Woohoo! Rams spawned last night!

[IndianaSam]

So a pair of Rams that I picked up about a month ago put on the Barry White and got busy. This is their very first spawn so I don't have much expectations that they will be good parents on their first try. I would try to artificially raise the eggs, but they laid on a 30" long piece of driftwood that I have in their tank.

What can I do to help them? I think I read somewhere that I should leave a light on in the fish room 24/7 so that the parents don't get too spooked. Say, a low watt bulb a few feet away from the tank for those dark lonely nights? The only other inhabitants of the tank (oh yeah, it's a heavily planted, heavily driftwooded, 40g breeder; 36x18x12[?]) are another pair of Rams and a few otocinclus.

I have microworm cultures going *just in case* and I guess I should get on setting up some bbs hatcheries.

Thanks for any help.

Sam Darko

 

[Cumb Dunt]

Wow!

Congrats!

Looks like you're doing everything right

I have heard from some of the "old timers" in my fish club that leaving a light on over/near fish that tend to eat their eggs does indeed help.

I don't know how long Ram eggs take to hatch, but I would get that BBS going now just in case

 

[IndianaSam]

I have heard from some of the "old timers" in my fish club that leaving a light on over/near fish that tend to eat their eggs does indeed help.

Yeah, I'm going to check to see if the eggs are still there when I get home. If they are then a light is going up near their tank.

I don't know how long Ram eggs take to hatch, but I would get that BBS going now just in case

Well, I've got 8 cultures of microworms going right now (they're just nice to have around and THE EASIEST live food to grow and harvest). Unfortunately I won't be in town this weekend to start the bbs cultures, but I don't think that's a problem as I won't need to feed them until sometime next week.

 

[Cumb Dunt]

Well, I've got 8 cultures of microworms going right now (they're just nice to have around and THE EASIEST live food to grow and harvest).

I find vinegar eels to be even easier

But their application is limited to VERY small fry (i.e. Betta, Melanotaenia, Characoids, etc.).

 

[IndianaSam]

I checked on the eggs when I got home last night and everything looks great (i.e. the eggs are still there).

The parents are exhibiting this very cool behaviour when guarding the eggs. They seem employ a "tag team" approach to defending/guarding the spawning area. One fish will sit with the eggs while the other swims around the perimeter of their territory. Then the fish who is out swimming will swim back to the nest and switch places with the parent who is guarding the eggs who will then patrol the territory.

This is very cool. I wasn't expecting such good parenting behaviour on their first spawn, but the maybe the other pair of Rams in the tank is succeeding in keeping the parent diligent.

I decided to scrap the idea of putting a light next to the tank since I don't want to mess with a good thing. If the parents eat the eggs/wigglers then I'll have the lamp ready for the next spawn.

Sam

 

[IndianaSam]

Just got home from a trip last night (why can't the Rams spawn when I'm spending long periods of time at home). I checked on the tank before work this morning and I think that the parents ate the eggs/wigglers.

Good news, though. My other pair of Rams spawned over the weekend. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[Cumb Dunt]

In the immortal words of countless MMORPGers:

w00t

 

[IndianaSam]

During the regular tank inspection after evening feeding I determined that the eggs were not eaten. They were just moved and I could see little wiggler Rams in a 1"x1"x1" pit in my driftwood. The parents just moved them to a more secure area (and actually easier for me to see too).

This is just too exciting.

w00t. I m 2 l33t.

 

[blueblue]

congratulations!! You then need to prepare good food for the fry then
(P.S.: The fry of Rams have very small mouths, which are even smaller than most apistos' fry.... ..)

During the regular tank inspection after evening feeding I determined that the eggs were not eaten. They were just moved and I could see little wiggler Rams in a 1"x1"x1" pit in my driftwood. The parents just moved them to a more secure area (and actually easier for me to see too).

This is just too exciting.

w00t. I m 2 l33t.

 

[nightowl1350]

Congrats on the 2 spawns I raised a spawn of rams with microworms for abouta week before switching to bbs and mw, then after another week just bbs. They are very tiny fry and some don't seem to be able to eat bbs for quite some time. Great that your pairs are parent raising so far for you. Mine seem to eat the eggs just before they are wigglers. Good luck with them.