Oscars

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?

 

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

 

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.

 

sounds like its looking for a partner to spawn.

 

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.