Brilliant video and will help me a lot, can I ask where can I get Francis sconner brine shrimp please,I'm in the UK and can not seem to find that particular product,not sure if I've spelled the name correct, thanks for any help👍🏻🙂
This is an OUTSTANDING video! Articulate, well thought out, and captivating! Love the fact you have become so proficient with breeding such a great fish!
What an awesome process! I had a male GBR for 10 months before he sadly passed. Watching fish that actually have and use parental care is quite amazing to see😍
It really is, cichlids are pretty smart and complex. Another thing I really enjoy watching is the body language the male and female use to communicate with each other.
An awesome video, covering pretty much everything. Rams have always enjoyed a special place in my heart. It is just something about their look, demeanor, and of course their fins speak. They are such handsome fish. I subbed.
Thank you for this video. I ordered a pair of rams that will be shipped monday so im anxiously waiting for their arrival. This video helped me so much.
It wasn't as easy but after 8 months and multiple tries I was able to grow some fourth German blue rams, mostly thanks to your advices..... Thanks a lot
Your video was very well done. I have been breeding these beautiful fish for a while now and many of the things that you state are very important. I have not had any issues with the BBS being too large when they are 3 days old, however. I just keep feeding the vinegar eels for a bit longer as they transition to BBS. This gives them two things to eat at that time. For those that don't take to the larger shrimp right away, the eels are still there. Then after all of the bellies are orange, I discontinue completely the vinegar eels.
You're right on, the overlapping transition is very helpful. When I raised them separate from the parents I did just what you're describing with the transition from vinegar eels to BBS. I also just watched some kribensis fry eat BBS on their first day free swimming. It's made me rethink how early other dwarf cichlids might be able to take them.
@@MakeMoreFish I have subscribed. Great channel! I want to catch up on your other videos as well as they are very similar to my own channel. I see you are in the USA. I didn't see where exactly in the About section. I am in the Greater Toronto Area. Thanks for responding.
Excellent information Sir. 👏👏👏👏 Thank you so much for sharing. Ive definitely learnt alot and i did loose females to Male aggression as i do have them in a full black out tank..so maybe that was reason.. I've a few questions 1. Where can you get that smaller strain of bbs? Do you have a link? 2. Can you feed microworms as first foods? 3. How soon will the pair breed again after raising fry? 4. When you separated the female as you saw bulging stomach did they rebond being separated? 5. How did you do water changes and maintain water quality having tiny fry ? 6. What do you feed parents whilst feeding fry bbs or vinegar eels? 7. How often do you do water changes and % removed if they don't have eggs or fry?
Hi! let's see what I can answer. (1) I made a whole video about the small brine shrimp. It's 2 minutes and will explain everything including where to get them ua-cam.com/video/jTDGOLtqdrk/v-deo.html. (2) Yes you can absolutely feed microworms, the fry will eat readily off the ground. I have a slight preference for vinegar eels because of their longevity in water but either will work. (3) The next spawn will depend on how quickly the female grows a new batch of eggs and that depends on how she is fed. The shortest time between spawns I have observed is about 10 days. (4) My rams will pair / unpair / pair again easily. If there is aggression while trying to pair, maybe reduce or turn off lighting and give them a day or two. If a female is ready, I believe it's a proposition a male can't refuse. (5) My water changes were very easy because the tank is connected to an above-tank sump. I drained water from the sump and refilled with reasonably temperature matched water. Never had any issues with temp shock. (6) Parents will eat BBS happily and share them with the fry (they will literally pick them up and spit them out at the fry for them to eat). I also gave the parents frozen bloodworms to help keep them full. (7) I change my water when a test tells me nitrates are higher than I want them to be. I tried to stay below 20-25 ppm. My water changes were between 25% and 50% at a time. Great questions!
Actually let me amend (2). You can TRY to feed microworms as their first food but maybe have a backup plan. I've seen small fry struggle to catch and swallow microworms and vinegar eels. Maybe have some sera micron or another fry powder around just in case. At two or three days old I would be very confident that they could eat nematodes but having a powder on hand could be an inexpensive insurance policy.
@@MakeMoreFish Thank you Sir for explaining. I do have Hikari first bites... So I'll incorporate it as first week foods... Sir have you ever tried repashy gel food brand spawn n grown with rams and fry?
