Really need some advice!

[Friendly]

My female GBR just laid a ton of eggs!!

It was a week and a half ago when I started to notice the female’s tummy getting bigger. I just thought that maybe she was some how eating more food than the rest of my fish. When I was feeding my fish today both my male and female GBRs didn’t join in with the rest of the community. I was a little worried so I searched all over until I found the female actually laying her eggs with the male right beside her. I’m not sure if I can get a pic because the female laid her eggs in the middle of my forest of val. I’m gonna still try though.

I’m really worried that some of the fish in my tank will eat the eggs. And if the eggs do hatch, the fry need to avoid 6 black phantom tetras, 7 neons, and 5 rummy nose tetras. I don’t think my hatchets will be a problem. Also do you think amano shrimps or otos would eat the eggs?

Is there anything I should do to help the eggs survive? Do the males and females protect their eggs? Should I siphon out the eggs and put them into a small breeding box that I can attach to the top of my tank? Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated!!

I can’t believe that my GBRs would spawn so soon. I’ve only had them for about 3 weeks!

 

[Guest]

Thereis few ways to hatch them with out the parents here's a couple of links o some of the ways. Hope this help, usually by the time I give these out the eggs have been ate,
http://www.gcca.net/howto/hatch_substrate_spawners.htm

http://www.sydneycichlid.com/content/?page_id=20

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Rams are notoriously bad parents, but in theory they should look after the eggs. I really wouldn't be too concerned with the fish you've listed, although I'm not sure about the shrimp.

It's very difficult to breed and rear fry in a community tank, so if you're interested in breeding your rams, your best bet would be to either remove all the other fish in the tank, or setting up a 10 gallon just for the rams.

 

[Friendly]

http://www.gcca.net/howto/hatch_substrate_spawners.htm

Thanks for the link!

It's very difficult to breed and rear fry in a community tank

I wonder why that is? Is it because the fry won't get enough food or is it because the fry will be eaten by other fish? My tank is densely planted and I think there are lots of places for the fry to hide. Honestly, I would be happy if only 2 or 3 fry survived and grew up in my tank.

But I think you're right about getting a 10g if I really want to have lots of baby GBRs. Even if I did do that, I wouldn't know what to do with all the baby GBRs.

 

[goalorientation]

To answer the quoted it has a lot to do with the surrounding fish which especially in dealing with cichlids like to invade others territories and eggspaces. Your gonna need a quarantine tank if this keeps up cause it may not be the first time she lays--- get a small net and try to catch em when they're just old enuf.

 

[Guest]

Your welcome hope it helps. But as before said Rams are suppost to be good parents but { and that's a big but } Out of all the post I've every read on spawning rams the eggs never make it to the wiggler stage. I couldn't even begain to tell you why either. I've had tons better luck from hatching the egs on my own then with the paents trying. There's a couple of reasons I thank that is but there just that. Opions at this point no data to back them other then my own expearances with them.
I've tryed putting them in a spear tank with just them in it. The eggs done ok for the frist couple of days but again right before they made it to the wiggler stage they disappeared again the closest I've come is right after the eggs where fertalized by the male I pulled the male. Leaving only the female with the eggs. They made it to just trying to swim and I thank bordum set in on the female and she ate them. That's the closest I've come to having the parents raise them.
I have often wondered if it's something they have learned over the yrs of being fram raised and having the eggs pulled in the hatcherys over and over if none of there parenting skills have been devloped from just that. Are if over the years of being raised from to wild it's just a trite that has been lost going from a wild stock to a damisticaded fish. Either way it's just something that to me if you want the parents to learn how to raise there young we need to just keep letting them try and try and try til they get down and the habbit kicks back in and the wild parent trites is put back into them.
Maybe that's what I need to try?? LOl Is getting a couple of new rams and get 2 pairs and put them in a tank and just keep letting the parents try and til they get it down right. Could be something that there young would grow up with and when they get old enoughtto spawn they'll have kept the know how and raises there young. UUUMMMMM !! Thank I'll try this just for launghs.

 

[Friendly]

When I went to check up on the eggs today the female was there and it looked like she had just finished eating up all the eggs lol. Next time I'm going to take out some or all the eggs and to try to hatch them without the parents. On the plus side my female is looking more colorful than ever!

In the past two days I have noticed that the male and female would take turns guarding the eggs. One would look after the eggs while the other was out and about (probably looking for food). They also did a good job at keeping my curious neons away.

Weasel, that's an interesting speculation! I think I might let my GBR try a few more times to try and raise their young on their own. Hopefully the female won't eat the eggs next time lol.

 

[Guest]

Yea ok good luck with that. LOL J/K I'm going to stand by the fact that it's something that they need to relearn so to say. I"m going to allow one pr of my Rams to keep them and the other 2 pairs. I'll pull them so hopfully while I have one fry or two in the grow out tank. They'll be picking up the trite again and learning to take better ro to be better parents.