German Blue Ram Discussion

[Jchillin]

Yeah...the link is on page 1. That was the first link I found that mentioned hormones being injected into the fish while being bred in Asia. Parasites were mentioned and some cures for them.

 

[rubysoho]

cool, thanks

 

[rubysoho]

:? lost my male this morning around 10 ish. When I found him he still had lots of color and his eyes hadn't even glossed over yet *sigh* I hate loosing such a wonderful fish.

I won't be getting another for probably a month and then I am going to wait to find two pairs at the same time... preferrably not from the same genetic strains. Actually, I am thinking about finding a couple breeders in NC and getting them from there. My plan is to get a bigger pool of genetics so that any spawns will *hopefully* be stronger. Then I'll make sure none of the babies from the same spawn interbreed with eachother. I am going to be strict in culling the fry and all but a few will find homes elsewhere. How does this sound??

Now, the question is, should I let the fry grow up in the community tank so that only the strongest survive or should I try to set up a low light, planted tank (or two) for growing?

In the second generation, or maybe even the first, I was considering trying to introduce a wild strain for genetic purposes, but that might be very hard to find... and probably even harder to keep alive :|


Any information or suggestions is much appreciated!

 

[Meredith]

I'm so sorry ruby. I can't remember if you said before (sorry) how long have you had this guy?

 

[Jchillin]

Sorry to hear about this Rubysoho.

You have a great plan in mind. If you can find two breeder's (find out their source as well) and have spawns from them would be advantegous to you and the hobby.

Since you mention it and it makes sense, a separate grow out tank for the fry will ensure that they all survive...then the introduction of a "wild" Ram (good luck finding one...I've asked around quite a bit) and producing fry from this combo just may result in a stronger strain.

Wish you all the success in this.

 

[rubysoho]

thanks... it will probably take a bit of time and $$ but I think it is totally worth it. I'll keep you updated on any progress or regression I might make

 

[gheitman]

rubysoho - I'm sorry you lost your male ram. That does sound like you have a good plan to obtain and breed strong stock. I would be very surprised, and extremely jealous , if you manage to obtain any wild specimens.

Although I haven't tried it myself, you could also look at getting some via mailorder to reduce the chance of genetic overlap. I normally buy all of my fish from one local LFS (because it is the best one around) but in this case you could buy both locally and from out of state.

 

[Jchillin]

Progress Report: Yesterday marked week 7 (or 49 days) I've had the 4 Rams. I know now that I have at least one female (the other possible other one is too close to call right now).

I've noticed at night, the female will swim along the bottom front of the tank with at least one known male for awhile. They don't appear to be looking for a spawning spot, rather...looking around and nibbing at the the river rocks I have in the front of the tank.

They have yet to ever swim above mid-level or grab food from the top at any time. Mostly, they wait patiently, skimming floating food or food that gathers on the tops of rocks.

Other than that, they spend most of their time hiding behind java ferns located at each end of the tank. I did spot one of them peeking at me from under Cliff's archway:

So far, so good.

 

[rubysoho]

jchillin, that sounds like my pair I use to have. They would just wait at the bottom and swam together mostly when the lights were off. Their favorite food, aside from bloodworms, were shrimp pellets. They LOVED them and would ignore algae waffers until all shrip pellets were gone. This last guy I had (around 3ish weeks to answer Meredith's question) was the first ram to ever compete with the angels for food at the top of the tank, I really liked that about him.


gheitman, I forgot that people in the Raleigh and Charlotte Aquarium Societies probably swap fish often, which probably means there is already overlapping genes. Thanks for that reminder. Hmmm... more money to ship these little buggers... ah well

 

[Meredith]

I am now nearly completely convinced the little one of mine is a girl. The belly area has a definite pinkish hue, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but "she" seems to have a more rounded belly. These two have definitely become my babies. They swim right to the top and wait for their meal at feeding time. They will even take food right from my fingers. I dropped some peas in last night and I was astonished at the voracity (is that a word?) with wich the male attacked the pea. He ate almost the whole thing. I really hope these guys don't just up and die on me. I am getting really attached.

 

[Jchillin]

Would this one be the Ram on the top of pic#2 on page 13?

 

[rubysoho]

oooooo, I hope it is a girl as well, it sounds like you are correct. That is really fun. Have you tried feeding them any medicated food to make sure there are no internal parasites? I believe there is a link to a website somewhere in this thread that talks about feeding them with this food for about a week as a preventative. (I'm not suggesting you do this, but more asking if you had)

Anyway, I'm hopeing for the best! They looked really healthy in the pictures you took so I know you've got a good pair.

 

[Meredith]

The fish in question is the one in the top picture, which is the same fish that is on the bottom of the 2nd pic. I never treated them for parasites. It never crossed my mind to do so, but in the future (because I have a feeling these are not going to be the last pair I have) I will pay more attention to quarantine and preventive meds.

 

[mumrah]

Well, it's been a few days of my male and female pair being together (apart from the lone male). At first they seemed quite happy, but now they're stress lines have come back. Maybe it's because i was all up in their buisness chasing that male ram to get him out. They're water is nice and clean, ph a little high, but otherwise all good.

I'm expecting a small RO unit (to be used soley for this tank) in the mail along with a KH test kit. Hopefully i'll be able to make them more comfortable and encourage them to breed .

Maybe the little angel in there is causing them strife. I think i'll move him in the 55g soon.

-David

 

[rubysoho]

hmmm... with 10 gallons, the ammonia and nitrate levels can bounce up an down very easily, even when you are keeping it on a strict cleaning schedule. Perhaps they are showing stress from this. So long as your pH is stable, that shouldn't be a problem with them. Keep and eye on them. If they start acting lethargic, you'll know you have a problem. If they perk up as soon as the angel is gone, well, then obviously that was the stress factor. Good luck! Hope they get to feeling better.

 

[Jchillin]

I agree...taking the angel out will reduce the chances of swinging parameters. Three Rams in a 10 gal is certainly less messy than 2 Rams/1 angel.

This works out well for all.

 

[Jchillin]

Kissing? I have no other way to describe it. Just sitting around watching the tank activity when I spot the female and one of the males facing each other. They then came together and for the briefest of moments, mouth locked each other. They separated and stayed immobile for a few moments.

Even if there not preparing for breeding...that was wonderful to see.

 

[Meredith]

Mine did that too when I first got them. I haven't seen them do it again though.

 

[talloulou]

Kissing? I have no other way to describe it. Just sitting around watching the tank activity when I spot the female and one of the males facing each other. They then came together and for the briefest of moments, mouth locked each other. They separated and stayed immobile for a few moments.

Mine have done this too. It almost seems like they are challenging one another and they lock mouths for a sec.

 

[mumrah]

mine did that as well. not so much anymore. now that i've taken the angel out, the two rams seemed much more less stressed. their lines are still dark, but they're fading a bit.

I just tested the water as well.
ph: 7.6
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrate: 5ppm

i think the lack of nitrates might have something to do with my yellowing swords.