Absolutely amazing content right here! May I ask from which source do you get your research material? I would also like to have a look at it. Appreciate it🙏🏽
New subscriber ! First off I want to personally thank you for a very informative video! Not only do you take the time to carefully explain your breeding set up and as a hobbyist that speaks volumes about you as a person and hobbyist! You strike me as a perfectionist and your attention to detail is superb ! Now with that said I'm looking to purchase German black or dark knight rams whichever strain you are breeding, asking if you sell privately and if so do you ship ! I live in Cali and I believe there are only two breeders in the US that I would prefer to purchase from you or Dean (Dean's fish room) Problem is Dean doesn't ship and I think his missing out big, so do you sell and ship ?
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Currently I do not ship fish but may start in the future. It's appealing on paper but I take very seriously the responsibility I would have to customers and to the fish being shipped.
@@MakeMoreFish You should think about it! cause it would be great for the hobby and your fish look super healthy, I know it would make me happy if you did! I bet others would agree, keep me in mind and if you ever did, drop me a message. Keep those videos coming !👍
I had a pair of golden ramirezi, but the female passed away due to disease, the male fish have been alone for two months so i set a new tank and put a new female egg loaded ramirezi and the old male in new tank , but the male chasing the female , could you suggest some method to make them bond and breed well
It's really difficult to write a prescription for water changes because there are so many variables. It's something you have to figure out through water testing at intervals. All I can tell you is it took 50% or more daily to keep 40 gallons of water as clean as I wanted it to be. Rarely did water changes while conditioning a pair of adults
Amazing video! Am seriously wanting some GBR's! With all the feeding do you do water changes? If so, how much/often? Would love to try and breed them, they are soooo beautiful 😊
Sure, plenty of water changes. I typically do large volume changes above 50% and frequency depends on water volume and the amount of food. It's almost impossible to prescribe without much more info but my recommendation is to feed and test water every few days until you figure out the rate of waste accumulation and work out a schedule that keeps the numbers where you want them.
I have a question regarding most types of sensitive fry that are a lot smaller than GBR. So far i have been able to breed danios, barbs, angel fish, corry's etc, but real problem kicks in with tetras. For some reason, i get complete fry die offs at arround 2-3 weeks mark. Before that, they eat, swimm and look very healthy. In some rare cases i got 4-5 odd fry that survived to adulthood, but all the other ones didnt. I tried raising fry in 5 gallon tanks, in 10 gallon tanks, floating them in a tub that is in 30 gallon tank (holes on a side of container so they share water), heater / no heater, dozen types of food including bbs, microworms, infusoria, powdered pellets etc. No matter what i changed, outcome was always the same. They hatch, they start free swimming, they start eating and swimming completely normally then at the 2-3 weeks mark all of them die. Couldnt be amonia spikes since i used filters, shared water with 30g tanks, daily water changes, etc. so im really in the dark here.... Do you have any clue on what might be going on? Im just shooting my shot here, since none of the FB / reddit groups have been able to figure out whats going on :/
That's a puzzler, and really frustrating. I have to say I haven't bred any tetras personally but isn't there some issue with tetra eggs and fry being light sensitive? Could they benefit from dark tannic water? Any time there is total fry die off I just assume it's either a lack of food or some kind of water toxicity. If you're confident your water is staying clean I might be looking at food. Have you tried vinegar eels yet? That's all I can think of. I hope you succeed, let me know if you figure it out.
