Something pink hanging off my oscar

[Teamtungol1]

I saw a pink mass hanging off my oscar, it almost looked like it spilled its guts. It seemed fine. it ate regularly. The mass disappeared after a few days. Can anyone Identify this pink mass?

[cynthiamae]

was it hanging near the anus or was it just hanging off the body?

[Teamtungol1]

It was hanging near its anus.

[cynthiamae]

How long was it there? I know that sometimes our O's have poop hanging from them and it is always poop. Sometimes I think they get a bit constipated. Did the O seem sickly to you or bothered by the pink thing? :FS

[oscarbartoni]

If it was too long it might be a breeding tube especially if you feed the fish a lot. This is one way that you cn tell a male cichlid from a female cichlid of the same sex by getting the breeeding tubes to come down and seeing the difference in shape, the male's will e thin and pointed whereas the female's will be shorter and more blunt. You need to have both sexes in the tank so that you can see the difference. :LY

[cynthiamae]

So, how soon do O's start to show signs of being a mated pair if they will be at all. Do they have to be pretty large before this happens?

[oscarbartoni]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you. The oscars may be big enough to start spawning at 4 to 5 inches. If you do regular water changes and have a compatable pair then chances are that you will get mating with the pair within a week or so. Even if they do spawn at a small age sometimes the sperm frome the male is not mature to fertilize the eggs or it might be that the eggs are not mature enouth to get fertilized. But do not despair if that happens and let them keep on spawning for a few spawns and sooner or later they will get it right. :FS