Sexing Oscars

[teflon]

I have a 30cm oscar that I would like to know the sex of, Is there an easier way to find out what sex it is rather then taking it out of the tank and venting it?

Cheers

Adam

[Cannula]

As Oscars are monomorphic, the only true way is the watch them mate, then vent sexing which at 30cm is very accurate.

Some people say that if the anal,dorsal, and caudal fins overlap it is a male. This is a very poor way of sexing and is quite inaccurate in my opinion.

To vent sex your beast you could just net it and leave it in the water. Tun it carefully vertically so you can see the vents from the front (shouldn't struggle as much being vertical as opposed to upsidedown) and check the vents through the glass.

I've even managed to vent sex just by feeding fish as they tend to line up their vents for view from the front of the tank as they approach the food above them, try this if you don't want to net your fish or you don't want to stress your fish too much.

Good luck with it (Sorry about rambling)

[teflon]

Cheers for the reply.

What does a male/female vent look like?

cheers

Adam

[Ged]

The anal pore is generally the same in both male and females whilst the genital papilla is wider in the females. Venting is the best method because two females oscars can sometimes pair up and go through the mating ritual and spawn.

[teflon]

The anal pore is generally the same in both male and females whilst the genital papilla is wider in the females.

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Okay cheers will try and get him/her to sit long enough at the top whilst eatting

Venting is the best method because two females oscars can sometimes pair up and go through the mating ritual and spawn.

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How weird, Cheers for that who knows I might have kept a pair of females and wondered why none hatched if you hadn't told me that