this is what i have been looking for thank you so mutch you are simply the man that is all i need in a net little package.

hay i was woundering at what age or size can oscars begian to breed if enyone knows please reply. please be detailed. somone please respond. also does eny one have footage of oscars breeding besides the footage that webmaster already has

Well theoretically they can breed when they're sexuallly mature which could be at 5-6" but in practice, it's usually around 8" or so that they begin breeding. I have some breeding/spawning video footage on tape somewhere, I think. good luck

thats great thank you if you have eny footage of the spawning and breeding besides what you have on the web sight i have already downloaded them. there great but no spawning or breeding if you got some of breeding please email it to me if you can thanks ow ya is that 5or6 years old or is it 5or6 inches. please reply