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Breeding / Open substrate spawners
Open substrate spawners · Easy

Breeding the rio paraguay oscar

Substrate spawner with parental care.

Full species page

Step by step

Pairing

Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.

Breeding tank

A 400 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, flat slate or rocks as spawning surfaces and a tight lid.

What starts it

Warm, clean water, frequent water changes and protein-rich food.

Eggs and young

500-1000 eggs

Raising the fry

Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.

Common mistakes
  • Tank too small for a pair
  • Dirty water
  • Not removing the weaker partner when a pair fights
Setup blueprint

Home setup

One breeding tank for the rio paraguay oscar, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.

145 cm long · 50 cm deep60 cm12345
  1. 1
    Breeding tank: 400 L · about 145 × 50 × 60 cm, 400 L from the breeding guide
  2. 2
    Sponge filter and air pump · named in the guide
  3. 3
    Heater · temperature unknown
  4. 4
    Slate or flat stone · named in the guide
  5. 5
    Lid · from the guide

Water: Unknown

A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 24 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.

Setup blueprint

Business setup

A 155 cm rack for breeding the rio paraguay oscar in numbers.

12234155 cm rack, 3 shelves
  1. 1
    1 breeding tank, 400 L · about 145 × 50 × 60 cm, set up like the home tank
  2. 2
    2 grow-out tanks, 800 L each · about 145 × 70 × 80 cm; twice the breeding tank, never smaller than this species' smallest tank
  3. 3
    Shared air pump and air line · one line along each shelf feeds a sponge filter in every tank
  4. 4
    Heat the room or each tank · temperature unknown

In total: 3 tanks, about 2,000 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.

Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.

Male or female

  • Male: Larger with a bigger head
  • Female: Slightly smaller
  • Hard to sex

Can I breed it in my tank?

  • Good for a first breeding project.

Day-by-day plan

Typical for open substrate spawners

  1. 21 days beforeLet a pair form

    Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.

  2. Day 0Spawning

    The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.

  3. Day 3Eggs hatch

    Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.

  4. Day 7Free swimming

    Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.

  5. Day 42Grow-out

    Move fry to a grow-out tank before the parents spawn again.

A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.

Simulator: guided

Stage 1 of 5Let a pair form

Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.

Simulator: try it yourself

Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.

No spawning
  • Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.

An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.