Breeding Rams

[minnnt]

How strange! Great thread btw, shame there hasn't been more response.

Would love to see some pics of your setup. Any reason for that amount of light? That is a heck of a lot!

 

[Zante]

People are reading it, and that's the point of a journal, isn't it?

Here's some pics (sorry about the quality)

The first one is a bit clearer, but a bit overexposed, the second one a bit fuzzy, but shows the light level more correctly.

That light is there because the tank had a different aim when i first set it up. The the rams started breeding in my community tank with 2 BNs, lots of corys and so on (you can imagine with what results).

I decided to reroute the tank for ram breeding. I could switch half of the lights off, but there are plants in there that would suffer from it.

 

[minnnt]

Nice pics. The eggs do look infertile to me which is a shame really as there looks to be loads!

The light you have over the tank is giving you 4.1wpg. None of the plants in there need anywhere near that amount of light and that is why there is what looks to be like algae. The co2 that your reactor is producing won't be enough to keep the plants happy as they will inevitably craving more nutrients and co2 than are being produced. Also are you dosing ferts? Plants won't absorb the co2 properly without a full fertiliser being added and with the lack of anything in RO, then its even harder as it needs to have all the goodness of tap water put back in that reverse osmosis removes. (as far as plants are concerned)

 

[Zante]

Nice pics. The eggs do look infertile to me which is a shame really as there looks to be loads!

There were at least twice as many!

... but as i said, I wasn't expecting any different from the very first spawn of the pair. In any case I wouldn't have been able to care for the fry, I honestly wasn't expecting them to spawn so soon. Good sign though.

The light you have over the tank is giving you 4.1wpg. None of the plants in there need anywhere near that amount of light and that is why there is what looks to be like algae. The co2 that your reactor is producing won't be enough to keep the plants happy as they will inevitably craving more nutrients and co2 than are being produced. Also are you dosing ferts? Plants won't absorb the co2 properly without a full fertiliser being added and with the lack of anything in RO, then its even harder as it needs to have all the goodness of tap water put back in that reverse osmosis removes. (as far as plants are concerned)

No algae in the tank there is dirt on the gravel (water change and gravel syphoning was scheduled for today and I did it after taking the pics) and strands of java moss here and there. The images DO look a bit green, but it's not a proper camera. I guess I'll have to bring in the reflex from the office if I'm to document this properly...

There is a little bit of algae on the wood, but I actually like that.

I do have algae problems in my community tank, and exactly for the reasons you are saying (plants missing nutrients), but I do have the necessary fertilizer from the LFS today, so... all good.

 

[Nutbeam]

i'm reading and watching

interested on inducing spawning and can see a temp chamge triggered them

 

[Zante]

i'm reading and watching

interested on inducing spawning and can see a temp chamge triggered them

Not only that, I was feeding lots of live food from my cultures and fron the LFS. Lots of high protein food means lots of strong and healthy eggs.

 

[Zante]

i have made a quick measurement on the water and i have a TDS of about 280ppm. My guess is that is what went wrong with the eggs' fertilization. Water is still too hard. I am still slowly lowering it, but the rams beat me to it.

Ok. Good, actually. It is quite common for the first few spawns to go badly, and i'm glad to get one out of the way. I'va also seen the potential of my female

The eggs you see in the pictures I posted are fewer than half what were actually laid. I guess it is simply a consequence of the diet I have been feeding her. Lots of live food from my cultures, high in protein.

Anyway, it is a good sign that they spawned so soon, it means I must be doing it right.

If I get to the fry stage... well that's all a new adventure!

 

[Nutbeam]

hows your ph?

 

[Zante]

hows your ph?

I have to pick up a new test this weekend, but I'd make an educated guess at 6.5

 

[Zante]

Wilma has been quite inert this couple of days. She's nicely coloured, and she's eating (a bit) but she's not doing much, just listlessly swimming about a bit. I'm guessing she's recovering from the MASSIVE first spawn.

Fred, instead, is quite active and swimming about.

I am now concentrating on my new shrimp tank, and it will be a while before Fred and Wilma spawn again, so, unless there's some unusual development, this journal will be on hold for two or three weeks.

 

[Zante]

They look like they're going to spawn again sometime in the next week. I'm going on holiday for a week on Wednesday, so I'm not conditioning them or anything.

If they do spawn before I get back from my holidays, no matter: it's still only their second spawning, and will most probably be a "practice" spawn anyway.

Not much as news, but there isn't much going on.

 

[Zante]

... and indeed we have spawn.

A LOT fewer than last time, but then I wasn't stuffing Wilma with protein, so all good.

Again the eggs look too white, but it's still a bit early, so I'm going to wait a bit and see. If I can't get fertilised eggs on the fifth spawn I will take them back to the community tank and start over with another pair.

 

[Zante]

... and the eggs have gone. One thing's for sure: they have got the hang of eating them.

 

[Zante]

... and the eggs have gone. One thing's for sure: they have got the hang of eating them.

Correction: the eggs are still there. Now that the lights are on they are visible. They do look a bit darker, but it's hard to see where they've laid them this time.

Fred is now over them fanning them, which is more than he did last time, so some progress there. If they're also fertile well, nice result for a second spawn, but I think the latter is unlikely.

 

[Zante]

Ok, back from my holidays, quick recap:

Last spawn the eggs were eaten before I left.
The fish are just fine after their week-long fast.

I will start conditioning them again from tomorrow when I will go and stock up with live food.