Can an Oscar and a Convict Cichlid Pair Up?

I had a female Oscar that was about 8" long and a male white convict cichlid that was 4" long. These two were too aggressive to house with any other fish. So I kept them together in one tank. They both seemed to respect each other’s boundaries and there was never any trouble.

But one day, I noticed that the convict was trying to entice the Oscar to pair up with him. He was doing the mating ritual with her, but she was least bothered. He just wasn’t big enough to impress her. Disgusted by his act, she would chase him away, every now and then.


Even though they never really ended up as a pair, this highlights the possibility of such a thing happening. In the absence of one’s own species, one would tend to turn onto the next closest relative in order to procreate. Although I haven’t seen the resultant Oscar-Convict mixed breed, I’m pretty much sure they can be compatible. After all, what’s a Flower horn Cichlid?