German Blue Ram Discussion
- Thread starter Jchillin
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
SeymourFRESH
Aquarium Advice Freak
i've heard in many cases if you have cory cats, the rams will bite their eyes out if they come anywhere near the eggs
Meredith
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, I had corys in with my rams, and they never bit their eyes out. BUT they did pick on them a bit, and did not lay eggs until I took the corys out.
OP
OP
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Females lays, male fertilizes, both guard...watch them take turns or at the same time.
Yes, they are their...umm, well you know. Ok, they are known as "breeding tubes". The reason that all are displaying? Think about it.
Inspections, additional deposits of eggs and of course, a coating of milt is taking place. They pass over it several times until they give each other the signal...it is done.
Opaque/white/beige color. If any fuzziness is observed, remove it. 72 hours should give you something to look at.
See question #1.
If all goes well, three to four days after the spawn should produce some wigglers.
Getting the sponge is a very good idea. The BBS will be fine.
Congrats Ernie! I get my pick of the litter yes?
workfortheman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Of course! It's because of your thread that I wanted GBRs in the first place
I do have 2 cories in there, but they actually stay out of the area that the rams spawned in, since it' spretty high current (I don't know why they chose a site with lots of current . . . . keeps eggs cleaner?).
Lol, "breeding tubes"!?!? I'm still stumped why the third and presumably lonely Ram has his/her "breeding tube" sticking out too?
Thanks for all the great advice!
jrp1588
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's cool, the weak stock I got from my LFS all died. I suppose I'll have to buy some online if I want quality.
I suppose I'll have to buy some online if I want quality.
OP
OP
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
It isn't uncommon and quite natural for everyone to display. Poor mated male went through all the trouble of prepping the spawning site and the other males can just walk on over and fertilize the eggs. That is one of the main reasons for aggression against other cichlids. They have to keep the others away so that the two that paired can become the parents. If not, you have a complete mess on your hands and the eggs will likely be destroyed.
SeymourFRESH
Aquarium Advice Freak
i went to my LFS today and they keep their rams in rather bad conditions! they keep them in a 5 gallon transparent tank with nothing in it except a piece of driftwood, and they have it completely stocked with them! in the meantime, the fish seem quite stressed and quite crowded, and the gold ram tank was even worse!
Wizzard~Of~Ozz
Aquarium Advice Addict
I checked at 3 big al's here (London, Oakville and Hamilton), none have them, but Hamilton told me when they are going to get some in. should have some in a couple of weeks.
should have some in a couple of weeks.workfortheman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
SeymourFRESH, that's REALLY too bad about that LFS and their treatment of a really interesting fish! I would definitely discourage you from buying them (sounds like you aren't going to anyways).
So I witnissed a little cannibalism today, the rams were definitely eating their eggs; they are about half gone! I'm not suprised, but I'd like to avoid this in the future. Is it possible that having the 3rd ram would hurt the egg's chances? Or the cories? Or does the pair just need practice?
So I witnissed a little cannibalism today, the rams were definitely eating their eggs; they are about half gone! I'm not suprised, but I'd like to avoid this in the future. Is it possible that having the 3rd ram would hurt the egg's chances? Or the cories? Or does the pair just need practice?
OP
OP
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Practice, practice...they will master the technique in short order. May take a couple of shots. If you are absolutely certain about the pair, you need to consider some options for the other one (if it is a male).
May take a couple of shots. If you are absolutely certain about the pair, you need to consider some options for the other one (if it is a male).Meredith
Aquarium Advice Addict
My rams have not layed eggs in quite a while I don't know if its because the male has gone crazy and he is stressing the female, or if its because the otos swim around a bunch and they are the reason he has gone crazy. I just don't know what the deal is. Also could it be that the female (or both of the fish) is past her "prime" She is just about, if not already, a year old. How long do these fish actively spawn?
I don't know if its because the male has gone crazy and he is stressing the female, or if its because the otos swim around a bunch and they are the reason he has gone crazy. I just don't know what the deal is. Also could it be that the female (or both of the fish) is past her "prime" She is just about, if not already, a year old. How long do these fish actively spawn?
maxwell1295
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I lost one of my female Rams this morning. She was pretty listless last night....not swimming at all, laying on the bottom and not eating. She was obviously laboring as well. Water conditions are perfect (0ppm/0ppm/5ppm/79*). I have no idea what it could've been. I guess she was sick when I got her. She was one of two females I picked up from Walmart over the weekend. They were both pale looking when I picked them up and I was hoping they would spruce up after a while. The other female has no color at all and she seems to be doing the same thing. Hanging in one spot for the most part, but she does move around a little bit.
