German Blue Ram Spawn!!

Well that didn't take long!! Watching the male choose a female was like watching a bad soap opera! I'm not sure if they are actually fertilized but the pair are doing a really good job guarding them from the ever hungry platys.
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 .oO HUMPH, whatever....

I kidding, I kidding. Green with envy, I can't get snails to breed...lol!

That's super cool MorganEA, keep us updated!

I didnt expect them to breed!! I'm super surprised. Do you think I should move the other female to a different tank? The pair is taking turns chasing her

Yes. Please move her. They are going to kill her.

I hoped the tank would have enough hiding spots but I guess not, she is being moved to my 40 gal.

Hey Morgan, I realize it's early in the process but w/o jinxin it...got plans for tjose fry???...

TFP

Congrats on the spawn ... how exciting. Hoping all goes well with the growup.

How exciting. Keep us updated.

So now I'm really confused!! Both the females are guarding the eggs and beating up on the male!!

TheFishPimp wrote:Hey Morgan, I realize it's early in the process but w/o jinxin it...got plans for tjose fry???...

TFP

I have no plans for the fry, I didn't even expect them to breed   

Im interested as well if you dont have plans...

If the tank is large enough, and there is no damage being done, I'd leave the extra female. She'll help keep the pair together, and ram pairs aren't known for being great parents so every little bit helps. Blue rams can claim a fairly big space for such small fish though.

Dibs, DIbs...DIBBS.....

Rofl you guys are going to jinx it!!
did anyone see my other post about the females guarding the eggs and kicking the male out? Is that weird?

If enough survive then I could really use at least a male. I got a pair and the male was already sick with dropsy needless to say, he is dead and the female needs a new mate.

MorganEA wrote:Rofl you guys are going to jinx it!!
did anyone see my other post about the females guarding the eggs and kicking the male out? Is that weird?

I have been digging around for a presidence. So far in every case the fish have been sexed incorrectly. I assume you have sexed your fish properly in which case as long as the chased fish recieves no damage apparently its not uncommon for rams to chase each other.

I'm pretty sure I sexed them right, I think I will set up a larger tank for them. they are in a 20 gal I think they need a 20 L

MorganEA wrote:I'm pretty sure I sexed them right, I think I will set up a larger tank for them. they are in a 20 gal I think they need a 20 L

Eh that was another common answer was that perphaps they are in to small of a tank (most of the posters had them in 10gal) it was suggested 20 long or higher for 1 pair

10 gal?! that's not enough room for them hopefully they figure things out, Ill add more plants and try to get a bigger tank.

I'm interested in fry as well!

Just an update from today the eggs look really good mom is doing a great job of keeping them clean. I read that if the eggs turn white they aren't fertile is that true? I've only seen one white one and the mom ate it. I moved the male to my 10 gal quarantine tank because the girls were really beating on him, I'll re introduce him once the eggs are gone since both girls are caring for the eggs.

I'm starting to see little babies inside the eggs!!

I always love watching the eggs develop. It is a site. Even after they hatch they are still 'eggs' with a tail for a couple of days.

Hopefully, you'll have enough survivors to spread around (for a modest fee of course). I personally like to get fry that are a couple of weeks to a month old and watch them grow up but that isn't always feasable.

I wish you luck, even if you keep them all!

I came home and I found all the fertile eggs gone and I was like well poop she ate them
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Then while I was feeding I noticed something move on the lava rock next to the log, It turns out that the babies hatched and the momma moved them to the underside of the rock. the photo is blurry but you can see the mass of babies
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Very cool indeed.

little baby wigglers!! The moms cant decide if they want them on the rock or on the marimo ball next to the rock!
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They are probably moving them to future food sources. Marimo balls are hotbeds of micro-organisms the fry will feed upon.

Im pretty sure the babies have been eaten, the girls aren't guarding the area and I don't see babies.

Next time. Maybe when they are wrigglers, you can suck them up with a turkey baster or something and then put the brood into a different tank with a sponge filter, using the same water they came from so they don't go into shock. That way the odd ram or other fish doesn't snack.

When my kribs laid eggs I pulled the whole piece of wood out because they kept raising them to be old enough to fend for themselves (they are such good parents) and then the parents ate them. This is from a wild pair. They are much more territorial than the last batch of kribs I had. 3 pair shared the same tank. These guys won't let anyone live.

I realize gathering substrate spawners isn't quite so simple. Another option is to let them spawn in another tank and remove them after they have laid eggs.

This was their first spawn so it's a learning expirence! Thank you for the tips!!

congrats, i have had mine spawn 4 times but they never made it past the wiggler stage. my advice is; leave a small light on for them at night so they can keep guarding their eggs, especially if you have any snails, as those will eat the eggs at night if they have a chance. i tried leaving the light on for the night the second time they spawned, and that was the time they actually hatched. then, they got eaten.

edit; didn't realize there was a second page- cool that you got wigglers, but sorry yours got eaten too... maybe keeping the light on would help at this stage too, though?

Sorry to hear they got eaten.. My GBR pair just laid eggs in my tank as well.. I am super excited to see what happens...

Ok round 2 if they hatch this time I'm going to suck some up and try a breeder box. Anyone have a suggestion on what kind of breeder box would work? I have been looking at the external ones that hang on the side.

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Mom guarding the eggs, I put a bunch of algae wafers on the other side of the tank and I'm leaving the lights on hopefully the stupid snails stay away.

There is a external breeder box made by Marina. It boast an airline attachment and uses the tank water to flow through it.
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click on "breeding supplies" in the left catagory list, then select "breeding traps & tank dividers". Scroll down to the bottom and select "Marina hang-on breeding box" medium or large. These are awsome and seen them in-use at a friends place with fry in them.
He used a small baster to clean out the collected poop and excees foods. I am ordering 2 and are glad to see a breeder box that really works!