my german blue rams just laid eggs! and i have questions

[pandamonium]

or maybe its just sand i stirred up from planting pennywort...
its the first time i have had GBRs and also the first time they have spawned. i dont really know what to do or how to deal with the fry (if the eggs hatch). i have raised livebearers a lot before, guppies and platies but i dont know how different it is for egg layers.
i have a ton of questions.
the water parameters are about 81 degrees F, pH of about 7-8 (local pH is near 7.8, still working on getting a test kit). the parents were locally bred so they adjusted well.
1) how long will it take for them to hatch? (i have seen sources anywhere from 36 hours to 3-4 days)
2) what should they be fed? and how will should i do that? they laid the eggs on a plant leaf in the very back corner of the aquarium. will they graze on stuff that grows in java moss? i have a good amount of java moss in the tank. i read that newly hatched BBS should do as well as tiny other things.
3) should i move them to another tank like a breeding tank if they give birth? and when should i do that?
4) the only other fish in this tank are some other rams (juvenile but there are plenty of hiding places) and some honeycomb catfish. i dont think those should be a problem should they?
anything else or anyone who has raised GBR fry before, your input would be really appreciated
images to see if its actual eggs. or just sand

[pandamonium]

also should i worry about the parents getting enough food? or will they still feed normally?

[rainbuilder]

They are actual eggs. I have a ram who has laid eggs but since she doesn't have a mate they didn't hatch. They look great and you're lucky you have a local breeder to buy from!

[CatB]

if this is your rams' first time laying eggs, a lot of times they don't know what to do and eat them. don't be too surprised/upset if this happens, they'll probably lay again...

[Higher Thinking]

Here's an old thread of mine. Might be a little useful:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fi...-gbr-eggs.html

[pandamonium]

Originally Posted by rainbuilder

They are actual eggs. I have a ram who has laid eggs but since she doesn't have a mate they didn't hatch. They look great and you're lucky you have a local breeder to buy from!

yeah i found him on craigslist and i was getting them for 2.50 to 3.50 per ram. the spawning ones were in the 3.50 group. im hoping my eggs are fertile. both rams look female which is what concerns me (pink belly very noticeable) but i guess we will see they are about 4 months old at the moment.

Originally Posted by CatB

if this is your rams' first time laying eggs, a lot of times they don't know what to do and eat them. don't be too surprised/upset if this happens, they'll probably lay again...

im expecting this to happen. i read that captive bred rams may do this more often so if that is the case the next spawns, i will remove the eggs. but i really want to see and document the stages of fry growth and such

Originally Posted by Higher Thinking

Here's an old thread of mine. Might be a little useful:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fi...-gbr-eggs.html

i just read the thread and its really helpful. i may post a series like that on this thread just in case i encounter any issues. i dont have the setup to raise newly hatched BBS. i have java moss and such though so im hoping that it houses some microorganisms. if not i read that you can grind up flake food and mix it with water to squirt into the fry shoal.

but yeah anything other advice is welcome for sure

[Msoar16]

2 pink belly are 2 females

[shrimpNewbie]

You can succeed easy just start dropping in live worms with tweezers for the parents, look into live fry food also, all my breeding fish take care of their young till they move on from the nest so I can't be of much help, best of luck to you

[shrimpNewbie]

When spraying desolved flake make sure it is a very high quality flake And don't use much, ocean nutrition prime flake is a good one

[pandamonium]

Originally Posted by Msoar16

2 pink belly are 2 females

i thought that this was true as well but when i did research, the only 100% way to figure out the sexes was to look at behavior. the reason had to do with inbreeding rams to show certain colors/traits/etc. being that i got my rams from a local breeder, not from the wild, i thought maybe this was the case. but after laying the eggs, im pretty sure they were 2 females (physical and behavioral characteristics)

Originally Posted by shrimpNewbie

You can succeed easy just start dropping in live worms with tweezers for the parents, look into live fry food also, all my breeding fish take care of their young till they move on from the nest so I can't be of much help, best of luck to you. When spraying desolved flake make sure it is a very high quality flake And don't use much, ocean nutrition prime flake is a good one

thanks for the advice shrimp unfortunately, i think the rams were both females and they abandoned the eggs as well. if i get a pairing later on i will do this. i read about using dissolved flakes though i didnt know that i should use a high quality one. are hikari first bites good too? i saw that somewhere.