I hatch rams ...

[coralbandit]

Yes, it's common that they will spawn if what's left of the last batch is too small for them to want to bother with.

So what is the success rate with this type of behavior ? I don't see the older trying to eat the new fry ?? These 2 are keepers just because I enjoy them !
Get it right next time is the fish room mantra ..These seemed to begging for it !



Of course there are rams today ! These two are on their third try but have the largest spawn so far .Hopefully the parents get past eating them ? I have added alder cones per a buddy.He said they 'calmed down ' his blacks which is seemingly needed so ?

Before this long fin gold from Hawaii the only golds I have in my fish room are from the darkest blacks !
Another buddy told me that they used golds in Israel [Danzinger Discus farms] as a blank slate to keep as healthy ram genes going while trying to create the black .
Hoping to add long fin here but who knows ?? Got to start somewhere huh ?

[Discluv]

Hey Tom!

Finally got a spawn with one dark ram and the golden. Im guessing the golden is the male and the dark the female or is it the other way around? I don't know.
They spawned on a flat rock that I added to the aquarium. You can tell from video the pair that are guarding eggs. Funny thing is I had just ordered some small pottery like you suggested with lids and a larger pot to zone off a spawning site for a pair. But, they thought the rock was just fine- lol!

I have a 10 gallon I just got today that I could either put this pair in or the eggs on rock. The only problem is, obviously, that it is not cycled. But, I do have experience with this being the case with discus on purchase in quarantine--just do daily water changes to offset no cycle. Not sure that would work with fry though?
I also dont have live brine shrimp but I have New Life Spectrum Grow Fry Starter. Would this work?
Thanks for the help.

https://vimeo.com/384089705?activityReferer=1

[coralbandit]

NICE !
I would move the pair and eggs .
End game we have no control whether they like it or not but they will get over it and spawn again .
This also will get the gold male out so next can step up and possibly you get dark pair .
Crush the food up as fie as you can ..I use golden pearls 100 micron and Kens 00 grow meal .
I do think BBS or live food is a big help if not necessary for first week though ..Hopefully the parents will hatch these guys out for you .
The parents will eat food and pass it through their gills for fry possibly ..Seen this and it is too cool !

You're all good with new 10g IMO .You seem to understand take whatever you can from big tank to help out ..
You will be doing water changes either way IMO with fry so as long as you get it no harm IMO..
I have never cycled a tank fishless. I learned the old school way and wish more people still did.
I think it is a primer to seeing if you are going to be a successful keeper and change water or watch your fish die wondering why !
I also have so many sponge filters I could drop 4 from cycled tanks in new tank without issue .

CONGRATULATIONS !!! Be patient .They are messed up just like the round fish and need to learn as they grow ..
Hoping my pair above get the third time right but if not they can try again .. They can keep the tank till I need to separate them from fry ??Until then I can wait ..

[Discluv]

Awesome! Okay, will get this tank set-up. I have alot of filtered media that can add to the filter.

I started out with fish-in cycles as well- have done so with discus a few times. It can be done safety, you just have little margin for error. Knowing that, you are very careful.
I just ordered some brine shrimp and shrimp hatchery from Brine Shrimp Direct. Never have done this before so Im looking at You tube videos.
Never have raised any fry of any type, in fact. So here goes nothing!

Thanks for the tips.

[LizStreithorst]

If you have any plants like Java moss or subwassertang put those in the tank. The fry will eat the microorganisms growing on them. I would never try RAISING Ram fry on other that live food. But I know nothing about Ram's.

[LizStreithorst]

Tom, it's the parents that eat the older lesser fry, not the older siblings doing it. I have never had a pair raise 2 batches at the same time, but I have heard of it happening. Good luck.

[coralbandit]

Ok same pair as on 12/31 here .This time they get to keep the eggs .