@@MakeMoreFish Some types of tetras are more sensitive than others, but that only impacts first stage . Not gonna lie, it was difficult to get them to hatch in first place, but die offs after 2-3 weeks dont make any sense to me.... Yeah i tried tannins, no light / dimmed light / normal light, cant say i tried vinegar eels, but thats only due to availability where i live. They're not so common here. The odd thing about water quality is that if its not clean all fry should die. Few ones that stay alive are bugging me, because i cant identify how are they staying alive while all other fry in the same tank are dying overnight... Today i got a single pair from different breeder to try and see if its genetics related. Fingers crossed
I've been keeping fish since I was 9 y/o(37 now). Actively(mostly) breeding since I was 10. Keeping/breeding GBH's since I was 11. The German Blue Ram is one of my top 3 favorite fish in the world(auratus is another of my top 5 and I'm not sure about the third: another, complicated topic). I haven't kept any fish other than bettas and white clouds for the last 4 years. I recently got 3 paired(3 m, 3 f, mature, already bred, as a consolation prize since a raccoon apparently broke into their warehouse and ate 3/4 of what I paid for) adult GBH's and a male and female sub-adult electric blue(ordered 8 total electrics but apparently a raccoon broke in and ate 6 of mine, so they gave me 3 pairs GBH[REALLY not happy with the GBH coloration & patterning, they look EXTREMELY different and VASTLY inferior from their website but that's another matter. The electrics on the other hand are absolutely top tier]) and I'm so happy you've found such success with your breeding! Not EXACTLY how I would've done it, but there's many paths to the same destination. You seem to have found one that works well for you Might I suggest daphnia? I'll get into that at the end. One of my GBH pairs spawned just this evening(wasn't expecting it as I only got them about 2.5 weeks ago) and I'm surfing the Tube, looking for others' experiences and good ideas on top of/in place of my own process, and I'm happy I found your video. Good work, my friend. Daphnia(tertiary/adult[generally] feed for rams, I personally use infusoria initially then BBS and finally daphnia/bloodworms/blackworms(impossible to get in my state unless I want to spend over $110 for bloodyshipping)/flake/etc.) I cannot possibly recommend a live food more for any aquarist, in general. For a breeder, if you're not using some form of live food for at least a significant portion of your parents diet, you'll never reach anywhere near your full potential(if you're able to breed effectively at all). Imo, the single easiest, cheapest and best(all things considered) live food to provide ANY carnivorous or omnivorous fish is daphnia. Anything that's not exclusively vegetarian will eat, and relish, daphnia. Baby daphnia(which will always be included while collecting adults for the parents if you're using a BBS net to harvest - highly recommended) are about the same size as BBS, a little bigger. I don't use them as a substitute for BBS, but they're an amazing supplement and great variety. Stick a 10g Tupperware bin in a south-facing window, put a couple bladder snails or, if you use them(crushed) ramshorns as another live food(live snails will help the nitrogen cycle without relying on fish and ramshorns are MUCH more prolific than bladder snails and make for amazing cichlid food when crushed) and established tank water, along with nutrients(fertilizer if you want it to go fast, feed with cheap flake if not) and let it sit. It'll create greenwater(floating algae that colors the water itself green) and then buy a $15 daphnia bag from Amazon. In two weeks, 2.5 max, you'll have THOUSANDS of daphnia. A month, if you can feed them all, hundreds of thousands(maybe millions if you can feed them all; quite a task unless you've got an outdoor setup). You'll wind up with a different problem. How to keep enough green water to feed your daphnia. Your fish will never be happier and after that initial investment you're upkeep cost is damn near zero. Just a suggestion, but dude, DAPHNIA!
Great video! If I take the eggs out of the tank on the stone and put it in a tub with the air stone and melafix etc, do the eggs need to be kept at a certain temp? So I’ll need a heater too?? Sorry new to this
Sure, my pH is usually 7.2ish, gH and kH fluctuate out of the tap but are somewhere in the 2-4 degree range. For the rams I try not to let nitrates exceed 20 ppm
Great video👍👍. My rams (they’re black german blues) have stopped spawning for about a month, no idea why. Do you have any tips? Nothing in the tank has changed since they last spawned, and they’re a young pair so I have no idea. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! Let's see.. Assuming water is clean and temperature is suitable, the first thing that comes to mind is food. With enough protein and fat available a female should be continuously producing eggs whether a male is present or not. Does she look gravid? If not you might need to step up feeding or offer something richer- possibly live food. Being careful of course not to bloat them with too many bloodworms or something.
@@MakeMoreFish I feed about twice a day. Mix of live, pellet and frozen foods. She definitely is gravid (though it’s harder to tell on black rams as they don’t have the pink belly). Water is soft, tds below 100, and water temp is at 30c (86f). They’re in a 10 gallon species only, with sand substrate and loads of clay pots and pebbles as you showed in the video. I’ve literally tried everything the past few weeks to entice them, but not much is working. The male seems to be a bit aggressive, but nothing too much and the female is still very happy and eating. What I’ve done is brought the water temp down to around 78f, and in a few days I’m going to raise it back to 86f and see if that can stimulate some kind of breeding. If you have any more tips I’d love to know. Thanks!!
