GBR(Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) breeding help

[coralbandit]

The 10g breeder wall unit is in place!
9 tanks in a 32"x21" foot print .
Having 3 rows of tens to add to my arsenal is going to be very helpful I hope.
Now to run feeding ,drainage, and air lines.
This will be the most automated attempt I have tried to date involving breeding.
They say necessity is the mother of invention.
That and top notch breeder buddies!
I guess "automated" is a little overboard for gravity fed?
I drain water constantly through sponges to buckets that will stop syphoning at whatever level I place them in relationship to the tank.
So when I'm home and lights are on I just fill the feeder with water and it goes in and same amount goes out.
Well over 50% easily and slowly changed.
You guys just change every day right?
No testing or waiting till tomorrow on fry tanks ?

 

[PoppaRyno]

Daily sir.

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[coralbandit]

TGIF!
May get to work on the 10 g wall tomorrow!
Can't believe there wasn't more response to this thread;
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/diy-simple-automatic-water-change-system-340400.html
This will be incorporated along with my fry feeder to be improved.
I do my best work in the morning so we will see what happens when I wake up !

 

[PoppaRyno]

Oh i definately checked that out. Looks awsome.

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[sinibotia]

I saw it but it didn't seem "simple" to me....

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[Andy Sager]

I saw it but it didn't seem "simple" to me....

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It seems to be working on a similar system I just saw with just siphons. The height of the outside tube will determine the water level in the tank. Once the level in the tank rises, it starts the overflow into the drain and will automatically stop once the level in the fish tank stops rising. ( It's also similar to some of the old style HOBs with siphon tubes. That's for us old guys )

 

[coralbandit]

It seems to be working on a similar system I just saw with just siphons. The height of the outside tube will determine the water level in the tank. Once the level in the tank rises, it starts the overflow into the drain and will automatically stop once the level in the fish tank stops rising. ( It's also similar to some of the old style HOBs with siphon tubes. That's for us old guys )

^THIS^
Old guys think the same!
I realized I have extra bulkheads while I set up 3 out of my 9 10gs today and thought I can make an overflow receiver myself in any container that will accept the BH.
Then I run airline tubing from a sponge in the tanks (3 per row /level) to the overflow and I am on cruise control!
I can even have as large of a waste collector as I can move or pump out of to receive the waste water(thinking a10g brute or plastic bin?)
Then I can glue all parts and fear of failure(the equipment not me you sillies)
will be removed and I can deal with the next obstacle.
There will be other obstacles so the less I worry the better!

 

[Arthur75]

Hey everyone I am interested in all help and info on breeding and German Blue rams any of you can offer!
I have been breeding them for just over a year or so and am still learning how to raise them today!
I have pairs in various breeding tanks from 5-29 g.
I also keep a 40b with aprox. 16-20 I call the dorm.

I have certainly had success,but do not achieve nearly 10% survival rate.
I can tell more about water,tanks fish lines(I mixed with 10 from yunite last fall) or anything you wonder.
I just want to do better in raising fry to juvi(week 1-3 being most important)
or to hear others say less then 10% is all good.
I have PLENTY of opportunity to try advice as I get 1-3 sets of free swimmers every week!

Let me have it,and have a good week end !
Thanks,
Tom

Hello there,
Beautiful pictures. It was certainly difficult to make.
Do they now swarms swimming juveniles?
Greetings

 

[coralbandit]

Arthur they do still swarm but I try to separate them from the parents quicker now.
My survival rates are still poor around 10% at best but I am still working on it.

 

[Arthur75]

Tom, look at the picture.
The small boats are egg cocoons of Culex pipiens.
You can also see small hatched mosquito larvae. A good food for small fish.
Greetings

No pic I am sorry

 

[Arthur75]

Here the both Pictures
Greetings

 

[coralbandit]

Tom, look at the picture.
The small boats are egg cocoons of Culex pipiens.
You can also see small hatched mosquito larvae. A good food for small fish.
Greetings

No pic I am sorry

Thankyou Arthur.
After the eggs in the cocoon hatch are they much smaller then grown mosquito larvae?
The picture looks like there is very fine larvae in the cup.
Could these be small enough for fry?
I am glad to have on board again my friend.

I have worked a little on tanks(the 10g) today and now have 4 running with pairs and one with wigglers I removed from dorm setting.
Did the ABC(Always Be Changing) thing yesterday and today moving and sorting pairs with the new room.
Pics to later maybe if the pairs in the 10s settle down.

