Educational, care and breeding of the Oscar Fish-Fish Aquariums

Educational, care and breeding of the Oscar Fish

Breeding Basics

For the new owners of any fish I recommend not attempting breeding as it can be tricky. For those who know the ins and outs of that fishes needs and requirments you can dive a little into this rhelm. To start, any two fish that are going to be possible mates will need to feel eachother out first. The best way to pair off a breeding pair is actually to raise them together early in life. Having a small shoal of fish and letting them naturally select mates is always a good way to do this. However, a fish like an oscar will demand space quick and if breeding happens, they will demand to be alone in their tank assuming it isnt a monster of a tank.
Oscars are social fish and will generally not be overly hostile to eachother unless cramed into a tight tank. When matching a pair of breeding oscars I would estimate a tank no less of 90 gallons for a mature set of oscars.

Breeding Tips

Decorations will just get in the way. Eastablished oscars will often arrange their tank how they see fit regardless, so patience is a must. However, a breeding pair will often ruin a tanks decor in no time as they prefer either smooth shale rock, or the glass bottom to lay their eggs. A literal nest will be established in the tank as a large dug out hole where the parents will focus on protecting the fry and eggs. This is why such a larger tank is needed for a breeding pair, and why a breeding pair with any other fish needs an even larger tank!
Raising the temperature in the water to around 82-84 will promote breeding activity. Keeping regular water changes active and all the usual maintanence up to date will ensure a healthy offspring. Its really up to you to control the environment, but any breeding may or may not happen regardless of what you do.

Oscars will activly seek mates at a medium size. Mature oscars are usually said to be full grown oscars, but they can actively breed at much smaller sizes. Usually within the first year of life oscar can establish offspring. However, true breeding becomes a full time activity when a mate is found and isolated. This is how you keep offspring coming. Otherwise inside a tank with multiple mates or fish, fry are killed, pairs are ruined, or theres simply too much chaos to set up shop to find any real success.

So...once you find a pair, keep that pair alone. 90 gallons per breeding pair is what I recommend. You really cant afford to go lower, and once you have your fry what to do with them?

Fry

Fry are vaunerable. They will school with the parents until a certain age when they become more independant. Fry are often thinned out quickly by other fish in the tank, however, if they are alone with mom and dad they will quickly grow and mature in the tank and earn independance. However, there is a time to get them out before mom and dad have another batch!
Letting the fry develope is a necessity. The parents will be ultra protective of them so attempting to transport young fry will result in some serious aggression. Letting them develope for 2-5 days is a must. Leaving them in for a week or so is better. Once they become more independant and break away from mom and dads side you can transport them for their own lives to begin.
I recomend feeding your young fry specially made food for young fish, and a variety of crushed flakes, and eventually blood worms and prepared foods.
www.freewebs.com/oscarcare/oscarbreeding.htm

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