Oscar and JD cuddling?

[midmichman80]

I have noticed that my oscar(vinny) and jd(jack) will cuddle with each other, the oscar will hover over the jd and vinny's bottom fin will rub on jack's upper fin. Other times the jd will charge at the oscar, as if he were gonna strike, the oscar doesn't move and jack will slow up and just rest his nose on the oscars side. It seems as though they enjoy each other's company, is this a normal behavior for fish, let alone two different types?

[brian1973]

with watching my Oscars I have seen this same type of behavior at times..then an hour later the larger of the 2 will chase the smaller one out of its territory. I would be interested in actually seeing this if you can record it. I also dont know that it would be impossible for them to pair off, I am not sure of the taxonomy of the JD, if I remember correctly animals of the same genus can potentially interbreed regardless of species.

[midmichman80]

Very interesting Brian. Seeing the two of them together I thought they were getting a little more comfortable then I have seen two fish before. I would really like to keep the two of them together, that sounds like my 55g tank.

[Cichlid-Man]

29 gallon

6" Jack Dempsey
3" Oscar
3" Chocolate Pleco
3" Kissing Gourami
2" Blue Gourami
1.5" Parrothead hybrid

Its probably because they can't get away from each other to keep from touching.

Regardless of your tank issues, when they "cuddle" is it behind some plants or in a corner or anything? The charging could be taken as a sign of dominance with a "stare down" at the end. You should probably see some gill flaring with this behavior. I've only seen Africans acctually charge and hit the other fish, new world cichlids usually just flare up, charge and stop...or lock jaws.

[midmichman80]

Originally Posted by Cichlid-Man

Its probably because they can't get away from each other to keep from touching.

Regardless of your tank issues, when they "cuddle" is it behind some plants or in a corner or anything? The charging could be taken as a sign of dominance with a "stare down" at the end. You should probably see some gill flaring with this behavior. I've only seen Africans acctually charge and hit the other fish, new world cichlids usually just flare up, charge and stop...or lock jaws.

Funny, but they actually seek out each other's attention. Did I mention I had a 55g cycling earlier in this thread? So yes, back to the question at hand, the cuddle occurs everywhere in the tank. In a cave, mid tank, behind plants, out in the open, it doesn't seem to matter. The oscar will sit still, let the jd charge, no moving, no flaring, no sign of aggression, no sign of submission. The jd, when charging, has all fins down, and stops right before contact and slowly rests its nose against the side of the oscar. The oscar will swim up a bit and massage the upper fin of the jd, the whole time, no signs of aggression are apparent. Eventually the two will seperate and go their seperate ways. Sometimes just minutes go by and they will do it again, other times it takes an hour or so.

It just looks to me like they are enjoying each other's company, almost flirting too.

[Big Vine]

It's sometimes difficult to interpret what the interactions between two different species of sexually mature and juvenile fish mean; particularly when housed in such small quarters. I wouldn't read too much into it as far as the 'pairing' theory is concerned either---your oscar is nowhere near reaching sexual maturity yet. Even if they were to become 'buddies,' we still don't have a clue as to the sex of your oscar---and if we did, it wouldn't matter one iota because these fish will not be able to successfully spawn with one another.

BV

[brian1973]

Originally Posted by Big Vine

It's sometimes difficult to interpret what the interactions between two different species of sexually mature and juvenile fish mean; particularly when housed in such small quarters. I wouldn't read too much into it as far as the 'pairing' theory is concerned either---your oscar is nowhere near reaching sexual maturity yet. Even if they were to become 'buddies,' we still don't have a clue as to the sex of your oscar---and if we did, it wouldn't matter one iota because these fish will not be able to successfully spawn with one another.

BV

What does the behavior mean? who knows.

BV,
I agree with what you said for the most part, I did do some research and fish can cross breed within the same family, of course there is alot more that goes into crossbreeding than just belonging to the same family so it is unlikely, but there are common hybrids both in the wild and on the current market so saying it doesnt matter one iota, unless you have the scientific proof, is opinion and not fact.

added link for opinions on hybrids. Cichlid Research Home Page: Hybrids

[AlyKat]

I've got an Oscar and Dempsey tank as well...in a 55...started out with them both really small...about 3" for Oscar and probably 2" for Jack. (Love those creative names, huh? LOL) They will also hang around eachother but I wouldn't say I've ever seen them "cuddle", although they do seem to sometimes enjoy each others company. Sometimes. Other times they will charge at each other. It's pretty even though...they seem to take turns. Of course Oscar has grown soooooo much faster than Jack...probably better that way, as Jack is the "more aggressive" of the 2.

How long have you had them? How long till your 55 is cycled?

[midmichman80]

I have had the jd for several years now, his first tankmate died awhile ago and I just recently went crazy and bought the rest of the fish. My 55g started cycling about the same time I started this thread. I have got a dozen goldfish or so in the tank creating as much ammonia as they can to get the process going. I haven't even tested the water yet, will start doing that next week. Love the blue lobster too, btw.

[AlyKat]

Originally Posted by midmichman80

Love the blue lobster too, btw.

Thanks!

So who's going in the 55...just the Oscar and JD?