proud dad!

[RichardS]

I picked up my first pair of rams last Thursday from petsmart, and have been a little worried that I'd be able to balance their water needs in my tank since I use a crushed lava based substrate to grow my plants in.

I'd say they're settled in and rather happy, no?

 

[CT8]

amazing having them breed. Keep us informed.

 

[RichardS]

Will do!

I don't expect them to hatch, the water is too hard. But, just for kicks and giggles, I've already started a drip of distilled water hoping it will soften it enough for the eggs to actually develop.

 

[tgrudzin]

I used to raise tropical fish a lot as a kid. I was kind of partial to Cichlids. Years later, on our honey moon we traveled to Bali, Indonesia. There was a natural stream running through the hotel. I looked and saw the telltale signs of Cichlids spawning beds. Being from Chicago,(IL, USA) I thought to myself, 'wow, they put Chichlids in this stream for the hotel' . Almost immediately I realized that Chichlids (some anyway) or from Indonesia and I was looking at native fish. These fish had never seem the inside of an aquarium. I also understood why they prefer a temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the temperature span being so close to the Equator.

 

[RichardS]

It's always cool to see them doing their thing in the wild! Did you happen to I.D. them?

These particular cichlids come from the Orinoco river valley in Venezuela and Colombia. It's a bit warmer there, with water typically 78-85 degrees with a pH around 5-5.5. I've got them at 79, so definitely on the colder end of the range and rather high with pH between 6.8-7.2 depending upon the water I use for my weekly changes.

With all that into account, there's a large chance the eggs won't develop properly, but fingers crossed lowering the pH and hardness a little today will do the trick.

 

[aquariuscsm]

They're so beautiful!!

 

[RichardS]

Check out a fully mature pair in their full splendor!


I got video of them doing their thing, but couldn't figure out how to upload it.

these aren't mine. The male is in the foreground, the female behind.

 

[apwillard1986]

Some driftwood will soften the water nicely.

 

[RichardS]

ApWillard1986,
I use almond leaves, but they seem to be limited in their ability to soften the water when paired wit the substrate that I went with. Had I known at the time that the black caribsea flora max would give me issues lowering the pH, I would have likely gone with a different brand.

As it stands, my hands are tied short of draining it and starting all over. I'm just hoping that it stands, I'm hoping as it ages in it will become less of an issue.

Time will tell.

 

[JTK]

Beautiful German Blue Rams there! Especially from petsmart/co! Rams do best in warmer water temps in the low 80F range. I'm an avid fish keeper as well, but have never had good luck with rams. Currently have 4 tanks. About 200g worth. Catapa or almond leaves definitely mimick the tannins freshwater fish see in the wild. It could never hurt. Main thing is keeping up on your weekly water changes. All my tanks see 50-80% weekly water changes.

 

[RichardS]

24 hours in, and it looks like all of them were properly fertilized except for 4 out the outer limits of where the eggs were laid. Mom is making a pretty lousy egg watcher, but the male has proven very attentive, and hasn't strayed far from the pot unless the female is firmly inside and fanning them.

If they develop, they should hatch in about 30 hours, and be free swimming by this coming Thursday.


JTK,
Glad to see another fish nut! What do you have swimming around at home? From my mid teens onward, I had mostly saltwater (a 55gal reef, a 29g seahorse tank, and a 55gal goldfish aquarium) which definitely primed me for some of the finickier freshwater fish.

When I lived in California, I had a planted Discus tank that knocked peoples socks right off. This is my first aquarium back in Florida, and I wanted something simpler but still nice and colorful. I really lucked out with these guys, but likely benefitted from PetSmart here getting their fish from Seagrest farms, instead of them being Asian imports.

I usually change 20% once or twice a week, whatever I need to keep things balanced and nitrates under 15. I try to keep it detectable for all the crypts and the 2 aponogeton that I have. I've always found anubias and banana plants to be bullet proof, so I'm not really fretting over them.

I'd crank the heat up to 82 if I could, but I originally didn't plan rams, so I went with a heater that is internally set to 79 degrees. If this batch actually develops to the point of hatching, I'll invest in a new heater when I pick up all the necessary supplies for a grow out for the next round. I fully expect the school of tetras (neons) that are in there to pick them off to nothing if they make it to swimming.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Be sure and post pictures of your new fish grandchildren!

 

[JTK]

Richard, I've got a 75g with an oscar and a green Severum, a 55g goldfish tank, a 55 planted community and a 29g planted. I started in the hobby as a kid in the late 1970s, early 80s. Got back into it in 2013. I'll post some pics of my setups when I get back home in a daybor two!

 

[RichardS]

Aquariuscsm,
Absolutely! Hopefully Friday I'll have some exciting little wigglers to post.

JKT,
Can't wait! I didn't get into aquariums until the mid 90s, being maybe 7 or 8. You've got a few years on me.

 

[RichardS]

Well, sometime during the day today someone ate the eggs that were laid. Not untypical for a pairs first batch, but sort of disappointing none the less.

Should see another batch in a couple of weeks if they're feeling randy.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: RichardS
Well, sometime during the day today someone ate the eggs that were laid. Not untypical for a pairs first batch, but sort of disappointing none the less.

Should see another batch in a couple of weeks if they're feeling randy.

 

[RichardS]

Honestly, I'm not super sad about it. I can't overstress how fantastic it is to pick 2 fish out of a tank of 20 that 1) are ready to breed in that condition, and 2) actually get along enough.

It's surely luck similar to winning the lotto that I pulled that off. Especially with fish that are only a few months old.

Further, it looks like only the fertilized eggs were eaten, the unfertilized ones are still there and starting to grow fungus. It's a learning curve for them to realize which is which I guess.

I'm definitely pinning this to mom, dad is still guarding the remaining eggs with his life, while she's already given up and moved back to the front of the aquarium with the other fish. I considered the cory as a culprit, but being that it happened during the day, it's hard to believe the male wouldn't have noticed a cory rooting around in there.

 

[JTK]

Yeah, It's tough to have a batch of babies in a community tank setting with egg layers. Livebearers is a bit easier because the little buggers specifically hide themselves as soon as their born. You pretty much have to have a setup for just the parents and then in some cases, have to remove the parents. I've got an angel pair in my 55g that lay eggs from time to time and they never make it. Richard, here's my setups:

75g on top with ~4yr old oscar and green severum. 55g goldfish tank on bottom with a comet, 3 fancies and 3 platys.


55g community tank with plants.


29g community with plants.

 

[RichardS]

Sweet! Thanks for sharing!