Bolivian Ram Eggs? Or Cory Eggs?

[Tizer]

Hi guys, im after a little info and help on possible breeding Bolivian Rams and i'm only assuming they are ram eggs because there is one guarding the eggs. My first reaction was "oh, cory eggs" but then it was "oh, thats a new place for them" and on inspection they do seem a little smaller and not as rounded as Cory eggs.

Picture below



Any help would be appreciated, i've watched him for 30 mins and hes certainly not helping himself to the eggs as food and has "dug in" and is defending them.

I have 25 Corys in the tank and 4 Bolivian Rams (all of which i thought were male!)

zoomed out pic of tank to show where the ram has "dug in"



i have a few neons, black neons and bleeding heart tetras in there too, but i doubt a ram would be guarding any eggs from them

 

[kaivalagi]

Got to be ram eggs with behaviour like that...I also thought Cory would lay eggs more randomly and dispersed? (not had any egg laying in the past so don't really know)

Your cory better steer clear

 

[Paradise3]

Cory's tend to lay eggs on the glass or other well circulated places. A ram would not defend cory eggs so I'd say the rams have been busy.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Tizer]

my corys, the bronze ones, of which i have 7 have often put eggs high up on the glass near the filter outlet and yes, they scatter them around a little more, it really is an odd place for anything other than the rams, im just a bit shocked if they are ram eggs, i've no real idea how to deal with them other than letting them get on with it. I know they are likely to turn agressive to the other fish, but he seems to be doing a good job at keeping them away just by looking at them

any advice on what to do now to perhaps keep the young eggs safe would be greatly appreciated, looks like i've got some reading to do!

 

[Essjay]

They do look like the eggs my bolivian rams laid a couple of weeks ago - which they promptly ate. Do any of yours show a very pronounced breeding tube? My female did for the next day. That'd be the best way to identify the female.

When my rams spawned last year, they only chased the fish that came right up to the eggs, they ignored the fish that stayed at a distance. But that didn't stop my loaches eating all the eggs. I have a pair of rams, and when they each chased a loach away, the other loaches sneaked in. The loaches came through it unscathed.

 

[kaivalagi]

Best advice is to leave the parents at it....you could try to divide off the area but I'd wait and see how they get on...if the eggs disappear they're likely to give it another go anyway so you could partition off areas then maybe if necessary...

Only if you have another empty tank for fry can you entertain other longer term ideas...if you haven't then you'll have to hope they get on okay with the parents looking out for them.

The most important point though is to watch all the action because it is fascinating the first time!

 

[Tizer]

All eggs gone when i got home last night, the missus said they were there at lunchtime so i guess they made a nice afternoon snack I'll leave them to it, maybe one day i'll spot a young'un.