The two males I picked up from Petco are the opposite.....very colorful and very active. They play with each other all day and have been eating well. All the other fish in the tank are doing fine. I am worried about the other Walmart female
The two males I picked up from Petco are the opposite.....very colorful and very active. They play with each other all day and have been eating well. All the other fish in the tank are doing fine. I am worried about the other Walmart female
workfortheman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
maxwell1295, sorry to hear about it. Sounds like real typical behavior before passing on . . . I wouldn't be suprised if they were just stressed and starved from Walmart's less-than-accomodating fish department
Just curious, what's your acclimation process? Also, is the tank planted at all?
Just curious, what's your acclimation process? Also, is the tank planted at all?
maxwell1295
Aquarium Advice FINatic
My acclimation process is pretty standard. I normally take about an hour or so. Knowing that the Rams can be sensitive, I took a little over an hour. 20-25 mins for temp and water additions every 15 mins or so, dunping some out and adding more tank water. I would say I gave them a good hour and 20 mins before introducing them. I picked the females up on Saturday (Walmart) and the males on Monday (Petco). Like I mentioned earlier, the females looked stressed, but I just attributed that to them being transported. The males have really flourished, showing a lot of blue coloring and looking very happy in their new home.
No plants, 'cept some plastic ones right now. I do plan on replacing them with some low-light, easy to grow plants (anubias, java fern, java moss, etc.) at some point in the near future.
One more thing...my water has a pH of 6.5 and is extremely soft. Should be perfect conditions for Rams and the Neons.
No plants, 'cept some plastic ones right now. I do plan on replacing them with some low-light, easy to grow plants (anubias, java fern, java moss, etc.) at some point in the near future.
One more thing...my water has a pH of 6.5 and is extremely soft. Should be perfect conditions for Rams and the Neons.
jrp1588
Aquarium Advice Addict
yeah, I would never buy and GBR's from walmart. they take terrible care of their fish and I have no doubt they get the cheapest stock possible.
OP
OP
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wow...indeed nothing good can come out of that combination.
SeymourFRESH
Aquarium Advice Freak
wal-mart should not keep fish. i saw the display at my local walmart and it disgusted me
the sign displayed for their iridescent sharks said "maximum length: 8 inches" (they get to be up to 4 feet, i used to have one and i got rid of it, it was about 18 inches)
but that's not the only time i've seen that! i think iridescent sharks should not be sold, or if they are, they should be properly advertised! i have asked some petshop owners about the false advertisement, and they said "oh, well usually people kill them off before they ever have a chance to grow their full length"
so what that tells me is is that they're depending on the fish to die! i wonder if one could start a lawsuit for false advertisement and mistreatment of animals over this...because ever since i've been in this hobby i've sensed some corruption from many petshops, especially ones that are corporations.
the sign displayed for their iridescent sharks said "maximum length: 8 inches" (they get to be up to 4 feet, i used to have one and i got rid of it, it was about 18 inches)
but that's not the only time i've seen that! i think iridescent sharks should not be sold, or if they are, they should be properly advertised! i have asked some petshop owners about the false advertisement, and they said "oh, well usually people kill them off before they ever have a chance to grow their full length"
so what that tells me is is that they're depending on the fish to die! i wonder if one could start a lawsuit for false advertisement and mistreatment of animals over this...because ever since i've been in this hobby i've sensed some corruption from many petshops, especially ones that are corporations.
LindaC
Aquarium Advice Freak
The biggest issue I have with the Blue Ram is with the females, I am 4 for 4 with the females, the males from the same LFS are in good shape, in different tanks due to one charging the other one to the point of starving him, he wouldn't come out of the bushes to eat. I removed him and put him in my 10 gallon and he picked right up.
The Blue Ram in my 29 gallon and a larger Ram and I think by my adding the female Rams to that tank was a bad idea. I just purchased two more females and this time I acclimated them to my 10 gallon and added them to that tank with the smaller of the male Rams and all three of them are getting along great, so far! This is the longest I've had a female and they appear in great health. They didn't even hide when I put them in the tank. It also has fake plants, where my 29 gallon is a planted tank. It's so hard to understand.
I thought that maybe the CO2 being injected in to that tank had something to do with it, that's why I didn't put them in that tank this time. I'll just keep watching them and hope that they make it.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has a female Blue Ram that's been with them for a good while; just to know that there's hope.
The Blue Ram is one of my favorite fish.
The Blue Ram in my 29 gallon and a larger Ram and I think by my adding the female Rams to that tank was a bad idea. I just purchased two more females and this time I acclimated them to my 10 gallon and added them to that tank with the smaller of the male Rams and all three of them are getting along great, so far! This is the longest I've had a female and they appear in great health. They didn't even hide when I put them in the tank. It also has fake plants, where my 29 gallon is a planted tank. It's so hard to understand.
I thought that maybe the CO2 being injected in to that tank had something to do with it, that's why I didn't put them in that tank this time. I'll just keep watching them and hope that they make it.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has a female Blue Ram that's been with them for a good while; just to know that there's hope.
The Blue Ram is one of my favorite fish.
