Rams Laid Eggs, what to do?

[Brian_Nano12g]

Okay I was under the impression that my Rams wouldn't spawn because my water has a higher pH than what they are use to in the wild. I read on some websites that it's hard to get Rams to breed if you don't have lower pH and they like soft water from a result drift wood, peat moss, tannins, etc. I just found a cluster of eggs inside my ornamental log and my Rams are now guarding it. They're not being too aggressive to their tankmates other than just keeping them away. My tank is a 12 gallon nano cube. How long is the gestation period for these eggs? I was seriously not planning this but now they are there i'm sort of intrigued and would like the fry to hatch. I feel like I want to be a responsible parent who just got knocked up by unprotected _ _ _... U get the drift? LOL... Now I'm thinking of getting another tank, which my GF will not appreciate at the moment. I'd like to determine a time frame so I can potentially get another tank and have it cycled by when and if they hatch.

 

[Oscarr19]

They'll hatch in 3-5 days. Most rams will be bad parents on the first go. They'll likely end up eating the eggs but on the second spawn they should get quite a few free swimmers. Rams will guard and care for their young so you don't need to separate the eggs. What you should worry about is food. Baby brine shrimp should do. If you get a second tank soon you might have it cycled by the time the second spawn has occurred. Don't be fooled though there is a slight chance you will have some hatch but not many.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

They'll hatch in 3-5 days. Most rams will be bad parents on the first go. They'll likely end up eating the eggs but on the second spawn they should get quite a few free swimmers. Rams will guard and care for their young so you don't need to separate the eggs. What you should worry about is food. Baby brine shrimp should do. If you get a second tank soon you might have it cycled by the time the second spawn has occurred. Don't be fooled though there is a slight chance you will have some hatch but not many.

So if this is their first cluster of eggs, it's almost a given that I should expect a second round soon? The only LFS close to me are Petco and Petsmart. I think they wouldn't sell live baby brine, but how about frozen? This is probably a dumb question but will crushed up flakes work if I see freeswimmers? If not, I suppose I can take a trip to the one specialty aquarium store which is about a 20 mile drive. Last question, will the Cardinal Tetra or Zebra Danios pose a threat to the eggs or fry?

 

[Shetland James]

They'll breed once a month or so.

 

[jetajockey]

They'll hatch in 3-5 days. Most rams will be bad parents on the first go. They'll likely end up eating the eggs but on the second spawn they should get quite a few free swimmers. Rams will guard and care for their young so you don't need to separate the eggs. What you should worry about is food. Baby brine shrimp should do. If you get a second tank soon you might have it cycled by the time the second spawn has occurred. Don't be fooled though there is a slight chance you will have some hatch but not many.

Mmmkay have you ever kept/bred rams, or are you just repeating what you've read?

You should see wigglers in about 3 days.

They are terrible at parenting. I've never dealt with Bolivians, but have watched many GBR variants fail miserably time and again.

BBS are way too big for the fry to eat, they are tiny, so that is a waste of time for at least the first week or so.

About the eggs hatching, if the male is fertile and figured out how to fertilize them then they will hatch, if they aren't eaten. In most cases I've seen, either the male does a great job or a terrible job at the fertilizing part.

So if this is their first cluster of eggs, it's almost a given that I should expect a second round soon? The only LFS close to me are Petco and Petsmart. I think they wouldn't sell live baby brine, but how about frozen? This is probably a dumb question but will crushed up flakes work if I see freeswimmers? If not, I suppose I can take a trip to the one specialty aquarium store which is about a 20 mile drive. Last question, will the Cardinal Tetra or Zebra Danios pose a threat to the eggs or fry?

Think smaller. I raised my ram fry on greenwater and vinegar eels. Even the vinegar eels seemed a bit big, but were always added for good measure. I believe the greenwater/infusoria is what sustains them for the first several days.

Everything poses a threat to the eggs and fry. Once freeswimming, assuming the parents let them get that far and you manage to keep them fed, the parents will have a hard time keeping them all together, and any stragglers will quickly get slurped up by the other fish in the tank.

The only way I've ever been able to keep eggs/fry alive is by transferring them into their own tank which has been filled with tank water from the parent tank and inoculated with greenwater and filled with dense moss.

Best of luck.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I just had an interesting time observing their behavior. The male stays inside the log hovering closely over the eggs, while the female is on patrol around the exterior of the log. She chases away the occasional Cardinal that wonders too close. It's never a long pursuit either. Really cool stuff!

 

[Shetland James]

I just had an interesting time observing their behavior. The male stays inside the log hovering closely over the eggs, while the female is on patrol around the exterior of the log. She chases away the occasional Cardinal that wonders too close. It's never a long pursuit either. Really cool stuff!

Are you sure you've got the genders the right way around? It's just that it's the male that does the chasing while the female guards, according to I think nearly everything I've read. Interesting if it's the other way around though!

 

[jetajockey]

Are you sure you've got the genders the right way around? It's just that it's the male that does the chasing while the female guards, according to I think nearly everything I've read. Interesting if it's the other way around though!

They actually take turns.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah I can tell the difference quite distinctly between the male and female. Well this morning I noticed the male picking at the eggs he was guarding from just last night. Now there's less eggs, I guess he's being a bad parent and eating the eggs while the female (still) is chasing Cardinals away. I guess we'll just have to see if their parenting skills improve the next go-around.

 

[Gvillboy]

That's what happened to all mine....I had about 200 and I sat there and watched him eat all of them....it sucks

 

[Crew]

If you really want to keep the eggs you could try netting them and placing in a separate tank. Parent tank water of course. You may lose a few eggs in the process though. Your call.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

If you really want to keep the eggs you could try netting them and placing in a separate tank. Parent tank water of course. You may lose a few eggs in the process though. Your call.

Yeah I'm trying to justify and reason (including this one) to convince my GF into letting me get a second tank, preferably the Fluval Edge for my home office. My Rams have eaten all the eggs but still seem to be in breeding mode. They keep chasing my cardinals around. I think if what a few people mentioned so far is that they are preparing for a round 2 of eggs... LOL

 

[jetajockey]

You won't be able to net the eggs anyway, they are adhesive. The best method is to put some flat surfaces in the tank, like slate or terra cotta saucers, and then remove them after they lay the eggs.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You won't be able to net the eggs anyway, they are adhesive. The best method is to put some flat surfaces in the tank, like slate or terra cotta saucers, and then remove them after they lay the eggs.

Yeah I kind of figured that because they seemed to stick inside the log. Even after they ate them, the eggs left little circular stains where they once were. I think if they lay them in there again, I might just pull the log out (eggs and all) and place it in another tank (cycled and with parent tank water of course). Do I need to add that green water additive some people mentioned? Also, if I spot them again, should I wait a day or something to make sure the male has a chance to fertilize them (that even if he learns by then)?

 

[jetajockey]

The male should fertilize the eggs shortly after they are laid. It'd be best to wait till the eggs are wiggling before pulling them, that way the fungus thing isn't as much of an issue.