German Blue Rams Behaviour Questions

[nortonmad213]

hi, firstly hope this is the correct place to post.
my pair of gbr have lately become a hell of a lot more terratorial than usual,
the past 2 months they have been fine, lately their colours have come out a lot more and will do whatevers necessary to keep the others from their area.
could this be spawning or are they just growing up?
thanks in advance

 

[ech0o]

Yea sounds like spawning behavior, they will generally stay pretty passive until "that time" in which they color up substantially.

 

[nortonmad213]

is there any sort of timeline from now til spawning do you know?

 

[Meeresstille]

Yup, they're spawning, if not already guarding the eggs. If it is a community tank they may eat the eggs in order to not get them eaten by the others. I'm trying to think back as to the how long it took for the eggs to appear, and think it was just a matter of days. 

 

[nortonmad213]

cant see any eggs out
this is their first spawn in this tank so might of eaten them
is there any way i can tell if they have spawned without the sight of eggs?
(my tank has a lot of hidey holes

 

[Meeresstille]

They will search for a spot to lay their eggs that's more like a smooth surface, probably hidden behind some decor, but not inside! Look at the back of the aquarium, near the glass, that's where mine always layed their eggs. A spot that they could easily defend.
 
I remember them being closer together during spawning and when they were guarding the eggs, but once the eggs were gone the'd start going off on their own again. Mine were in a community tank also, and never kept the eggs more than 2-3 days. Another sign to look for is the female's pink belly, which is much deeper in colour when she is ready for spawning, then the colour will fade again. Are they still chasing their tank mates away? Is the male still herding her around?

 

[nortonmad213]

they have been hanging around a couple rocks at the back
lights are off atm so post picture tomorrow
her belly is the brightest pink ive seen almost verging on purple.
he is always hunting/herding her lol
will try to get video

 

[Meeresstille]

Sounds like you may see eggs soon!

 

[nortonmad213]

i would love to see that
are they generally good parents or would it be better to remove eggs?

 

[Meeresstille]

As far as I know in community tanks eggs don't last long. You could try and remove them, but the parents will try and protect them. They are really good parents if they are in a tank of their own.
 
What I read about it when my rams had layed eggs is, if you remove the eggs it may be difficult to protect them from fungus, they need really good water quality, good filtration, some flow but not too much, and you need to remove any eggs that show signs of disease. The best thing to do is to let the parents tend to the eggs.
 
If you really want this batch of ram babies, is there some way to remove their tank mates? 

 

[nortonmad213]

oh well if they last they last if they dont they dont
id like to think they'd protect the eggs, but i have nowhere to rehome the others so will have to hope for the best
here they are in all their splendor



even got a couple of my dwarf chains in there the cheeky buggers

 

[Meeresstille]

What a beautiful home they have! It will be interesting to see how things will develop with their eggs. Good luck!

 

[nortonmad213]

Thanks
I'll post a fts when I get home so u can see their lil piece of paradise

 

[nortonmad213]

well i did promise a fts
sorry its taken so long
 

 

[nortonmad213]

here is their new favourite cave