ONCE YOUR OSCARS HAVE DECIDED THAT THE SLATE IS CLEAN ENOUGH THEY WILL SETTLE DOWN AND BEGIN SPAWNING.THE SPAWNING TUBES WILL BE FULLY EXTENDED WITH THE MALE HAVING THE MORE POINTED TUBE AND THE FEMALE HAVING A MORE ROUNDED LARGER TUBE.AT FIRST THE FEMALE WILL GLIDE ACROSS THE SLATE WITH HER TUBE TOUCHING THE SLATESHE PROBABLY DOES THIS TO STIMULATE THE LAYING OF THE EGGS, AS AT FIRST NO EGGS WILL BE LAID AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND SEVERAL DUMMY RUNS THE FEMALE WILL FINALLY BEGIN TO LAY THE EGGS. THE MALE WILL FOLLOW HER OVER THE SLATE TO FERTILISE THE EGGS. VIEWED FROM ABOVE THE SPAWNING IS IN A CIRCULAR MOTION. tHE FEMALE WILL LAY THE EGGS IN SHORT STRINGS FROM 6-15 EGGAS AT A TIME. THE SPAWNING CAN LAST FROM 3/4 OF AN HOUR UP TO SEVERAL HOURS AND CAN PRODUCE FROM 400 - OVER 1000 EGGS. ONCE THE SPAWNING IS FINISHED THE PAIR WILL SETTLE DOWN TO LOOK AFTER THE EGGS OCCASIONALLY A MLE WILL TAKE OVER LOOKING AFTER THE EGGS AND CONTINUALLY PUSH THE FEMALE AWAY.

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