Question About German Blue Rams

[Gouken]

Does anyone have any suggestions on when they spawn if i should take them and thier eggs and put them into my 20g tank, I would hate to see the other fish in the tank eat the eggs and the fry when they are born. How long is the gestation period on their eggs aswell?

 

[skimmy290]

from what i've seen/read/experienced it's not such a bad idea as long as you get enough oxygen in the tank for the eggs so they don't get fungus (even with that of course you're bound to lose some). the parents do a decent job in taking care of the eggs even within the community tank, but if it's their first time spawning they'll probably end up eating the fry, it takes a couple tries apparently

 

[Athena]

Usually there's no need to remove the parents/eggs from a community tank as the parents will do a good enough job of guarding the eggs so that none of the other fish come near them. You will often see other tankmates being banished to the other side of the tank and if they dare swim into the rams territory they'll be aggressively chased off and head butted even!

Once the fry are hatched, let them stay with the parents for a few days - on about the third day you can then remove some or all to a fry net away from the parents as it is usually the parents that end up eating the week old fry. Even if they don't, once the fry become free-swimming they then become a target of other tank inmates!

Athena

 

[Gouken]

I moved them into a 20g tank and they have laid more eggs in it cant really see them that much but I will keep my fingers crossed to hopefully see some fry soon

 

[Gilli]

You will need to keep a good current of water over the eggs as the female does this by fanning them. I would also add an anti fungus treatment to the water as any unfertilized eggs will go mouldy and this will spread very rapidly to viable eggs.

Any eggs that turn white are infertile. Fertile eggs will hatch in 72 hours from laying and after the second day you should be able to see little black dots in them which are the frys eyes.

 

[Phage]

My GBR took on a 10" pleco when it entered his territory. The ram won