kermadum Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I've had this pair for about a month I guess, and they've been living in my 4ft community tank quite happily. I moved them about a week ago to my tall tank, with the idea that they'd live in there with the angelfish. I had thought about trying to get them to spawn, but not done anything about it. They hadn't really shown much sign of doing anything other than the male being very brightly coloured the last few days. And then sure enough today (after I added 6 angels yesterday) I come home from a Sunday drive to find them cleaning an area on the back of some driftwood, and I said to my partner that I thought we were going to have eggs this afternoon, and within minutes they started laying. I tried to get some video footage, but there's been a bit of an algae outbreak in this tank as it's only recently setup and although I scrape the algae off the front, I decided to leave it on the sides and back for the time being. So naturally, you can't really see them unless you can see through the algae, which in real life isn't tough, but to get video or a photo through it is almost impossible. Here's a supremely blurry photo but you can see the eggs... and a video that's not much better to come... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I'm doing this from the iPad so hopefully it works but here's the vid. The other thing I've noticed is that they're 'nest' is right near the filter inlet, the fry will almost surely get sucked in (assuming any result). I think I'll have to get a stocking or something to wrap over the inlet. Turning it off will kill the bacteria in it (won't it?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I can see! so many! How did you get them to spawn? I heard they're so hard to spawn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I haven't done anything special. Other than an absent minded hope that one day I might try to breed them, I just left them alone. I'm hoping that the eggs survive & some fry result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaTim Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) My rams spawned in my tank, 2 days after getting them from the LFS! But eggs were gone after 2 days, had 2 angels in the tank that ate the eggs. Even Tetras will eat the fry! Edited January 29, 2012 by BettaTim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I don't think it's hard to get them to spawn. It is very difficult to raise fry though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 how difficult? I thought for all fry it's food and water once that's up to standards it's fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 The parents have a habit of eating them. And feeding is supposed to be hard as well. The fry are quite small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenningA.Rajit Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Congrats on the spawn. All the best one tip after the babies are free swimming,take the male out and leave the female to look after them. It worked for my pair. Feed fry start by using microworms, bbs, bs, blackworms and then pellets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Oh yeah I've heard about the difficulties of raising the fry, I'm hopeful that some will survive, but I'm not worried (and won't be surprised) if they don't. Especially with the angels now in that tank. I don't really have another tank to hold them in for a couple of weeks if I took them out, so I think we'll just have to see how we go. The rams are doing a good job of keeping them away so far & the eggs are still there this morning with the parents taking turns to fan them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Could you make a chimney out of mesh of something similar to protect the fry from the other fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Really hope you have some luck here Adam. I LOVE these fish, so beautiful and are real characters. Never had any luck with them though. I am thinking about trying them again in my NPT tank. Good luck mate. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I could try to make some sort of mesh cone protection apparatus, but they're in an awkward corner and the eggs are in a sort of driftwood cave, I think it'd be a bit awkward. Will give it a shot, see how I go. They've been pretty good at looking after them & keeping the other fish away so far. Apart from Ottos the only other fish are 6 angels that tend to stay up higher in the water (the tanks about a metre high), but I've read that the fry aren't as good at sticking together as other cichlids so expect a bit of carnage at that stage. I might try to rescue a few to hand raise & let nature run its course with the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Cylinder would be better than cone, if possible, so that you can feed fry and parents from the open top. Just thinking out loud (via text)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Well it seems that the first time is a fail. Parents started eating the eggs today, and they're all gone by tonight. Next time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well it seems I spoke too soon. I'm not sure where they've come from, whether there was a second spawning somewhere I couldn't see, or if I wrote off the disappearing eggs as eaten a little too early but I've discovered about a hundred fry in the back of the tank this morning. Better move the filter inlet up high so that the little guys don't get sucked into the canister filter. It could also explain the excessive aggression of the Blue Rams in the direction of the angelfish. Now to decide if it's safe to do a water change or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Congrats Adam. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jha Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Congrats Adam! Wouldn't think a female that size can produce numbers like that.Good on you mate and goodluck with raising the fry. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 They're being quite good parents, the angelfish aren't paying a whole lot of attention but if they get too close the rams give them a good hiding. I expect I'll lose a few, but it's nice to see them being such good parents. They're staying in a fairly tight school for now & the parents even took some crushed flake down & spat it out for the fry. I decided to give them a hand & squirted some vinegar eels down to them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Great news! Congrats! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I was walking past and noticed the crew at the front, its only a phone shot, didn't have time to grab my camera, but here they are. Uploading a little video too will post that when its done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) Edited February 4, 2012 by kermadum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Wow! So many!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I wish I could get a photo without disturbing the fish at the moment but it's a bit dark. The parents have moved all the fry into a 10c coin sized cavity in the substrate. There's one or two moving around but almost all of them are in this indent sitting still with the parents hovering above. It's amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 WOW the vid is fantastic and they are soooo small I realy like Rams as Paul said they have real charicters good luck wwith the raising Adam it will be nice to watch them grow up Cheers les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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