@@sachaholt6023 So at this point I would just be guessing because I haven't had that specific problem but if I was in that position, I think I would actually reduce the total number of potential spawning sites so that I could watch them more closely. Maybe just create one or two really good ones and watch how they act around them. Watch for that site prep behavior and how the two fish are interacting with eachother. Do they seem paired and happy or is he picking on her a little bit? Is it possible that they have spawned but then ate the eggs before you saw them? It can happen quickly. With proper conditioning and a good tank setup, after a long period without success I would be looking at trying a different male/female. I know access might be limited to the black. I hope that helps and that eventually you get your babies.
@@akvaryumtv4900 You can also soak the pots in water so that they get a little softer and then snap off chunks at a time with pliers until you roughly get a half pot. I'm personally not a fan of that method but it can be done.
Hello, I would like to ask you for advices of how to breed a German Blue and a Gold Ram. I have seen them spawn 3 times already but after a day or two the eggs would suddenly disappear. I have seen a snail and searched up if it was a threat and I found my answer. I took the snail to another tank however they were on their 2nd spawn during this time so I had to wait for their 3rd spawn(the eggs were gone as well). My waters have a pH of 8 and a temperature of 84. Hopefully you answer. Thank you.
If it were me, I would pull the eggs after they spawn next and hatch them artificially with an antifungal. That would at least tell you if the issue is fertility / water chemistry. If the eggs still don't hatch it might be worth adjusting water parameters but my guess is that they will. That would mean the parents aren't properly caring for the eggs. You can let them try until they get it right or start working with different individuals. They aren't all good at caring for eggs.
I have a sand substrate with a pair of Rams they have produced eggs but not sure if they were fertilised anyway no eggs survived but I'm wondering will the sand substrate be bad for the fry when they eventually succeed in spawning? Also I have 3 young Strbi corries in there will they try to eat the fry ? Tia.
Sand should be fine, ideal even. I think corydoras would definitely eat eggs or wigglers if given the opportunity. If you keep some light on the parents will probably scare them away but if you're looking to eliminate the risk, I might separate them.
Hey there, a perfectly guided video and I really appreciate your work. Can you please guide me further? I had a pair that produced two offspring. However, after a couple of days, the eggs completely whiten and become unproductive. the male, however, guards the eggs. It occurred twice. Unfortunately, the woman passed away. Two more women were added. Now that the old male and the new female had laid eggs, guess what? Same outcome; after two days of their complete care, every egg is now white. They aren't watching it right now. Yet another futile endeavor. I really wanna know where I'm lagging to care them. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks man.
There's always the possibility that the male is infertile but there are some things you can try. I've had this happen to me too. It may look like the eggs are being cared for but some parents are better at it than others. Males guard but don't circulate water over the eggs as actively as females. You should see the female sitting low over the eggs, constantly fanning water over them and only briefly leaving. If not done properly the eggs will die off. You can try removing the eggs on the object they were laid on and manually aerating them in a separate container. You might find that a clutch of eggs that completely failed when left to the parents is actually 95%+ fertile when hatched artificially. You can also try keeping the tank lit 24 hours a day until fry hatch and grow a bit. If it gets dark and the parents go to sleep somewhere else in the tank, who is tending the eggs?
Well, I mostly see both the parents standing close to eggs and fanning. And yes, when the lights are off, they usually becomes there to the eggs. Like I normally turns on the light at evening and keeps it till early morning. So, next time will try to remove the object with eggs to another container and will give it a power filter with subtle flow of water. and what if the male is infertile? Do I have to add another male? or is there any option to do anything with current pair? Thanks a bunch for sharing such knowledge, much appreciated ❤
Sure, give that a try. Use something that can create a gentle circulation of water in your container. I usually use an airline but any circulation should help. Methylene blue can also be helpful to stop the spread of fungus from any damaged or infertile eggs to the other healthy ones. Catappa leaves or alder cones can accomplish the same thing ostensibly, though I haven't proven that for myself yet. Regarding the male, if it turns out he is a dud, I would get another male (keep them separate) and see if you get different results. What I personally would do is hang on to the male until a batch of fry is grown up and ready to sell and then send the male off to wherever they go. Most people just want to keep the fish, not breed them, and he could find a great home.