 

[brennae]

The 10g breeder wall unit is in place!
9 tanks in a 32"x21" foot print .
Having 3 rows of tens to add to my arsenal is going to be very helpful I hope.
Now to run feeding ,drainage, and air lines.
This will be the most automated attempt I have tried to date involving breeding.
They say necessity is the mother of invention.
That and top notch breeder buddies!
I guess "automated" is a little overboard for gravity fed?
I drain water constantly through sponges to buckets that will stop syphoning at whatever level I place them in relationship to the tank.
So when I'm home and lights are on I just fill the feeder with water and it goes in and same amount goes out.
Well over 50% easily and slowly changed.
You guys just change every day right?
No testing or waiting till tomorrow on fry tanks ?

Would you post a pic of your wall set up. I am interested in other people's set ups.

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[coralbandit]

Would you post a pic of your wall set up. I am interested in other people's set ups.

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I have been following your build.
You have good taste in fish(digging the orange laser cories myself!)
Being an excellent procrastinator if I wait till complete you all may be on social security!
here is space before with 29 over 20

here is after with 8 @10g( pardon the mess as it is still happening and not complete.

Stand build may look "shady' to trained eye but is bolted to studs on perpendicular walls.

 

[brennae]

Doesn't look shady. I figured it was very secure. My problem is I can't have wood stands. Basement is much too damp and I get occasional puddles. The house is almost 120 years old and was moved and basement wasnt dug deep enough or done right so there are problems.

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[Arthur75]

For CB
The larvae are very small and delicate. Young Killifishes they can eat, behind Artemia. The larvae are no danger to juveniles. Their Movement provoke the fish them to chase. They make no Dirt.
I take this opportunity for many years every summer.
The cocoons can I find in my garden barrels.
When leaves and grass is fallen in, caused nutrients in the water.
The mosquitoes smell the place and at the edge of the egg sacs.
A cocoon has several 100 eggs. The glass I set on the window sill and the next day, the young larvae there.
You can feed the young RAM.
Insect larvae are a natural food for tropical fish. Water fleas in the tropics is less.


For brennae


Take non-isosceles L-steel 40x60 mm, the long leg upwards. Has large moment of resistance, and low sag in the middle. I had 2 meter cantilevered.
But paint with red lead and then paint.


Best Greetings

 

[coralbandit]

We are still having 'heatwave' here Arthur so I will look for egg sacs and try them.
All the pairs that laid eggs this week ate them also???
Much like in Andys thread there will be ups and downs in this effort.
3 @10g are still empty now.
On a good note I believe Poppa scored me some GBR from his breeder buddy local to him!
This negates the need to order from Yunite and gets my lines mixed again.

One of the local LFS had a bunch of female rams and no males so I may be able to swap with them and mix my lines even further?
They said they haven't got a male in once in the last several weeks.
All the females were still young(I'll guess 4-5 months tops), but colored in very well.
I think it may be time to try a bunch of these guys in my 180 DT to make room for new guys!!!!

 

[PoppaRyno]

Make sure those young fems arent colored up nice and too early from hormone shots. Its really common now a days from the pet store suppliers. Its one of things they do to move stock faster, and i believe its hurting the genetics. IE... Making them hit maturity to soon, weakens the stock if you breed them. Just a thought on my end.

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[coralbandit]

Make sure those young fems arent colored up nice and too early from hormone shots. Its really common now a days from the pet store suppliers. Its one of things they do to move stock faster, and i believe its hurting the genetics. IE... Making them hit maturity to soon, weakens the stock if you breed them. Just a thought on my end.

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I don't doubt that many 'breeders ' do this.
The sad part is I have seen my own color up as well if not better then some of these fish in question.
I 100% agree that this along with not out crossing is what has lead so many to think this fish is frail.
I will say I had trouble with these guys 2 years ago which is how I came about breeding them,but since them I see no weakness that I have not witnessed in other fish as well.
The pics you sent look FANTSTIC!!!
You are the man!!!!!
Thank you so much Poppa!

 

[BANGAR]

Hey bandit. Just curious, I've had my 46g dirted tank up for about a week, have been doing huge water changes all week, and just added 9 guppies last night. Still have to buy test strips, but how long do you think I should have the tank up and running before I get some of your rams?

Also, I know they have to be acclimated really slowly, so I'm curious about water change limitations (would be water changes kill the fish???)


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