German Blue Ram Breeding "Journal"

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I think I tried to point out earlier that a balance needs to be struck between using a smaller tank to artificially hatch the eggs and then start out the fry; ten gallon tanks filled half way work well. The little fry need to be kept in close proximity to their food. Every effort should be made to encourage the rams to spawn on a removable smooth stone. Provide one or more and in a tank with just a sprinkling of sand and they breeders will normally choose the stones.

Ram fry are extremely sensitive to changes in all parameters so it is wise to have extra water prepared that closely matches in every way the water they were spawned in.
 
apistomaster;1212701; said:
I think I tried to point out earlier that a balance needs to be struck between using a smaller tank to artificially hatch the eggs and then start out the fry; ten gallon tanks filled half way work well. The little fry need to be kept in close proximity to their food. Every effort should be made to encourage the rams to spawn on a removable smooth stone. Provide one or more and in a tank with just a sprinkling of sand and they breeders will normally choose the stones.

Ram fry are extremely sensitive to changes in all parameters so it is wise to have extra water prepared that closely matches in every way the water they were spawned in.
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This is what I'm working on. They're cleaning a rock at the moment, which would be a nice spawning surface, as I could remove it. For the future, a bare tank will be used to hatch (a 5g), and then once they're free swimmings, they'll be moved to a 10g filled about 1/2 way, as you said.
 
very nice thread dread and very nice input apistomaster. i got three more tanks recently...29 and two 20 longs for breeding and i've been planning to breed rams. didnt realize how tough it can be. what i got out of this is that you need to try as hard as you can to get the rams to spawn on a rock or slate so you can remove it to another "hatchery tank" so the parents dont eat the eggs, and keep the hatchery tank bare bottom with low amount of water so the fry can easily find the food. what about the spawning tank? should that have substrate because like dread i got a 10 gallon planted tank with a flourite bottom.
 
This is really helpful, thanks Dread. I might breed rams for a little income while at college.
 
jloos1988;1218941; said:
very nice thread dread and very nice input apistomaster. i got three more tanks recently...29 and two 20 longs for breeding and i've been planning to breed rams. didnt realize how tough it can be. what i got out of this is that you need to try as hard as you can to get the rams to spawn on a rock or slate so you can remove it to another "hatchery tank" so the parents dont eat the eggs, and keep the hatchery tank bare bottom with low amount of water so the fry can easily find the food. what about the spawning tank? should that have substrate because like dread i got a 10 gallon planted tank with a flourite bottom.
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I prefer using a thin layer of silica sand in ram breeding set ups. They do like to sift the sand.
 
jloos1988;1218944; said:
BTW dread if u actually get some of your fry to growout, if your not too far from me, would you sell me a male & female?
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Sure, if I ever grow some out, I'll let you know.

Or, if you wouldn't like to wait, you can get wild caughts at Preuss Pets in Lansing, and Fantastic Fins in Livonia, literally right down the road from the Fish Doctors in Canton, has F-1s avaliable. Fantastic Fins also has ALOOOOT of Dwarfs for sale all the time. Plenty of Apistos. One of the only places I've found. I got this pair at Preuss Pets. They have outstanding quality Rams there, and any other "staple" fish you can think of (and oddballs from time to time).

Fantastic Fins for Dwarfs and 'Monsters' though. Plenty of Rays and what nots. I just picked up some Dwarf Pikes, Crenicichla Regani there today. THAT's my next breeding project. ;)


And an update while I'm at it:
The rams spawned in a community 55g tank. I believe they even got some wrigglers, however they were quickly picked off by Cardinal Tetras, Rummynose, and I'm sure the Corydoras Sterbai ate some as well. However, definately a step forward. Although when I seriously attempt to breed them again (near future) I will use a hatching tank, I'm beginning to think all my rams needed was some experience. I know that long-time aquarium bloodlines loose their potential parentaing skills (supposedly), these guys are wild, so in theory, they should raise fry just fine. Maybe just some experience and "dry-runs" were needed to teach them to parent correctly.

However, I made a mistake by changing more than one thing. It may be the experience, but it may also be that there are other fish in their tank. So maybe they feel the need to be en garde 100% of the time, so they end up being better parents. Maybe a combination of both. Who knows. This will continue for sure!

And thanks everyone for the kind words. :) I'm glad people have enjoyed this so far, and that there's interest in these kinds of threads. Maybe my C. Regani will be the next 'Journal'? ;) I was going to do Corydoras Pygmaeus but they proved way too easy! I was asking around on PlanetCatfish one day (and ApistoMaster answered my question there too!) about what they would eat, and the next day, EGGS.. so, no real journal there, just "add cool water"..
 
You seem to hve a bunch of success, eh? I couldnt even get my convicts to spawn for 5 weeks after thier last and only succesful batch. They previous 4 spawns would always get picked off by the other fish, but these fry now pick back!
 
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