Oscars

[Eric]

I noticed last night that my Oscar had cleared the rock off the bottom of the tank in a circle about the size of a 50 cent peice and would constantly go down to it and sit. is this normal? Any ideas?

[baugherb]

Don't know if its normal, But my one oscar did the same thing by my undergravel filter tube... It would just chill there....

[Matt Rogers]

When I used to snorkel in lakes in the Mid-West I would see things like you've described - recessed areas on the lake floor - they would often have a fish above it that would protect it. Sounds like home to me.

[geekdafied]

sounds like its looking for a partner to spawn.

[ReefPlayground]

That's completely normal. Your oscar is building a nest. Meaning its at a mature spawning age and size. I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting a mate, unless you are 100% sure you have a male (check his vents to make sure) and you have a large enough tank. Once you do have a pair they will stay paired off and if they do mate you might experience your oscar pair killing off / harassing tank mates. This of coarse depends heavily on your tank size, feeding regiment, tank arrangement, your oscar size, and tank mate species.