Breeding Oscars!

[Isaiah Shipp]

I have 4 Oscars in one of my 125 gallon tanks and they range from 4-6 inches. I am waiting for them to pair off and once they do I'll sell the other two but I'm wondering how long it takes for them to do this and then start breeding? I want to hear your experience with breeding Oscars, thanks!

 

[stratos]

I've successfully bred oscars before. My fish were about 3 years of age, 8-9 inches in size. I've had many "false pairs" in the past. Jawing, digging breeding pits, and chasing other fish away is not enough to confirm you have a pair. Look for the protruding rectangular egg tube for the female and the more narrow triangular tipped sperm tube of the male. I have had infertile males before, also had two females pair up. It is a lot of fun to raise a batch of baby oscars, so I recommend you see the project through if you can. I've been told that 6 fish give you a good mathematical chance of getting a breeding pair. Good luck.

 

[Isaiah Shipp]

I've successfully bred oscars before. My fish were about 3 years of age, 8-9 inches in size. I've had many "false pairs" in the past. Jawing, digging breeding pits, and chasing other fish away is not enough to confirm you have a pair. Look for the protruding rectangular egg tube for the female and the more narrow triangular tipped sperm tube of the male. I have had infertile males before, also had two females pair up. It is a lot of fun to raise a batch of baby oscars, so I recommend you see the project through if you can. I've been told that 6 fish give you a good mathematical chance of getting a breeding pair. Good luck.

So I shouldn't expect them to breed until they are 2-3 years old?

 

[Fizzicks]

I've successfully bred oscars before. My fish were about 3 years of age, 8-9 inches in size. I've had many "false pairs" in the past. Jawing, digging breeding pits, and chasing other fish away is not enough to confirm you have a pair. Look for the protruding rectangular egg tube for the female and the more narrow triangular tipped sperm tube of the male. I have had infertile males before, also had two females pair up. It is a lot of fun to raise a batch of baby oscars, so I recommend you see the project through if you can. I've been told that 6 fish give you a good mathematical chance of getting a breeding pair. Good luck.

How did you achieve such a slow growth rate? Was it intentional?