Bolivian Rams Spawned This Week

[Lowells Fish Lab]

I'm very excited about this. They spawn just like Venezuelan rams but seem to be more demanding of certain conditions prior to spawning.

Smaller clutch size than I would have expected

Fertility rate was fairly low for this first attempt. I'm sure they'll improve

Eggs took about 2.5 days to hatch. I think the number right now is 12. As they were hatching the parents picked them up and moved them to a little depression they had dug out. A little hard to see but they're highlighted below

For what it's worth, the two things that I think finally produced a spawn after 6 months of head scratching were small dither fish and several days of live blackworm feedings. Dither fish especially. Their behavior and comfort level is 180 degrees different with dithers around.

[Fish Folk]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:46 PM, Lowells Fish Lab said:

I'm very excited about this. They spawn just like Venezuelan rams but seem to be more demanding of certain conditions prior to spawning.

Smaller clutch size than I would have expected

Fertility rate was fairly low for this first attempt. I'm sure they'll improve

Eggs took about 2.5 days to hatch. I think the number right now is 12. As they were hatching the parents picked them up and moved them to a little depression they had dug out. A little hard to see but they're highlighted below

For what it's worth, the two things that I think finally produced a spawn after 6 months of head scratching were small dither fish and several days of live blackworm feedings. Dither fish especially. Their behavior and comfort level is 180 degrees different with dithers around.

Congratulations! I like the Dither + Black Worms combo.

[Lowells Fish Lab]

On 4/17/2022 at 7:56 PM, Fish Folk said:

Congratulations! I like the Dither + Black Worms combo.

I usually stick with a species only approach to breeding but in this case it just happened to make a huge difference.

Before I added a small group of tetras the rams were acting like a comet was about to end all life on earth and they were the only ones who knew it. Afterwards they were completely relaxed. I noticed while quarantining a couple of additional rams (along with some small fish) that they were way more outgoing than the ones I had in a species only tank.

The blackworms were a gamble. I'm usually very cautious about heavy feeding of any worms to dwarf cichlids. I do use frozen bloodworms but its a once or twice a week thing in relatively small amounts. Again it just happened to work. I'll be filing that away in the future toolbox

[ndfi78]

@Lowells Fish Lab Completely off topic, but how did you break your terracotta pot so cleanly? Did you cut it somehow? 

Edited April 18, 2022 by ndfi78

[Lowells Fish Lab]

On 4/18/2022 at 5:21 AM, ndfi78 said:

@Lowells Fish Lab Completely off topic, but how did you break your terracotta pot so cleanly? Did you cut it somehow? 

I cut them with a small abrasive wheel on a Dremel rotary tool. 

[ndfi78]

So, what you are saying is that I need to buy a Dremel. 😄 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

On 4/18/2022 at 6:47 AM, ndfi78 said:

So, what you are saying is that I need to buy a Dremel. 😄 

Well I've certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of it. Especially for cutting the plastic back end of aquarium lids and even double wall greenhouse paneling

[josephnoctum]

Dremel and PVC cutter are my two most used tools since I started keeping fish. 
Congrats on the spawn, Rams are ones I have not bred yet but they are going in the next tank I set up. 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

I'm watching a pair get ready to spawn again tonight and just noticed something interesting. See how long these extensions are on the male's caudal fin? They weren't that long two weeks ago. Not even close. I wonder if growth was stimulated by the breeding activity. That would make some sense to me. Why spend growth energy on a feature that's only relevant when it comes time to breed?

[Lowells Fish Lab]

What was that about a small clutch size?

 

Fertility rate is looking much better and these should hatch at some point tomorrow.

[Lowells Fish Lab]

This is the third day free swimming. Sera micron mixed with water and released with a coral feeder above the cloud of fry for the first day or so followed by san francisco strain brine shrimp. They're taking them comfortably today. Should be able to switch to regular brine shrimp in the next days.

By counting fertile eggs from one of those last photos I think I've got a little over 200 fry here.

Edited May 8, 2022 by Lowells Fish Lab

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

😍OH MY GOODNESS. That is too much cuteness. What lovely parents too. 

Edited May 8, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Lowells Fish Lab]

On 5/7/2022 at 5:30 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

That is too much cuteness. 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I'm sorry I just dropped my jaw somewhere....

[Tihshho]

You always have great breeding projects going on!