Topic: Oscars and convicts

[MeganH]

I have had my convict "Diesel" for a little over a year now. I believe she is a female because her belly is bright orange. Anyway, every fish I have tried to introduce her to, she has picked on until eventually until they die. Recently, I put her in a 20 gallon tank with an Oscar, and they hit it off! She has laid eggs three times in the last month...they are always white, and from what I have been reading that means they are unfertile. The eggs are always gone after a day or two...she barely leaves her nest, letting him come nowhere near it. I don't know if this is possible, but will the eggs ever hatch? Is is possible for these two fish to breed together. I need some input, I am totally clueless!!

[Maddy mad man]

Ive never heard of a n oscar and a convict crossing but should it happen then of course you have a bunch of hybrids on your hands, and culling would be appropriate.

A 20G is way too small and we recommend a 55g minimum for one oscar.

[Maddy mad man]

Addit.  The bright orange and the eggs indeed suggset your convict is female.

[fnesr]

It's not physically possible to my knowledge.

In any case, there is a lot of problems associated with hybridizing cichlids (ethical problems for you and common health problems for the offspring) and it's highly discouraged amoungst most hobbiests. I agree 20gals is way too small for your Oscar unfortunately, to keep him/her healthy and happy you will need a tank 50gals+ . If you get tankspace and are esspecially keen on breeding your fem convict you should use a male convict .

[Maddy mad man]

I didnt get the impression you were intending to produce hybrids but were that the case then I would strongly discourage it as would 99.9% of other fishkeepers (keepers not owners).  Fnesr has already outlined potential health problems which all hybrids face and it simply isnt fair to them.  The only time I would advocate getting a hybrid is as a rescue from obscene conditions - iat the end of the day it isnt the fishes fault and they deserve the best we can offer but please, please dont be tempted to produce hybrids.

[Gerry]

at the end of the day it isnt the fishes fault and they deserve the best we can offer but please, please dont be tempted to produce hybrids.

Well put

[JC]

Thankfully oscars cant' hybridize with other species. As long as yours seem to get along, they'll be fine together and no worries of a whack of hybrids on your hands 

[Breederjonah12]

Thankfully oscars cant' hybridize with other species. As long as yours seem to get along, they'll be fine together and no worries of a whack of hybrids on your hands 

I read in a book about an oscar and a jaguar cichlid jaw locking for a mate. Here is the EXACT TEXT Jaw locking between an oscar(left) and a jaguar cichlid(right). This is usually a test of strength between rivals, vying for a mate.

[fnesr]

It's also a sign of strait out aggression with nothing to do with mating at all Breederjonah12. Oscars and Jaguars can't breed together and there's no other species in which they both could spawn with based on the Oscar. Oscars and Jaguars should not be kept together in any case, Jaguar is a far more aggressive fish and they will allmost 100% certainly fight (which can involve locking lips).

[Breederjonah12]

o ok. I just read it in A Fishkeeper's guide to central american cichlids so I thought it might mean something.

[JC]

Put it this way. Provided an Oscar and Jaguar were to be put together and miraculously live to maturity unscathed, and ensued mating behavior, were they to attempt spawning together, you woudnt' get offspring from that pair.

[fnesr]

o ok. I just read it in A Fishkeeper's guide to central american cichlids so I thought it might mean something.

Lip locking can equal mating behaviour like you read but it can also just equal fighting. Fish do not have fists therefore fighting for territory (or dominance for a mate in some cases like you were getting at) is done with the mouth. Because two fish are "lip locking" doesn't generally mean you can assume it is mating ritual and given the two species you mention there would be a much better chance of it being fighting then mating behaviour (considering the difficult mix of species and the fact offspring is completely unviable for them). I'm not saying that particular instance mentioned in a book is not confused mating behaviour but the way you worded this...

I read in a book about an oscar and a jaguar cichlid jaw locking for a mate. Here is the EXACT TEXT

Sounds like you were under the impression that Oscar hybridization is possible and that locking lips in one particular instance mentioned in a book proves it so.