Breeding Rams

[brewmaster15]

I'm sure you know how lucky you are to find a good house sitter right next door.

IMO it is a good idea to cross a gold back into the line from time to time. I find that I get a larger percentage of black fry from a gold X black.

I have read that crossing the golds into the blacks again is good to get mire blacks as well.

[XAnhLe]

I've artificially raised EBR and GBR frys in the past (8 years ago) and is currently working with 3 pairs of black ram. Currently I have my setup in the garage where the room temperature is between 80-90F and water temp can get between 81-86F. Since Southwest Florida is experiencing a "freezing" 60F overnight temperature this week, I'm running 2 Vornado Whole Room Heater and Fan that I bought from Costco, each rated for 300 sqft, to keep room temp at around 82-83F.

I don't do anything special with the water temperature. Water change is usually done with an aging water tank that I have in the garage as well so the temperature does not fluctuate. I do notice spawns usually happen around a storm or rain. I believe this is due to temperature (minimal)/pressure change similar to the raining season.

[LizStreithorst]

Here's an interesting thing I discovered. One of my ram breeding pairs spawned and another pair spawned the next day. The first pair were at 82. The second, by accident, were in a tank at 87. The first pairs babies are still wiggling. The pair that spawned a day later, with the tank at 87 has free swimmers today.

[Charlyc11]

Great info by accident I guess the higher temp helped. How about the size of the spawn? Are you dropping the temp now?

[LizStreithorst]

It's a great big fine spawn. I'm taking the temp down slowly.

[XAnhLe]

It makes sense, higher temp = higher metabolism/faster growth. I'm working with 2 spawns and it's progressing slower than the previous batch. Wigglers -> swimmers +1 day. Main difference is the current temp is 81F vs 85F from a month ago.

[brewmaster15]

Cool info everyone. Thanks!

So I have a question ... what do you get if you breed Black rams to German Blues? what do you typically get as offspring?

al

[LizStreithorst]

they're variable. They show some of the blue's pattern but are darker. Very pretty fish, but their value is greatly reduced because that's the way blacks used to look before they were refined to the point that the're close to pitch black.

[brewmaster15]

Interesting Liz.. thanks. Sounds like its something I may want to try. .. maybe I will get lucky and get a purple .. then we'd have the next new thing..I should probably get some electric blues to throw in the mix...lol

[XAnhLe]

Interesting Liz.. thanks. Sounds like its something I may want to try. .. maybe I will get lucky and get a purple .. then we'd have the next new thing..I should probably get some electric blues to throw in the mix...lol

Haha, you should look into Black x electric crosses.

Look at this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fish/commen...ight_ram_pair/

[LizStreithorst]

Cool fish. Shame the cross doesn't breed true.

[brewmaster15]

Tomorrow will either be a great day or a "brew you messed up day"

Tomorrow I have 10 wild rams coming to me from a seller that I have never bought from. Its one of those spontaneous fish buys we all know we should not do but do anyways. I've done this before. Sometimes it works out well.. sometimes not so well. Its kind of like going to.the casino with a hundred bucks to spend. Do you really know how it will end.

I've wanted wild rams again for a while. I havent had great luck with them in the past. Even from well known sources my last batch came with uncurable lymphocystis. Im hopeful these will come in well.

I almost got some festivums and bolivan rams too but decided to only risk the wild rams.

So just how confident am I that things will go well? I spent yesterday and today prepping my new quarantine tank. Its a 55 gal tank housed OUTSIDE.. under my deck. This is fall in CT. Last night the temps were 37F . The tank stayed at 85F. I have it wrapped with layers of reflectix and foam. Bottom and all sides. The top has greenhouse poly on it and foam with a light cut out for LED lighting. Theres air driven sponges and a 300 watt heater..

Theres no way in H%$% I am going to bring fish into my house without a really thorough QT from a source I do not know.. . I would prefer this be summer but its ok. Its supposed to be in the 40's and 50s latter in the week. I figure after a week I may bring them in.

[brewmaster15]

Before you think .."man that guy is nuts" there was a time a while back where I did similar with fish froma discus importer/seller... that batch came in with columnaris... which has several strains some more aggressive than others.. I ended up bleaching that tank of discus. ..thankfully.. it was isolated outside.

[Second Hand Pat]

Al, I totally get it as I had wild rams come in with something incurable and very contagious . I think you suggested I cull them and I did. Hope yours comes in healthy.
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Pat Im pretty sure that yours had lymphocystis too.

Rams are in CT at this point...hoping for the best..prepared for the worst.