Ram eggs :)

Hey guys my rams layed their secod batch of eggs. So I seperated the parents and doced the tank with methyline blue. To my shock it completly turned the tank water a dark blue. How long will it be tell the water is clear again.

Also how lon tell fry become wigglers and then free swimming.

Then what do I feed the fry when they become free swimming. I have this food called first bites. I also have a nice little bit of algae for them to eat off of. But is there something more I should be doing.

Replys much appriciated

Thanks kenny

 

Congrats!

I don't know the answers to the first 2 questions, but I can say that the fry will probably grow fastest if you feed them napulI (baby brine shrimp). they'll go mad for them.

Good luck with the babies.

 

Thanks I hope I get answers on question 1/2 soon. I really need number 2 answered so I can ready my dad because I will be out of the house this weekend.

 

From what I read 48 hours for them to hatch and around 5 days should be free swimming

This thread should answer your second question:

 

Thanks how about the methylene blue? Anyone ever use it before

 

Well my rams layed eggs they became wigglers and then became free swimmin in the breeder box and then they escaped into the tank to be eaten. They got through the slits that allow water to flow through in the breeder box.

I was using a lee's 3 way breeder. I guess I underestamated how tiny the fry actually are.

 

I use the mesh type of breeder box now, I've experience the same thing that the frys were to small.

 

None of my local fish stores sell mesh guess I'm gonna have to make one. Also how easy are guppies to breed I wanna fine tune the art of caring for fry before I lose to many more spawns of germans

 

Extremely easy to breed. You don't really have to do anything special when breeding guppies except feed the fry and have some floating plants for the fry to hide when they are being born.

 

Extremely easy to breed. You don't really have to do anything special when breeding guppies except feed the fry and have some floating plants for the fry to hide when they are being born.

Yeah I agree, all you need to do is put a female with a male and the will breed in a few minutes (seconds sometimes)

 

Thanks I was just gonna throw the fry into one of my breeder boxs and float that in the tank. I cut a old mesh cloth up and made it so it would go around the already made breeder box which my baby german blues escaped.

 

I didn't expect to have eggs so fast as I just got these rams recently. I plan to do a lot of reading on the forum but I'll take any advice you want to give regarding setting up a nursery tank for them. I plan to take aqaurium water from the main tank for the nursery tank. It will be a 10 gallon tank. Can't wait to give this a try!

 

Wow, awesome! Congrats!!

Any pictures?

 

I will try to take some photos tonight!

 

Cigars for everybody!! (the bubblegum ones )

Congrats on the adventure

 

I will try to take some photos tonight!

Awesome, looking forward to them!

 

That is too cool!

 

As promised here are some photos of the rams guarding the eggs.

 

If the parents are still juveniles you may find the eggs eaten with 3-7 days. My brother's very young rams have eaten their eggs twice now. Sometimes it takes rams a few attempts to learn not to eat them. They can lay eggs quite often (perhaps even within a month of each other). Hopefully you have better luck.

 

I didn't expect to have eggs so fast as I just got these rams recently. I plan to do a lot of reading on the forum but I'll take any advice you want to give regarding setting up a nursery tank for them. I plan to take aqaurium water from the main tank for the nursery tank. It will be a 10 gallon tank. Can't wait to give this a try!

Good stuff. In a few days the eggs will hatch into fry. The parents may also hide the eggs and you will be left wondering where the eggs went and suddenly one day you will see fry . If there are predators in the tank the fry don't stand much of a chance unfortunately. Do the parents bite your hand when you try going near the eggs? Mine did.

Are you talking about setting up a tank for the next batch of eggs whenever they are laid? Even I had asked this kind of question on FL so that I would be ready to take care of ram fry from the 2nd spawn onward. I didnt get any answers.

I think the 1st couple days the fry feed of their yolk sacs is what I understand (- I don't hv experience raising fry). Better to have a planted tank so the fry do feed of stuff they find in the plants. I think fry is fed daphnia? Egg yolk (but that could be messy for your water)?

 

Well I can't see any eggs and the rams don't seem like they are guarding anything. Not sure what happened. Hopefully they will try again.

 

They'll definitely try again and probably sooner than you expect. In the meantime, read up on this forum for tips on how and when to separate the parents. From what I've heard so far, it just takes some time for juvenile rams to learn how to properly take care of their eggs/fry.

I was there this last Sunday when my brother's ram eggs actually "hatched" (probably "spawned" is the proper term for fish eggs though honestly I'm not sure). The parents transported them from the floor of the aquarium where the eggs were into a small clay pot which contained them quite well. You could just barely see the small, dark fry as a black speck on the lighter egg sack. They were definitely moving around more than the eggs.

Unfortunately, by the next morning, they had all been eaten. All this to say, the first time the rams had eggs, they actually ate the eggs. So this time at least they hatched. So we're hopeful the next time they'll last even longer. Pretty exciting stuff, so I understand your hope that they do it all again. They will I'm sure.

 

Alright I got these rams not too long ago and I was wondering why they were being so defensive of the corner of the tank as of yesterday. I was looking closely and noticed a bunch of white dots on the substrate behind the rock and one of the two rams hovering above them. Are these eggs? And another question how do you know that they are fertilized if they are eggs? I'm gonna feel real dumb if they aren't eggs lol.

