GBR nest discovery what now???

Hey guys and girls

I came home tonight to find to my delight that my 2 German Blue Rams have spawned some eggs on a nice flat rock in my community planted tank.
I am supper excited but in the same breath have no idea on how to continue from here.

The Rams are very protective over the eggs.
But like i said, it is a community tank and it houses 5 Zebra Danios, 7 Neons, 4 corrys, a unknown amount of RCS (more than 50) and the 2 Rams

I would appreciate any advise.


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Ok never mind. My excitement was short lived. Found a corry feasting on the eggs. [emoji22]
Will still appreciate advice for future spawns.
When can i expect them to spawn again?


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They will spawn regularly at this point. I wouldn't worry about it, the parents would have probably eaten the eggs if they had been isolated, cichlids need a few "trys" before they get it right.

For future spawns you have two options: isolate the rams in their own tank and let them fail by themselves until they get it right, or leave them in the community tank and have them fend off the other fish.

Depending on the age of your tank and how it's set up I'd keep them in the community tank, especially since they're settled enough to spawn in there. I've had corys, bristlenoses and discus all breed in the same tank, and I suspect also the rummynoses (I have six left that by all rights should be dead of old age).

It depends, as I was saying, on how your tank is set up (hiding places for the fry, defensible spawning spots, and so on) and the age of the tank (microfauna for the fry to feed on).

It depend also if you actually want, in the end, the job of looking after the youngsters especially once they start growing from fry into fish (20 to 40 extra fish are quite the bioload) and the hassle of finding a home for them, especially since they're not exactly unusual fish and not all shops will take them.

Thanx for the advice Zante. My tank is about 5 months old and quite heavily planted. It is a low tech setup so no CO2. I do however not have any caves in the tank.
Will include photo

I would love to try and get some small fish. Are their any specific things to look out for that could indicate a spawn coming on...?

Thanx for the good advice




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5 months might be enough, but I'd look into supplementing the fry's diet with infusoria first and BBS later. Mine was almost 2 years old before I started spotting the first baby corys, and I didn't use to vacuum the bottom or anything, just water changes, so microfauna had plenty of food to breed with.

What would make both excellent cover and breeding ground for live food is a bunch of roots from a pothos plant. Put a few stems in the water draping over the edge and they will grow in no time. You'll have the added advantage of a lot of nutrients being drained out of the tank, as the plants will have access to the unlimited CO2 in the air.

You can see they are in breeding mood if you spot them cleaning what will become their spawning site, but don't hold your breath, they still have a few failed spawnings ahead of them.

Oak leaves added will also add some microfauna for the fry. As the oak leaves break down, infusoria will feed on the leaves and the fry will feed on the infusoria. If you don't want large oak leaves in the tank, you can cut them into smaller chunks and hide them more in the plants.

Warning about oak leaves, they will also released tannins (tannins aren't harmful for the fish at all, in fact they are quite beneficial in most respects), which will stain the tank water a slightly yellowish/brown color (tea). This can be removed with carbon in your filter if it bothers you. I personally like the look, but some don't (my wife for one. )

Interesting. I use a potting soil mix caped with gravel for my substrate. I have noticed that it is rich in bark and plant matter. And my plants love it.
I also have a bit of mopanie drift wood in the tank but it is no longer leaching tannins.
But i will definitely keep the oak leaves in mind


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Hi guys. I am in this situation again. My GBR couple spawned again. The look much more protective this round.
I started by leaving the lights on for a start. But my next question is; should i remove the eggs and if so how...
Any advice plz


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It's better to leave them.

There is some evidence that fish need to be parented to know how to parent themselves. By taking the eggs away, you're just bringing up more fish that are poor parents themselves. In the case of very rare or endangered fish, that might be justified, but not in the normal run of things.

Most cichlids do, eventually, learn how to care for their broods in time, if left in peace.

If you're having issues with other fish, then you'd be better off setting up a breeding tank for your pair.

Thanx fluttermoth. Will do that. Will post as things progress.

I noticed tonight that when i fed the fish tonight the GBR's left the nest alone to feed.



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With cories in the tank, you are not likely to see fry surviving,unless you are very lucky. The eggs are usually eaten, but should they hatch, the fry are very vulnerable, and mainly during the night but also day from cories. I was sitting in front of my tank one day and the female blue ram was shepherding her fry, which at that point were about four days old, when two cories just out browsing came upon them, and up mid tank next to a standing piece of wood too. Within seconds the fry were gone; the female had no hope of fending off two cories. They don't have "armour plating" for nothing.

The eggs are especially vulnerable at night. Cories are nocturnal, rams are not, so the rams cannot protect their eggs or fry if there are nocturnal fish present. I lost four clutches of ram eggs to cories overnight.

You mentioned leaving the light on...this is very bad for all the fish. I have known of outbreaks of ich solely from leaving the light on overnight, as it is extremely stressful. Fish must have a period of total darkness, something I have explained in detail elsewhere.

The suggestion to add dried leaves is excellent. It is now known that fry develop faster in tanks with dried leaves. The infusoria these produce is one reason, but bacterial "protection" from substances in the leaves is probably also relevant. I use dried oak leaves collected every autumn in my back garden where I know they are free of any chemicals/pesticides. I have cory and characin and cyprinid fry, a tank of pygmy cories that spawn regularly, and Farlowella fry all growing on nothing but the "food" produced by dried leaves and the tank's biological system.

Byron.

Thanx Byron.

I am at a loss for words right now since i dnt want to loose the eggs and i only have a shrimp tank to put the corys in.

Thing is i am immigrating soon and would have to sell both tanks , would love to see some fry before i sell them.


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francoistaljard said:

Thanx Byron.

I am at a loss for words right now since i dnt want to loose the eggs and i only have a shrimp tank to put the corys in.

Thing is i am immigrating soon and would have to sell both tanks , would love to see some fry before i sell them.


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Click to expand...

I would not move the cories. This is a fish that does not respond well to changing environments. If you want eggs to hatch and fry survive, a spawning tank for the ram pair is the only way to go. Given the upcoming move, this doesn't seem too feasible.

Moving the eggs now (if the object on which they were laid is something like a flat rock that can be lifted out and moved) would work, but without the parents fanning and tending to the eggs they might get fungused.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is only their second spawn, there's plenty to come. Let them grow in experience where they are, you have plenty of time to set up a separate tank for them if you want to breed them.