I have a pair of black rams with 1 week old Swimmers, they're great parents taking time to share parental duties but concerned that I will soon need to remove the female, cause I'm sure at some point she will start Peking at a new flat rock or surface prepping to re spawn! Being watching your video! Would you suggest I remove her now or give her a few more days ! It's 1 week since the fry were wrigglers
IMO you have probably have a few safe weeks before you need to worry about a subsequent spawn. You can remove either one of the pair when it comes time, or both. Once the fry are good swimmers they should do fine on their own.
@@MakeMoreFish Any tipson how to net those rams 🤣fast Lil shits and worried bout spooking g and stressing fry! The price Amish keeper takes when he wants to see his breeders raise their own fry ! Fantastic experience ☺️
I am artificially hatching my ram eggs. Have you ever experienced ram fry huddling at the surface of the tank? My free-swimming fry clump up at the surface of the water. Mine make it pass the wiggler stage and when it comes time to free swim they all huddle at the surface and eventually die.. They won't come mid-water or stay near the bottom of the tank to hunt for food.
I haven't seen that personally. They do tend to stick together in a group or sometimes a clump but should venture off throughout the space looking for food. I would need to know some more about how they're being kept to make specific recommendations but if I was experiencing what you described, I would just go down a check list making sure conditions are right for them. Clean, warm (82+), and well oxygenated water, gentle water movement, and adequate food. They will eat from any water level including the surface but it helps to watch them closely when feeding and make sure they are actually eating. Look for full stomachs and waste being produced. If they aren't eating, either they can't eat the food they're being given or they are sick and don't want to eat.
@@MakeMoreFish Thank you for the reply. I figured it was the oxygen level so I increased that + checked the water param which all turned out ok. (temp ammonia etc..) I think it might be due to a fear or natrual instinct when they see a large shadow or lack of parents.. I've tried letting the parents raise the eggs but they lack the fanning skills and the eggs turn mostly white. I keep the fry in a clear breeder box which may spook them since they have no cover. This time around I am changing the water more frequently and also keeping them in a non see through white container which may help with spooking them.
In that instance the fry were in an enclosure that circulated water from a 10 gallon aquarium. I don't remember changing water at all until the fry were moved out to a larger tank. In general I think the need for perfect water is overstated. If I was judging by the numbers I would be feeling a need to change water if I saw nitrates up around 30-40 ppm. That's just my personal feeling about it and it isn't based on any evidence that higher nitrates would be problematic. They could be, I just don't have evidence to support it.
I have 2 pairs or german ram in my tank, one pair shown sign of spawning, they worked together to clean one spot but the male for the 3rd time had no interest to spawn, the female tried to push him towards her area but he had no interest. This happened over 3 time now, any idea why? Thank
Did you use RO water and if so did you remineralize the water (is that needed?). I'm looking to get Rams but worried about the water parameters with using RO water with no minerals in the water (I think I have 14-18 PPM TDS in my RO Water) with a pH around 6.5 or so. I'm also wondering what you used for a home for the fry when you moved the rock into it's hatching area without the parents.
I bred and raised mine in tap water. Slightly above neutral ph and moderately low hardness. With tank raised rams it isn't necessary to go so soft or acidic. As long as you don't have liquid rock water I would expect them to live and breed just fine. I used at first a german breeding ring to artificially raise fry. Later I moved them to an acrylic box.
Sure, keep the water warm. Somewhere around 84. Keep nitrates low with water changes as needed. If your water is soft, great, but don't mess with your water to make that happen. Unless it's very hard water they should be fine. A 10 gallon is enough to keep water chemistry stable but there is no guarantee they won't become aggressive with each other.
For ammonia you'll want to read into the nitrogen cycle but it relies on filtration and time. Nitrates are typically removed through water changes and/or live plants.
i want them to raise their eggs but after a day or two they always eat the eggs. i dont know why, there is plenty of live foods for them to eat. is it because of stress or something? should i not let them raise their fry?
hello, just want to ask you as an expert , how to get your ram colours like a Rainbow, i recently bought a german blue ram and its pale , no colour just a layer of red on the fin except that nothing, i feed the ram pelllets and blood worms, what to do ???
