Hi,
Can anyone help me out? I currently have in my tank 2 3'' Oscars, 1 5" oscar, 2 8" oscars and a 10" oscar + various other community fish. Recently my 8" Oscars have grown wart like growths on there chins and one of them has begun lip locking with the largest Oscar. The 2 8" Oscars were introduced to the tank together and have stick by each other since. Could the lip locking be breeding behaviour? And are they sexually mature?
Thanks

welcome to the site

as for your lip locking it is usually a test of strength for oscar and can be used for dominance or breeding. the bump on the chin is really an oddity for oscars some get them and some dont but its nothing to worry about.

as for sexual maturity in my experience oscar become mature at about the one to one and a half year mark which can translate into 8-12 inches for a normal growth oscar

btw 6 oscar plus mates hope you have a huge tank

Lip locking a something most Oscars will do at some stage.. It would be great if this behaviour translates to a breeding pair. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Your 8 inch Oscars could possibly be mature. You could try putting a flat rock/slate in the tank, Oscars like laying their eggs on a flat surface. This may well encourage them to lay eggs. Carry out regular water changes, this can often trigger fish into spawning. The reason being is because many South American fish breed during the rainy season.

It's very much a wait-and-see game. Some people have Oscars that breed on a regular basis, Other Oscars may only do it occasionally

lip locking if done frequently and with force
means trying to show "who is the boss". if done
occasionally with graceful spinning is sign of
courtship. in some occasion, it is an aggression
when there is problem in your water. whatever is it,
you have to watch out.

He Thanks.
Yes I have a huge tank! with good filteration and I conduct regular tests on my water for quality. So far so good.

Would it be possible to place clear perspex over the gravel. So that it would be flat but you'd still get the visual of a natural looking tank. I'll put pictures up soon! Thanks

yes, you can. but your oscars will definitely move
everything around it specially if the lip-locking is
a sign of pairing.

I dont think it would work as poo seams to find its way under my large flat rocks but the only way to find out is try. as for natural looking.... I think you will see it and it wouldnt look right.

What about the other tank mates? Could they be putting the Oscars off breeding? Thanks

if you really want the best chance for a pair to breed you are far better off with just a pair of oscars in the tank. That doesnt mean it will not work with other fish present, but your chance of success is greater with a pair. I think most people on the site want to breed there oscars, but also keep other fish, this isnt the best plan and making a choice to breed or keep a nice tank of mixed fish is what needs to be thought through. mixing the tank with a breeding pair will also result in problems if the pair do breed, as they wont let other fish near the eggs. without a very large tank all your other fish will end up pushed into a corner. Its a lot to think about and not has easy as most people think. goodluck.

from personal experience i found that my oscars do not lay eggs on a regular schedual and this i attribute to the tankmates in my aquarium. if you wnat to breed your oscars then i would suggest like marcus has said, to house them alone without tankmates. this will make them feel safer and the odds of a successful spawn will definetly be increased

the guys had spoken. any tank mates disrupt the spawning.
when threatened, oscars eat their eggs. this was my experience.
moreover, if in case they do hatched the egg, tank mates will
just pick the hatchlings one by one. that was also my experience
(my angel fish as the culprit)