Breeding Rams and Fry

[maestro001]

I want to start breeding my rams, theyve spawned before but the eggs didnt hatch as my water is too hard.

Im gettign an ro system soon so that wont be a problem.


Anyway what the best way to raise the fry. The rams are in my 20 gallon a pair of honey gourami and6 rummy nose tetras

Should i leave the eggs and fry with the parents? if so how long for, I think they will be good parents as last time they spawned they wouldnt let my go near the eggs, they attacked my hand.

What size tank should i move the fry too? i thought a 10 gallon.

What size tank would i need to grow them on?

[T_om]

There are several "Ram" threads here with some helpful info.

If you are serious about producing fry, you will have to get the pair out of that community tank. Set up a 10 gal. with some java moss, floating plants like water sprite and no gravel. Bare bottom is necessary to keep the thing clean.

Rams are not really cave spawners, but mine seem to enjoy the 2 1/2" PVC unions and elbows I have on the bottom. Filtration is via a large sponge filter only.

Get the water hardness down with RO or rainwater and the eggs will hatch. Do not be too concerned with pH as anything in the 'normal' range of 6.5 to 7.5 will be fine.

My Rams are great parents, but not all Rams are. If, after several spawns, they are eating the eggs or newly hatched fry, you will have to pull them and hatch the eggs artificially. Lots of info on the web about how to do that.

Good luck,

Tom

[maestro001]

Thanks

I did search through all the ram threads but nothing about raising fry and size of tanks used etc for raising, ill do a web search

If my pair are spawning in teh comunity tank couldnt i leave them there,theres only a few other fish there and they dont bother them

[Raul-7]

maestro, you can't raise Ram fry in a community tank because the other fish will eat them even though they don't bother the parents.

Tom, where'd you get such excellent quality Rams?

[T_om]

Originally Posted by Raul-7

maestro, you can't raise Ram fry in a community tank because the other fish will eat them even though they don't bother the parents.

Tom, where'd you get such excellent quality Rams?

These came out of California. This line of Rams took Best of Show for Cichlids last year at a San Diego Fish Show, and also Won the "Guy Jordan Award" for best cichlid in show.

I bred those fish and I am using the fry in my current breeding program. They are really producing some quality fish.

Tom

PS: Here is a closer look at the male

[mrk442]

I never get tired of looking at those beauties. You said yours where good parents? Glad to hear that far to many rams any more have been bred for color and nothing else. I kept and bred some wild caught a while back "why i was asking about PH earlier was my wilds where a little sensitive and would not spawn without RO and peat" and they where great parents. Almost of all the captive bred rams i have seen seem to have been bred with only color in mind and have ignored the wild traits that i felt make this fish and any fish for that matter really special.

What can i say i would rather have a healthy fish that still has the behavior that it evolved in its environment than have a neon colored designer fish.

yours seem to be the best of both worlds

Matt

[maestro001]

I was thinking of just waiting til they spawned in the community and they removign the eggs and placing them in a 10 gallon and raising the fry artificially

[Ibn]

Hmm...here's a link to the first page of uni's nursery thread, which I saw that you've subscribed to. It discusses the setup and even comes w/pics.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...hlight=nursery

I'd be precarious w/the other fish in the tank. They might be not be showing interest in them now, but no bets when the parents aren't attentive. Tetras will make short work of them if not kept at bay.

[BlueRam]

maestro:

In my attempts to raise rams I have had the following happen (as thekrib would say, 'watch the body count rise':
Spawned in community tank (twice) fry eaten
Spawned in 5 gal breeding tank (free swimming to 3 weeks)
Pair moved to bare bottom 5 gal (female killed by male)
New female acquired and spawned without male (once)
Female spawned with male, female removed (male tended eggs for 3 days, then ate them...)
Next I will try leaving the female.
If that does not work I will remove the parents all together.

The biggest challenges are feeding and keeping the tank clean. I am not able to raise baby brine. I tried liquifry which was ok, but frozen baby brine was much better. Use an air stone for circulation first and latter worry about a sponge or other filters latter.

[maestro001]

Thanks

Im having real trouble trying to find quality rams in the UK, all my local fish shops have far eatern bred ones, even the ones labelled german rams.

They all look thin to me which im concerned about

[Raul-7]

Originally Posted by T_om

These came out of California. This line of Rams took Best of Show for Cichlids last year at a San Diego Fish Show, and also Won the "Guy Jordan Award" for best cichlid in show.

I bred those fish and I am using the fry in my current breeding program. They are really producing some quality fish.

Tom

Did you get them in San Diego? Where at?

Does anyone know if the Rams sold at oddballfish.com are worth it? They claim that they are champion quality(I can't disagree they look amazing).

[T_om]

Originally Posted by Raul-7

Did you get them in San Diego? Where at?

Yes to the first and as for the second, I'll let you know after asking my source if she wants the publicity.

Tom

[T_om]

The biggest challenges are feeding and keeping the tank clean. I am not able to raise baby brine.

I do not bother to raise baby brine shrimp either. I simply decapsulate them and am done with it. They are more nutritious, WAY less bother and keep for a LONG time without having to constantly raise more... I'll never bother to hatch brine shrimp again.

My Rams have no problem taking the decaps right from the start.

Tom

[maestro001]

how doyou decapsulate them tom?

[Ibn]

Probably the traditional way of using household bleach?