Rams Spawned On Easy Planter

[Lowells Fish Lab]

This is the third time they've done this. Ignored the flat stone and flower pot spawning sites and went for the easy planter in the middle. At this point I should just be planning on it

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Lowells Fish Lab

[Fish Folk]

How have things gone the previous times? Do they raise them on their own? Or eat the eggs? Do you pull the eggs? Just curious. Good looking Rams. 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

They will raise the fry if I let them. They did a great job! These juveniles were raised by the parents for the first few weeks. The smaller ones in a breeder box were pulled as eggs and hatched separately. I just wanted to see how survival rates compared. (About equal)

 

[Fish Folk]

3 minutes ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

They will raise the fry if I let them. They did a great job! These juveniles were raised by the parents for the first few weeks. The smaller ones in a breeder box were pulled as eggs and hatched separately. I just wanted to see how survival rates compared. (About equal)

 

Looking amazing! Well done! We've NEVER had Rms raise their own fry. Let many pairs try dozens of times each . . . always ended up having to pull in order to get fry.

[Lowells Fish Lab]

1 hour ago, Fish Folk said:

Looking amazing! Well done! We've NEVER had Rms raise their own fry. Let many pairs try dozens of times each . . . always ended up having to pull in order to get fry.

I've heard that.. I read everything I could about why they might eat their fry and then arranged things as well as I could to prevent it. I watched closely and waited expecting them to eat the fry any day but they didn't. 

To try to prevent it I did a few things: spawned in a lengthwise 10 gallon blacked out on three sides and the bottom to help the parents feel safe, fed the adults heavily so that they would have no appetite left for fry, removed the female as soon as I saw her preparing to spawn again, and I never let the tank go completely dark.

I could be wrong but I feel strongly about the lighting. In my opinion, after a night in a pitch black tank they will literally forget who the other fish are and act aggressively towards each other.

I've also tried pair swapping by doing the opposite. Removed the female from a bonded pair and after a night in the dark added a new female. Zero aggression and they paired almost immediately. The dark is like hitting a reset button.

So I wonder then, if you hit the reset button with fry in the tank, could the parents forget whose fry they are and eat them like they would any other strange fry?

 

[Fish Folk]

2 minutes ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

I've heard that.. I read everything I could about why they might eat their fry and then arranged things as well as I could to prevent it. I watched closely and waited expecting them to eat the fry any day but they didn't. 

To try to prevent it I did a few things: spawned in a lengthwise 10 gallon blacked out on three sides and the bottom to help the parents feel safe, fed the adults heavily so that they would have no appetite left for fry, removed the female as soon as I saw her preparing to spawn again, and I never let the tank go completely dark.

I could be wrong but I feel strongly about the lighting. In my opinion, after a night in a pitch black tank they will literally forget who the other fish are and act aggressively towards each other.

I've also tried pair swapping by doing the opposite. Removed the female from a bonded pair and after a night in the dark added a new female. Zero aggression and they paired almost immediately. The dark is like hitting a reset button.

So I wonder then, if you hit the reset button with fry in the tank, could the parents forget whose fry they are and eat them like they would any other strange fry?

 

Makes good sense! Thanks!! We've kept lights on for Angelfish before. Makes sense to try that with Rams. Blacking out sides is another pro tip. Appreciate it! We'll have to try Rams again. It's SO much easier when fish will raise their own fry. 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

Just another instance of rams not being picky about spawning sites. This time it's on top of a submersible pump. 

Look at that ambitious little male, 10 weeks old and already (attempting) to fertilize!