 

I decided to move them the best I could cause it looked like they were eating them and not spitting them out. Lol I still don't know if there are eggs but they sure were angry so I'm guessing they are

Decided against moving lol I'm just impatient for answers and what happens happens

 

Yeah they are eggs

And if they are fertilised in a couple of days you might see little black dots in them (the frys eyes) they might turn to a darker colour aswell.

Oh and they will eat the eggs if they think they are in danger, or there is something wrong with them or stressed out, are they in a community tank? It's best just to leave them to it and not attempt to move the eggs yourself because rams make good parents

 

They're in a community tank and they either at them all or moved them cause there is no trace of them today.

 

I would still keep an eye out for them...
First timers aren't usually the best parents, were you wanting to raise them?

 

I would still keep an eye out for them...
First timers aren't usually the best parents, are you wanting to raise them?

I'm pretty sure they ate them lol. I'm just happy to know that the two I grabbed happened to be at least a male and female. If they do it again I might grab them out into a breeder box or I might see if they survive in the tank if they do then whatever I'll move them to grow of not then hopefully next time. How often do they spawn?

 

Well, if all the conditions are right, they should spawn again in atleast 2 weeks.

If the rams are in a community tank, once they lay again, I would move the eggs over to a separate tank with an air stone, and hatch them yourself.

I did notice this last time they laid their eggs on the gravel, maybe placing a piece of slate or something more enticing to lay the eggs on, for easier removal.

but you could also leave the eggs alone with the parents and once they hatch take a portion or all of the hatched fry into a growout tank.

most breeder boxes, would not be able to contain GBR fry, as they are tiny and will swim right through the slits and whatever fate awaits them outside.

 

ahh got it there are a bunch of flat rocks in the tank hidden throughout the tank since they like hiding so hopefully they lay on there. if not ill see if I can move them. How would I set up a hatch tank? I have a 20 gallon empty does it need a filter or should I just fill it with dechlorinated water?

 

Yes, you'd need a filter for the growout tank, I usually use sponge filters in fry tanks, there cheap and no worries about fry getting sucked in.


I'd get atleast 2 of these for a 20g.

 

Yes, you'd need a filter for the growout tank, I usually use sponge filters in fry tanks, there cheap and no worries about fry getting sucked in.



I'd get atleast 2 of these for a 20g.

cool thanks are they worth raising these are balloon rams I got from my local shop would they buy them from me?

 

cool thanks are they worth raising these are balloon rams I got from my local shop would they buy them from me?

I'd definitely raise them just for the experience...my lfs recently got in about 20+ regular electric blue ram, they were all gone in a matter of days...the GBRs though, seem to hang around a bit longer (though I have no idea as to the popularity of balloon ram in your area).
If your lfs won't take all or any, there are online options.

*note: petsmart or petco don't take in any fish for store credit, or cash, only for free lol, just thought I'd mention it.

 

Hmm weird all people seem to want are gbrs but I guess they don't look as nice in shops compared to a neon blue fish. Mine still aren't as nice as the ones I see online but they're definitely coloring up more every week. Thanks for the help I'll tag you if they happen to spawn again

 

Hmm weird all people seem to want are gbrs but I guess they don't look as nice in shops compared to a neon blue fish. Mine still aren't as nice as the ones I see online but they're definitely coloring up more every week. Thanks for the help I'll tag you if they happen to spawn again

Yea, but GBRs are still popular as dwarfs, I'm sure you'll be able to sell a future batch in one way or another.
I'd be honored to be tagged in your thread, lol

 

So my rams have finally laid there first batch of eggs. I need to remove them so they don’t eat the fry but I don’t have a turkey baster. Is there another way? How do I know if they have been fertilized? What is the process I need to follow to be successful? I know AquaticJ and coralbandit are the experts. Do you have any suggestions?

 

What have they ben laid on .You should not remove them with a baster IMO..I would not ..
If you can't remove what the eggs are on have fun watching them ...Maybe the fish will be good parents ?
I use terra cotta plant pot bottom trays like 3-4 inches ..It looks like the little impression they would make in sand or gravel and are easy to remove for artificial hatching..

 

Infertile eggs will turn white after around 24hrs and the eggs should hatch in 48hrs. From there, it takes 72hrs for the fry to becoming free-swimming. At that point, they need to be fed. I raise brine shrimp for that purpose. Also, I would just leave the parents in with the eggs, they should eat the infertile eggs and keep the babies in the nest. You might lose the first spawn or two this way, but it is amazing to watch after the parents get the hang of it!

 

They are fertilized for sure I am watching the female lay more and more eggs then the male runs over them and fertilized them I probably have 300+. Unfortunately they chose the main decor piece in the tank. It won’t fit In the other tank I have I will have to move the eggs. I would let the parents do it but I have seen the male either eat or clean the eggs more than once. Plus I need to add my corys back in and don’t want them eating the eggs or fry. Could I use airline tubing to siphon the eggs into a jar? They aren’t done laying eggs but when they are what do I do?

 

It won’t let me upload the video of them laying the eggs so you’ll just have to take my word for it.