Just try to make it comfortable. Go down a checklist of good care practices for rams. Temperature, reasonable water parameters, good tankmates, appropriate waterflow, etc. Try to eliminate anything that might be stressing it out or making it sick. IMO most importantly, get it some friends. I think they show their best colors when they are trying to attract mates. It shouldn't take any special foods to get great color.
THANK YOU. Water parameters do NOT matter for tank bred fish, AS LONG AS THEY ARENT DEAD..100%. i mean obv no extra high or low pH and no extra high or low temps. 79-85. clean water tho
The breeder box uses an air uplift tube to circulate water in from the main tank. The source water is filtered, aerated, and heated. Heat is usually lower by 1-2 degrees F in a breeder box than the tank it's connected to
Great video. I had my nine rams for about a week before I noticed eggs. I pulled them, did the airstream and methylene blue and they hatched. Had about 150. When they began to swim, I fed them a powder diluted in their water. I dont know what happened but they all died on day three of free swimming. I did water changes in their dip and put box, which I kept in the tank so they would have the same temp, about 84 degrees. I'm at a loss, but the pair laid more eggs, and I'm doing it a over again. I just wish I knew why the first clutch perished.
@@chettoczek I hope your next batch is a success! A few things come to mind regarding the first attempt, I'll just throw them out in case they are helpful. I bet you changed out all the meth blue water after hatching so it probably wasn't that. Total losses would be either a water toxicity issue or lack of food. I would lean toward water quality. I'm personally a fan of hang on tank breeding boxes to circulate fresh water and allow a good view of the fry. Especially with prepared food like a powder, constant circulation might serve you better than manual partial water changes in a closed system. I hope that helps, best of luck with the new fry.
The container is a hang on dip and pour. I did have an airstream, which I kept toward the top as to not cause too much current. I did 50% water changes twice a day after feeding them the powder. I also hoped the java moss and suswertang had some micro organisms for them aswell. I was using new life spectrum fry food. Should I use a netted breeder box in the tank instead?
@@MakeMoreFish I see, thank you! I'm actually finally decided on going for Kribensis and with 15 gallon tank! And this would be my first attempt at aquarium keeping
Just looking at your UA-cam video on your Blue Ram and so can you keep your Blue Ram in a 10g tank I have had two Ram but I just can't keep them from Die I have her you can not keep them in a 10g I feed them flack I tried to keep the tank at 6.0 and 78 75 and thay still Die so can you help me with this
Sure, you can keep a pair of rams in a 10 gallon, the only issue would potentially be aggression. Line of sight breaks such as plants and hardscape can help in that case. In terms of bioload a 10 gallon is plenty large. My advice would be don't mess with your pH just let them adjust to your tap water. Keep your water temp between 82 and 86 and use an airstone to keep it oxygenated. They should do just fine
Not any more than another species. It's impossible to prescribe a schedule for someone else but I do recommend testing your water and finding a schedule that works for you.
would the female still recognize the male even when removing for about a week? I am planning to remove my female as soon as they started free swimming because last time on day 2 free swimming the fry gradually disappear one by one, any tips? really great video btw
Hard to say if they would recognize each other but after a period of isolation I do think they would be happy to see a potential mate. I think it just depends why the parents are eating fry but there are some things you can try like making sure the fry are eating well and that the water is clean, if fry get weak or die the parents will eat them. You can leave the lights on at least dimly at night. Parents can get spooked by light cycles and eat fry in a panic. Otherwise I would do what you're doing. If they won't stop eating them, I would separate fry from parents after hatching and raise them manually
@@MakeMoreFish thanks a lot! I separated the eggs before but they just keep swimming at the top of the tank and then gradually dying idk what's the reason, I'll try putting them in a 2.5 gallon tank with christmas moss and some driftwood, thanks again!
