Bolivian Ram Breeding Issues

[mchambers]

My rams have been going crazy the last few weeks, covering flat rocks with eggs on at least four occasions. The problem is that I never see any wrigglers. I'll see one or both parents guarding the eggs for a few days and then one day the eggs are gone. On a couple of occasions the rams have dug pits in the substrate which they are guarding, and I assume they've moved the little ones in there, but so far no signs of little ones.

Should I be doing something different? I've contemplated moving an egg-covered rock into a fry grow out tank (one where I just moved about 20 panda cory eggs), but my research on the interwebs doesn't suggest this is wise. Do I just need to hope my rams hone their parenting skills?

On a side note, all six of the rams in the tanks are colored up beautifully, almost glowing.

 

[Avatar]

Takes about 3 days (at 80 degrees) for the fry to absorb their yolk sacs and lift

up off the bottom of the tank. Easy to think they're gone until they rise. That being said, someone could very well be eating the fry/eggs - my male has developed a taste for eggs.

If they're that prolific, just steal a stone once some eggs appear. One thing you should know - the fry cannot eat decapsulated brine shrimp eggs because they're too big for them. Need to start them on 'First Bites" or something very very small.

 

[mchambers]

One thing you should know - the fry cannot eat decapsulated brine shrimp eggs because they're too big for them. Need to start them on 'First Bites" or something very very small.

Thanks. I'll move a stone. I've got First Bites and also the smaller sized Golden Pearls, so that should work.

 

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You might also try isolating a spawning pair. Could be the 'have nots' are spoiling the party. Alternately, a nightlight that allows the parents to maintain guard in the wee hours may do the trick.

 

[mchambers]

night light

You might also try isolating a spawning pair. Could be the 'have nots' are spoiling the party. Alternately, a nightlight that allows the parents to maintain guard in the wee hours may do the trick.

I can't really isolate the breeding pair, because I have at least two pairs spawning. As of last weekend, I had two rocks covered in eggs, being guarded by expectant parents. This morning, both sets of eggs are gone, but the parents have territory staked out, so maybe there are wrigglers in the substrate that I can't see yet.

Last weekend, I saw a ram attacking a nerite snail, which I've never seen before. I realized that the snail had climbed onto one of the rocks with eggs, so reached in and pulled it off the rock (not easy -- those snails latch on pretty hard).

I've added a lamp in the area that goes on at night and goes off in the morning, to give the parents a better shot at guarding any fry.

A few weeks ago, I tried moving a rock covered with eggs into a fry grow out tank, but never saw any fry. If no fry show up from the substrate this week, maybe I'll try that trick again, and add methylene blue to the fry grow out tank this time.

 

[SubMariner]

That's great! Bolivian Rams when they're in full color are simply beautiful.

 

[mchambers]

Coloration

That's great! Bolivian Rams when they're in full color are simply beautiful.

And they were quite beautiful the last few weeks, at least before they spawned. Now the parents have lost much of their color and look stressed. Reminds me of when I first had kids myself.

 

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Have faith/patience...

...takes at least 2-3 days for fry to absorb yolk sacs and 'lift' depending on temperature, and they are extremely small and virtually impossible to see beforehand. Chances are good that you have one or two dime-sized pools of fry staying virtually immobile and if that's the case you may look forward to discovering cloud of babies enveloping one or both parents in a couple days.

They need really really fine food to start (DBS won't work) but if you can get them past the first week (First Bites, etc.) you should be golden.

F2! F2! F2!

 

[mchambers]

Have got First Bites and 0-50 micron Golden Pearls ready to go. May try microworms, too.

 

[mchambers]

Found some fry today

...takes at least 2-3 days for fry to absorb yolk sacs and 'lift' depending on temperature, and they are extremely small and virtually impossible to see beforehand. Chances are good that you have one or two dime-sized pools of fry staying virtually immobile and if that's the case you may look forward to discovering cloud of babies enveloping one or both parents in a couple days.

They need really really fine food to start (DBS won't work) but if you can get them past the first week (First Bites, etc.) you should be golden.

F2! F2! F2!

They were in a tight little ball guarded by their parents. I sucked some out with a turkey baster and put them in a fry grow out tank and left the others to see if they can survive in the community tank.

Another pair is still ferociously guarding some territory behind a piece of driftwood, so I suspect they've got fry, too.

Complicating all of this is the fact that I'm going out of town overnight tomorrow, but I'll hope for the best while I'm gone.

 

[mchambers]

Update

None of those fry survived, sad to say, and earlier this month some more fry that were swimming disappeared.

Tonight, though, I've got a bunch (maybe 50) free swimming fry in the community tank, another 30 or so transferred to a 5 gallon Eclipse, and another pair of rams guarding eggs on a rock. Have to hope the ones with eggs don't eat the free swimming fry. Here's the proud parents with fry: