Breeding Rams

[coxyhammer]

Has anyone got any tips/guidance on breeding rams?

How can I encourage them to spawn, water temp, special food etc?

What signs should I look out for to realise they maybe about to spawn?

Thanks

 

[HN1]

What is your water like?

Our's (Rams and various apistos) spawn pretty regularly in soft water (6.6) with almond leaves added, 78-80. As far as encouraging them to spawn, feed them high protein foods (frozen BW, Mysis, FDBW, etc) for a few days before a large water change.

 

[DragonFish71]

+1

You'll see the female showing off for the male a lot. She'll swim up to him and shimmy, if he's close to being ready, he'll shimmy back at her. Sometimes they look like they're fighting but they really aren't. Her belly will get cherry red and if you look at the area around their anal fin, you'll eventually see protrusions. The female's ovipositor will show and the male's organ that deposits milt. They kind of look the same, like a really small tube.

 

[coxyhammer]

Magic, cheers guys!!

 

[hbeth82]

Awesome, I logged on just to ask a similar question! Recently noticed that Napoleon didn't have quite the same 'equipment' as my 3 other Bolivian Rams (similar to these pics) and we then noticed that she and the biggest of the males, Bernard, were never far from each other. Haven't noticed any reddening around Napoleon's abdomen but Bernard has definitely become more aggressive toward the other fish, even picking on the gourami or tetras when they get too close. So, a bunch of questions that have come up recently:

1. Other than water pH, temp, and feeding, is there anything I can try to encourage the making of baby rams?

2. I remember reading somewhere that they like to lay eggs on a flat surface, would a big rock work or is a clay pot better?

3. If I add something to the tank, I'm planning on putting it in a corner where most of the fish don't go as everybody typically stays by the sandbox, but is it possible to encourage the rams to lay their eggs there?

4. My tank is a bit of a jungle right now, plants everywhere, and other than a cantankerous BN pleco all the fish are passive and peaceful - 2 dwarf gourami, 6 black skirt tetras, 7 cory cats & 1 platy. If I put sponges over the filter intakes (2 HOBs), will the fry be okay in this tank or should I move them and the parents over to a QT? I have a 10gal or could put the fry by themselves in a 1 gal with a gravel filter.

In addition to this stuff, anything else I should know about?

Thanks!