German Blue Rams!

[deano320]

I set up a 20G long tank about 3 weeks ago, I am looking to know some general info on breeding GBRs! Eg water conditions, ornaments, How do sex GBRs? Can I keep other types of fish in my tank with the GBRs or will they only breed on there own and so on! My LPS have lots of GBRs in stock atm, ive heard they pair up from the very start so am I gona be able to see pairs in the store or is there anything I need to look out for?

Thanks

 

[bshenanagins]

I set up a 20G long tank about 3 weeks ago, I am looking to know some general info on breeding GBRs! Eg water conditions, ornaments, How do sex GBRs? Can I keep other types of fish in my tank with the GBRs or will they only breed on there own and so on! My LPS have lots of GBRs in stock atm, ive heard they pair up from the very start so am I gona be able to see pairs in the store or is there anything I need to look out for?

Thanks

Your best chance at breeding them is keeping them in soft water. Sure they will breed in neutral and above but successful spawning typically is more positive in softer water. They require good water conditions (A: 0 N:0 N:10-20). I would suggest not letting nitrates get over 20 to be safe. Keep the temperature around 80 Fahrenheit. A planted and driftwood plentiful aquarium is a happy ram aquarium. Sand is a great substrate for rams, but if you go planted then eco complete is fine as it is the substrate for my rooted plants. If you decide to go fake plants (much easier if your only interested in breeding) then sand is a good choice. In regards to other fish, they enjoy having dither fish around such as the many species of tetra. Don't get any type of catfish or loach as they will gladly accept ram eggs as food. Back to the soft water. If your tap is close to neutral, you might get away with just adding a few Indian almond leaves to lower the alkalinity. Rams are native to highly vegetated waters with leafy sandbeds so it will make them feel at home. As the leaves disintegrate they release tannins and lower the alkalinity which encourage spawning. The leaves are also a source of cover and food for the fry so you can't really go wrong. Sexing them is prett easy. Females tend to be bulkier with a rounder physique. Their dorsal fins first three spikes are typically shorter than the males. They also tend to have a pinkish belly but this will only be noticeable of they are acclimated and comfortable. This pink becomes strikingly darker when they are ready to breed. Also the black spot in the middle of there body is usually covered in blue speckles and is opposite in the male. Rams do not just pair up as they are like us and get picky about choosing a mate. When a pair forms, they can become lethal to the remaining rams in the tank so be careful and if aggression is exhibited then remove the remaining rams immediately to avoid any casualties. I'd recommend get 1 male and 2-3 females. Once a pair is established remove the others. I have 8 rams in my 40 gallon breeder and I have no aggression issues. However this is VERY rare and I do not advise it. I am heavily planted so escape routes and hiding spots are plentiful. There are members on here with even larger setups than me who have tried multiple rams with no success so I am part of the lucky few. Anymore questions feel free to ask I'm sure I've forgotten something.

 

[bshenanagins]

This is my setup just to give you an idea on how dense I'm talking. That doesn't mean yours has to look like this lol. But good plant/driftwood ratios will be good for rams

 

[deano320]

Thank you, great info in your answer and you didnt leave anything out! My tank has fake plants and a sand substance so hopefully should be ok!! Few more wee questions?? Is there anything I need to look out for when buying my GBRs? I have heard "Indian almond leaves" are good to add to my tank for GBRs is this true? Also do I need flat rocks for them to lay their the eggs on?

 

[Fishdude3233]

This is my setup just to give you an idea on how dense I'm talking. That doesn't mean yours has to look like this lol. But good plant/driftwood ratios will be good for rams

What light fixture are you using?

 

[deano320]

Standard fluorescent if thats what you mean!

 

[bshenanagins]

What light fixture are you using?

I'm honestly not sure lol. I got it on eBay for $70 last year and it houses two 65 PC bulbs.

 

[bshenanagins]

Thank you, great info in your answer and you didnt leave anything out! My tank has fake plants and a sand substance so hopefully should be ok!! Few more wee questions?? Is there anything I need to look out for when buying my GBRs? I have heard "Indian almond leaves" are good to add to my tank for GBRs is this true? Also do I need flat rocks for them to lay their the eggs on?

Yeah I mentioned the leaves in my post. You don't NEED flat rocks but something that has surface area like driftwood and large leaf plants. If they don't find anywhere suitable they will make their own in the substrate.

 

[deano320]

How does my water chemistry look?? Will I be able to breed GBRs in it or os my Ph still to high?? Temp is arounds 27-28!

 

[bshenanagins]

Yeah everything looks great. Don't worry about your Ph but I would grab some Indian almond leaves on eBay. Look for a seller named Amy-Lim she's the go to for them.

 

[deano320]

Happy days, thanks for the help!!

 

[bshenanagins]

Happy days, thanks for the help!!

Sure thing