Breeding Rams

[Zante]

Barney and Betty's first spawn is gone. No surprise there, but I would have liked to examine the eggs properly.
They did look the right colour, but I can't be sure.

I have made up my mind: unless something happens in the next week, Fred and Wilma are going back to the community tank. They have a few days to convince me.

 

[Zante]

With the sun setting I was able to have a proper look, and most of the eggs that were there this morning, are still there. I had spotted a few white ones this morning, but those are all gone.

They are a different colour from those laid by Fred and Wilma. Their eggs were a kind of dark creamy colour, like yellow butter. These are grey. I can't see any dark marking on them yet, but it might still be early for that.

 

[Zante]

Just a quick update:

Fred and Wilma are back in the community tank. Barney and Betty have been creeping about the tank, expecting the other two to jump on them.

This evening, getting back from work I saw them finally settled in their new larger territory and with amazing colours.

The eggs from the last spawn are gone, but I wasn't expecting any different. I still wasn't able to see them properly, but I am convinced they were a different colour to the ones laid by Fred and Wilma.

I am now fattening up Betty to condition her nicely for the next spawning.
I have enough water ready for a 50% change, which I am keeping back for a while so that I can induce spawning with it once Betty gets nice and round. Water quality is pristine and the tank is planted and understocked, so the water quality will stay high for quite some time.

I will try and plant some lilaeopsis and see if I can get it to cover the gravel.
Irrelevant to the journal, but still...

 

[Zante]

Since there will be abit of a gap while waiting for the next spawn, I'd like to know who is following this journal, what you think of the journal itself and of my efforts.

 

[Zante]

Betta is almost bursting, and they have dug a fairly large pit.

No particular signs of spawning yet, but I guess it can't be too far away.

To be honest I wasn't expecting them to spawn in a pit (if they will spawn in it) since they spawned on a leaf last time..

<shrug> whatever... we'll see...

 

[Mcbenthy]

Since there will be abit of a gap while waiting for the next spawn, I'd like to know who is following this journal, what you think of the journal itself and of my efforts.

Hey! I'm following with quite a bit of interest!

I recently had a GBR in my main tank, but he didn't do well and unfortunately passed yesterday. I can't see the cause for his decline in health (well I can, he got - in reverse order - serious white spot, house move, stopped eating, stopped coming out to the front of the tank) - I have no idea what caused the first problem which was him constantly hiding, he had been fine for ~2 months, eating well (taking pellets not just live food). There was a female in with him for ~3 weeks, but she went the way of many GBR from less than ideal stores and went downhill pretty quickly, which was disappointing. Water quality was spot on, though I did have an Endler pop boom.

Really interested in how you are coping with the harder water etc, as I now live in a limestone area with fairly hard water (GH = 13) but would like to have rams in my smaller (20G) aquarium - see sig.

 

[Zante]

Really interested in how you are coping with the harder water etc, as I now live in a limestone area with fairly hard water (GH = 13) but would like to have rams in my smaller (20G) aquarium - see sig.

Mmm... you might have misread something, the ram's water is extremely soft.
I'd say that both Kh and Gh are < 3, it isn't easy to see the change in colour with the reagent tests when hardness is so low...

 

[Mcbenthy]

Really interested in how you are coping with the harder water etc, as I now live in a limestone area with fairly hard water (GH = 13) but would like to have rams in my smaller (20G) aquarium - see sig.

Mmm... you might have misread something, the ram's water is extremely soft.
I'd say that both Kh and Gh are < 3, it isn't easy to see the change in colour with the reagent tests when hardness is so low...

I know, but you lowered your water hardness from my understanding with a mix of RO and tap?

 

[Zante]

Yes, but the hard water was a mistake I made.
I bought one of those holiday blocks that dissolves and releases food when I wend on holiday.

Obviously if I had stopped to think for a moment at the word "dissolves" I would have realized it was a bad idea...
Anyway, I have been making water changes with pure RO water to get it to the parameters I wanted, and now it's a question of keeping it there...

 

[Zante]

If anyone's interested the journal continues here.
http/www.aqcenter.net/topic/466-breeding-blue-rams/