Blue Ram Eggs!

[Loony Fish]

hiya,
my blue ram pair just laid eggs in my 12 gallon tank. the eggs hatched today and the parents are guarding them. the problem is, they wont leave my black skirt tetras alone!
what do i do ! i have some room in another tank if that would help...

 

[minxfishy]

I would move any other fish out of the tank for the time being. In all honestly, that tank isnt really big enough for the pair of rams, they will be better off without any other fish, less stress for all concerned.

 

[Athena]

Disagree slightly - a 2ft tank is more than enough room for a pair of German Blue Rams (they are very tiny fish that do not grow much bigger than 2", if that) along with a small community of other fish. The problem arises when they spawn because, as with most cichlids, the parents become extremely protective and aggressive towards other tankmates. Sometimes they don't actually harm the other fish, they just chase them constantly, so it depends on how bad things are as to whether you leave them all to it or intervene. I've only ever moved one fish to another tank because she was a bit fragile to all the chasing around - but generally I leave things as they are. So long as there's no fin nipping or head butting going on!

You might consider getting a tank divider to use at times like this, just to separate the rams from the other fish for a while. Cichlids often end up eating their fry after about a week unless the fry are removed from them at that time, then once the fry are gone (either from eating or by you removing them to a fry tank) peace will resume in your tank again and you can remove the divider.

Hope that's helped.

Athena

 

[Loony Fish]

Disagree slightly - a 2ft tank is more than enough room for a pair of German Blue Rams (they are very tiny fish that do not grow much bigger than 2", if that) along with a small community of other fish. The problem arises when they spawn because, as with most cichlids, the parents become extremely protective and aggressive towards other tankmates. Sometimes they don't actually harm the other fish, they just chase them constantly, so it depends on how bad things are as to whether you leave them all to it or intervene. I've only ever moved one fish to another tank because she was a bit fragile to all the chasing around - but generally I leave things as they are. So long as there's no fin nipping or head butting going on!

You might consider getting a tank divider to use at times like this, just to separate the rams from the other fish for a while. Cichlids often end up eating their fry after about a week unless the fry are removed from them at that time, then once the fry are gone (either from eating or by you removing them to a fry tank) peace will resume in your tank again and you can remove the divider.

Hope that's helped.

Athena

thanks.
thats the most useful idvice i've gotten on the forum