Oscar Breeding Behavior Question

[Cloudk]

I was wondering if its normal for oscars to not eat as excitably when nesting? He's eating, just not as excited, or as much. He's been hovering over a little hole in the gravel, and rubbing on his mate. They do that most of the day. Every so often they'll wiggle side by side at an angle over the gravel hole. I just want to make sure there's not something wrong w/ him. Thanks!

 

[BiG_BooGeR]

My male sometimes goes 6-10 days without feeding on the pellets. He must eat the soggy aftermath when I'm not looking. The male will guard/fan water over the spawn site. The female is not allowed anywhere near the eggs/slate after the eggs are laid. The male will attack her and chase her off. Anytime the female is not patrolling the tank the male will make her constantly keep an eye out, even though they are the only two in the tank (125 gallon).
If you don't already have one I'd get a piece of slate. Mine is like 10" long by 5" wide. They later will dig a shallow trench in the rocks to put the wigglers that have started to hatch and broke free from the slate but are unable to free swim. Both oscars will then scoop them with their mouths and keep putting them in the hole. It's amazing they can get all 500 or so to stay in the hole.
Later when they are free swimming the male still can keep them in a herd in a corner of the tank for most of the day. The female is on scoop/dump patrol. After a few days my female takes like 25% of the fry and keeps them with her. A few days later they have no chance and the fry are all over. Usually around this time if I don't remove them and put them in my 20 gallon the female will eat them all.
I have an fx5 and the return line I feel has something to do with keeping them herded. It's in the center and pumps away from the inlet towards the spawn site making a slight whirpool constantly pushing the fry to the opposite side of the inlet for the filter.