Oscars Are Digging

[liserini]

Lately I've been watching one of my oscars "digging" a hole in the gravel. First it wiggles around on the bottom to loosen the packing of the gravel, then it picks up a load in it's mouth and spits it out away from the hole! Last night, I watched for twenty minutes as the oscar was at it again. Then my other oscar joined in and they were both digging the hole! Oscars are great

 

[Davo86]

"Just rearranging the furniture"

 

[ox5477]

can't beat a natural instinct

 

[bugsy66]

I have heard of people giving them a ping pong ball to play with in the tank. You might want to try that to deter their attention somewhat.

 

[shelaghfishface]

they certainly are great!

i watched my 2 new oscars, totally wreck the tank i put them in yesterday ( it was only a temp tank), i just wonder if they " chew slippers" too lol

 

[liserini]

I can see the glass at the bottom of the tank now! They've "dug" through about 3 inches of gravel and the hole is about 3 inches in diameter. I thought about getting them a ping pong ball, might have a look today whilst out shopping Or maybe I'll chuck in a slipper!

 

[liserini]

I think they have laid eggs. But not in the actual hole. There's lots of tiny yellow balls and one of the oscars is hovering over them.

 

[dave1987]

cool any pics?

 

[ox5477]

well they don't lay their eggs in the pit they dig. This pit is for the wigglers when they hatch. They will lay eggs on a clean flat surface, usually a piece of slate or flat outcrop of a piece of wood. Keep an eye on them and they should hatch within a week or two I think

 

[liserini]

Thanks for clarifying that! I'll try and get some pics, mine never come out very well I'm quite surprised by this as I'll admit I committed the crime of just buying 2 oscars and sticking them together. I had no idea what sex they were, let alone that they would pair up and breed!

 

[rossyt99]

Fantastic> I'm sure there will be be plenty of takers for the Juviniles if they grow with success!

 

[shelaghfishface]

oh wow!! i would love to see pics, of the oscars and the eggs

shelagh xx

ps, now at least they wont need ur slipper lol

 

[ox5477]

well you can't really pick out two different sex oscars anyways. They species shows no outward difference in the species so therefore to sex them, they either need to breed (watch who lays the eggs and who fertilizes them), or you need to look inside them to see the reproductive parts. So congrats man, you won the lottery

 

[liserini]

Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Checked the tank this morning and the eggs have gone

 

[ox5477]

prob eaten either by the parents or another tank mate. But, don't worry if they have bred once they will breed again so be patient. Some times it takes cichlid two or three batches of eggs to get the parenting thing right