Recent content by Cale24

Cool! And sparkling gouramis - the females have a flatter belly area, while males curve inward (concave) slightly. So in general the males are a bit more lithe looking, and their coloration is a bit more pronounced, even in their blue eye sheen.

Yeah, it can go that way with rams, sadly. I've had them fall ill after a water change, which I attributed to them eating some stirred up waste/ old food trapped somewhere as I poured in the new water. Can't say for sure. Feed them some boiled, deshelled and mashed peas weekly - helps their...

I briefly had sparkling gouramis in a tank with some rams - THEY ended up spawning haha. Both cool fish but if you're serious on breeding then as suggested just a pair of rams is the way to go.

Personally I think that could work, just bear in mind rams are the most fragile (although lot of neons have issues these days too). Swapping out for cardinals as advised may be the best, then you could run the tank at 82F. Edit: Should also add that our local breeder advises no lower than 82F...

Yeah, agree they're definitely happier in warmer water. I keep mine at 82F, and have also kept them at 78F for a long period of time in one case (community tank, with some runts that I decided to keep). CAN they be kept lower than that? Apparently yes, IF they're very good quality fish (often...

Like any line bred fish, you can absolutely gain variations, although I'm not versed in the detailed genetics. Breeding different colour morphs will, at least in my experience, typically give a mix of fry. Some will resemble either parent, or be a blend of the two. Black rams carry a particular...

Finally got a pair of Blue Knights, and looking forward to breeding them. :cool: Pair's about 4 months old.

It can happen, although I've typically just seen a male breed with more than one female (ie. steals the weaker male's partner). So, a full swap does seem a little unusual. Would be interested to hear if it lasts.

Yup, local breeder I mentioned earlier in this thread doesn't attempt to breed any rams that don't show suitable paternal instincts, be it eating fry or not really caring enough. I have a pair that spawned for the second time last week (ate their eggs first time round, two days after I added...

Cool, lowering nitrates won't bring an instant turn around, but is a good thing. Just keep conditions healthy/ consistent and hopefully she comes right? Feed quality foods too, and hopefully things settle and improve. Always worth deworming fish too, in case of parasites. I do treatment rounds...

They should be fine so long as the nitrates stay below 25ppm in general, based on my experience. Really important to start off with good quality rams though, ideally from a breeder. Even with a densely planted tank, I'd do at least one water change a week (50% ideally, 30% minimum). Fun to...

Squirting some crushed egg yolk (into a fine powder/ paste with a little water) really helps my fry in the first 2/3 days, along with the other stuff mentioned. For whatever reason I find many fry didn't touch BBS at first, only getting into it after the initial couple days. By then some are...

Hmmm, strange. Looks like they're bunched up toward the light - perhaps you need a bit more over them? And I don't think adding a pleco or any other fish is necessary, at least in my experience. Why don't you just let the parents have a go? I usually separate fry from parents when I see them...

Stunning long fin examples! Good luck with the breeding.

No problem, I know the challenge of ram fry nd went through my own hurdles. Rewarding though, when it works out. I don't lower water no, just keep parameters all pretty steady. I doubt lack of light is your issue (24/7 unnecessary) , and suggest just watching some videos and trawling through a...