German Blue Ram Eggs - Advice Needed

[mark4785]

My female GBR has decided to lay about 50 or more eggs on a piece of bog wood in her quarantine tank about 2 weeks after being separated from male and female stock in a LFS. I'd like to know if its possible that these eggs are fertile; is there any way of telling?

The pictures of the eggs are supplied below. She is guarding them and picking them up and placing them back on the bog wood if they fall. She doesn't seem to be eating any of them.

Also, typically how long will it take, if at all, for them to hatch?

Pic 1:

Pic 2:

I will need to sell on any fish that are born so I'd be interested to know if anybody would want to purchase them for a small fee (just an idea at this stage).


Mark.

 

[fluttermoth]

Aww, bless! In egg-laying fish, the female lays the eggs and then the male follows behind releasing the sperm to fertilize them, so unfortunately they won't be fertile unless a male is present.
But at least you know your water is right and that you have a good, fertile mother

 

[mark4785]

Aww, bless! In egg-laying fish, the female lays the eggs and then the male follows behind releasing the sperm to fertilize them, so unfortunately they won't be fertile unless a male is present.
But at least you know your water is right and that you have a good, fertile mother

If I place the eggs into the aquarium containing the male would he more than likely just eat them since he hasn't bonded in anyway with the female that produced them?

The water is indeed very good quality with 0 ppm of ammonia/nitrite and only about 10 ppm of nitrate. Circulation is excellent. Temperature is 30 degrees C despite the thermostat being set to 27. PH of 7.4.

Whereas my planted aquarium (twice has big) is a planted one with 40ppm of nitrate and which contains some water flow/circulation dead spots. I'm unable to test for ammonia and nitrite because the test kit isn't compatible with the fertilisers I use. I've thus been adviced to watch the fish behaviour has a means of deducing the quality of the water. Temp is 28 degrees C. PH of 6.6. ***KH and GH same in both tanks***

Given these differences will the eggs be ok if I transferred them?

 

[mark4785]

Well I moved all of the unfertilised eggs to the larger tank containing the male GBR he eat all of them . The female GBR began pecking him when she saw what he was doing but he pecked back as if to say "this is my tank and my food!"

They haven't been aggressive towards each other; just some pecking here and there.

The female is acting in a way that is reminiscent to what she was doing before she desposited the eggs, so hopefully she will produce more and he will fertilise them rather than see it as food!

 

[mark4785]

Is there anything detrimental about a male GBR eating 50 or so unfertilised GBR eggs? What are the main nutrients stored in them?

 

[fluttermoth]

I have no idea what nutrients there might be in them; they're mostly protein, I should think. I've never heard of a fish coming to any harm though.

 

[ajs2294]

Is there anything detrimental about a male GBR eating 50 or so unfertilised GBR eggs? What are the main nutrients stored in them?

Put it this way even fish enjoy Caviar

 

[mark4785]

Is there anything detrimental about a male GBR eating 50 or so unfertilised GBR eggs? What are the main nutrients stored in them?

Put it this way even fish enjoy Caviar

Ok, thats good to know lol. He consumed all the eggs yesterday so I decided not to feed him or any of the other fish anything today so that I don't risk the water quality going down hill.