^^ In the water ^^

^ Out of water ^
Pretty good sized spawn .Definitely larger then the last one I took .
Mostly besides documenting the spawn that I suspect will be half dark and half gold , but also showing pictures so you all see the tank is far from sterile.
Good I dare say clean water but organics and tannins along with plants are in there ..Oh yea and the algae ..
Using some alder cones in with the darks to soothe them ?
This pair let me handle the eggs for the pictures no big deal and then even change a little water ...They befuddle me ?
Hope they do good these guys must have laid these yesterday while I was down south at DAAS [Danbury Area Aquarium Society] /NECA [ New England Cichlid Association ] auction ..
I have gone to a few before so it was kind of like meeting up with friends ! I got no active fish club here in the capital district of NY ..Crazy huh ? Had a good time even with the 2 1/2 hour drive each way !

[Discluv]

Tom

Still have some fry freeswimming this morning. They are mostly in the moss and occasionally swim about.
Will do another water change today and add catulpa leaves and alder cones.
I also heard about feeding very small amounts of egg yolk? Would this be a better option than the fry starter food ( powdered food)?
The brine shrimp eggs should be here Wednesday or Thursday.

I was unprepared for feeding the fry. I am surprised they have lasted this long.
I took the male gold out, he is temporarily in with the discus.

[coralbandit]

Yes try The egg yolk or anything .
The fry are all alone now ..The 10g may be big for them .If you lower the water level it helps them .Do you think the male was going to eat the fry ? I know it is hard to tell just by looking but we all have guess .
Make sure you install food close say the fry can find it .
Keeping the fry close to parents or close to food is the big trick in the beginning and why I even suggest small tanks. We all know small tanks really aren't easier to balance ..

[Discluv]

I wasnt sure If he would eat them or not.
Maybe I should have left him in there.
I was just so upset that he had killed that beautiful female. UGH!
Should I chance it and add him back now ? Maybe he will help them rather than eat them-lol!

I bought some of the breeding boxes to hang on aquarium for next spawn. Like the ones you have where you just put the spawn in and add moss and a bubbler. Will do this, definitely, on next go around.

I will lower the water level as you suggest.

[Second Hand Pat]

Tom, should I have feed the ram fry even before they went free swimming? I was not feeding them so maybe that was a mistake.
Pat

[RogueDiscus]

I admit I didn't watch the videos in your first post, having connected with you before, and kind otherwise following here. So your tank is not pristine and they're OK with that. I must have missed it somewhere, but will the fry prefer some moss-like plants? Right now I have stones, wood, and potted plants. Fairly easy to clean.

[Discluv]

I admit I didn't watch the videos in your first post, having connected with you before, and kind otherwise following here. So your tank is not pristine and they're OK with that. I must have missed it somewhere, but will the fry prefer some moss-like plants? Right now I have stones, wood, and potted plants. Fairly easy to clean.

With my fry-- the moss is where they primarily are.

[coralbandit]

I like plants or moss. Subwassertang is great for fry and in many of my tanks .
The tank is not pristine but the water cleaner then it looks IMO ..
I am a water change abuser ...Not scared and have full control over water ..
These fry don't eat from the parents ,they need all the help they can get via infusoria small other bugs and stuff..
Water needs to be clean but that does not mean wipe the tank down ..
Here is how they are being raised here ..


The music is no joke .
If you get it wrong you get right next time !
Liz you said the parents would eat the older fry with the discus I believe ..The older fry are missing I believe .. Shows the pair is still learning and confused ..
Just like you guys with the rams no advice can fix that ..That is time and dedication to get through it ..
The disc are still loaded with their new fry so a little progress has been had ..
I will guess depending how long they dedicate to the fry will dictate when next spawn is now ...

[coralbandit]

I wasnt sure If he would eat them or not.
Maybe I should have left him in there.
I was just so upset that he had killed that beautiful female. UGH!
Should I chance it and add him back now ? Maybe he will help them rather than eat them-lol!

I bought some of the breeding boxes to hang on aquarium for next spawn. Like the ones you have where you just put the spawn in and add moss and a bubbler. Will do this, definitely, on next go around.

I will lower the water level as you suggest.

Keep him separate . Without a mate you may not get a second chance ..Second chances are why I take first eggs ..That and viability.. I just got to know .If there is a second chance I am more allowing now then I used to be ..