Oscar At Work

[jollysue]

You may remember that I work in a teen boys' group home. And you may remember that we have an orange House Oscar named imaginatively "Oscar!"

A few weeks ago she anounced to the world that she is indeed a femele not a male by laying her first clutch of eggs. She is about a foot long. She settled the immaculate conception debate by eating the eggs after a day or two.

Some of the boys are raising convicts in their 10 usg tanks. I came to work a couple of nights ago to find that Oscarella had recieved a fish cake gift. A 1-1.5" convict is hiding under her rock. I am rooting for the convict. Our little Mr. Rocky!

What are his chances. Might he grow up and make Oscarella a Mama? Ah! What fools these mortals be!

 

[Bullrock74]

You may remember that I work in a teen boys' group home. And you may remember that we have an orange House Oscar named imaginatively "Oscar!"

A few weeks ago she anounced to the world that she is indeed a femele not a male by laying her first clutch of eggs. She is about a foot long. She settled the immaculate conception debate by eating the eggs after a day or two.

Some of the boys are raising convicts in their 10 usg tanks. I came to work a couple of nights ago to find that Oscarella had recieved a fish cake gift. A 1-1.5" convict is hiding under her rock. I am rooting for the convict. Our little Mr. Rocky!

What are his chances. Might he grow up and make Oscarella a Mama? Ah! What fools these mortals be!

I would say his chances are pretty good. I raised convicts for the purpose of feeding them to my oscar, but they were just too fast for the oscar to catch, so eventually they oscar stopped trying. Once your convict realizes the oscar is too slow, all will be fine. But, that is not to say the oscar can't get lucky...you know the whole blind squirrel bit.

 

[jollysue]

Thanks, Bullrock!

Maybe we'll get a hybrid. We noticed that the convict was pretty fast and of course small. On the other hand the boys keep trying to take his rocks away. Boys will be boys

 

[ox5477]

Thanks, Bullrock!

Maybe we'll get a hybrid. We noticed that the convict was pretty fast and of course small. On the other hand the boys keep trying to take his rocks away. Boys will be boys

I dont know if a convict can fertilize an Oscar's eggs.... something to do with the Oscar being a special kind family of cichlid.... idk, maybe i'm way off, but heard this somewhere.... anyways, if the eggs are fertilized, that would be quite a pairing.... interesting fish to see.

 

[jollysue]

If it happened I would certainly post pics.

I guess in the long run I will be surprised if the fish makes it. If only because some boy, disappointed by his abandonment on his birthday, decides to amuse himself by catching and feeding it by hand to Oscar.


Thanks for the answers. It is very small so I doubt any love making will be soon on the agenda. B)

 

[pica_nuttalli]

nope, no oscar hybrids of any kind. just don't tell the boys; if the convict makes it and is a male, then they might "pair" off anyways (but without any risk of actual baby fish showing up)

 

[jollysue]

That's a relief!