@@fishlifetv1617 I've heard that same issue from a few people, sorry to hear that. It kind of sounds like a water toxicity problem but its hard to say. Good luck on the next round, if it happens again maybe check the water and see what you find. When fry die IMO its either water quality or a lack of food
In a tank with a large footprint and lots of line of sight breaks to allow each species to form distinct and defensible territories, probably. It's just a bit more difficult and unpredictable. I currently keep different cichlid species in the same large tank by using a matten filter in the center of the tank as a divider. That has worked well for me
That has happened to me too. First I would give them a few attempts to see if they improve and if not, start learning to hatch and raise them artificially. If the eggs still don't hatch it could mean someone wasn't fertile and at that point I get another pair
Do you think 36 hours would be too late to pull out the ram eggs from the tank ? 30 hours seems a better option? How does removing the parents from the tank and let the eggs be in the 15 gallon tank sound ?
if you're trying to identify the point where the eggs can survive without being aerated and tended to by the parents, I think them being "eyed up" is a good indication. By that I mean you can see the dark eye spots of the fry within the egg. If you want to pull eggs and raise them artificially, I don't have experience with letting them hatch in a space as large as a 15 gallon aquarium. I suspect that might not work very well. When I raise them artificially I let them hatch and then spend the first few weeks in a small enclosure that circulates water. Some kind of a breeding box, mesh enclosure, something like that.
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Thanks bro
Brilliant video and will help me a lot, can I ask where can I get Francis sconner brine shrimp please,I'm in the UK and can not seem to find that particular product,not sure if I've spelled the name correct, thanks for any help👍🏻🙂
This is an OUTSTANDING video! Articulate, well thought out, and captivating! Love the fact you have become so proficient with breeding such a great fish!
What an awesome process! I had a male GBR for 10 months before he sadly passed. Watching fish that actually have and use parental care is quite amazing to see😍
It really is, cichlids are pretty smart and complex. Another thing I really enjoy watching is the body language the male and female use to communicate with each other.
I have seen MANY of these Ram videos and absolutely loved yours! Great job.
Thanks so much! And thanks for watching :)
An awesome video, covering pretty much everything. Rams have always enjoyed a special place in my heart. It is just something about their look, demeanor, and of course their fins speak. They are such handsome fish. I subbed.
You make this look so simple.
Thank you for this video. I ordered a pair of rams that will be shipped monday so im anxiously waiting for their arrival. This video helped me so much.
That's great to hear! Best of luck with your new rams :)
It wasn't as easy but after 8 months and multiple tries I was able to grow some fourth German blue rams, mostly thanks to your advices..... Thanks a lot
That's awesome, Congratulations!
@@MakeMoreFish I tried to reflect my experience in a video, ua-cam.com/video/aFmvusaApLA/v-deo.html
24/7 lights work well with other pair bonding species as well. angelfish and discus for example. its not just a theory its proven. great video.
Thanks for the tip about the smaller sized brine shrimp. Hope to one day hatch some rams to try them out on.
Your video was very well done. I have been breeding these beautiful fish for a while now and many of the things that you state are very important. I have not had any issues with the BBS being too large when they are 3 days old, however. I just keep feeding the vinegar eels for a bit longer as they transition to BBS. This gives them two things to eat at that time. For those that don't take to the larger shrimp right away, the eels are still there. Then after all of the bellies are orange, I discontinue completely the vinegar eels.
You're right on, the overlapping transition is very helpful. When I raised them separate from the parents I did just what you're describing with the transition from vinegar eels to BBS. I also just watched some kribensis fry eat BBS on their first day free swimming. It's made me rethink how early other dwarf cichlids might be able to take them.
@@MakeMoreFish I have subscribed. Great channel! I want to catch up on your other videos as well as they are very similar to my own channel. I see you are in the USA. I didn't see where exactly in the About section. I am in the Greater Toronto Area. Thanks for responding.
Well thank you and welcome, I am in northern California
Also, notice her egg tube is more obvious when she was cleaning that stone, a bit like angelfish.
Great video as always man, thank you.
Excellent video mate. Explained everything really well.
Another awesome video you sir are differently becoming my go to videos I really love how you explain everything thanks alot get them coming please 👍💯
One of the best UA-camr, greetings From Germany 🎉
Most informative video I've watched on the topic!! 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻🐠🐠
Thank you!
very nice video and highly useful observations 🙂
Another great video from you have learnt so much.Thank you
Great detailed video my friend. Appreciate your insight and experience sharing 🤞🏽
Excellent video greetings and blessings from Bahrain
GREAT VIDEO. Thank you. I love my GBR and I have a feeling I have a breeding pair
Thank you! I hope you do have a pair.
Great video man, really impressed with your efforts 👍🏽
This was very informative!
Incredible information! Thank you so much! Great video 👍
INTERESTING AND ENJOYABLE VIDEO :)
THANK YOU FOR SHARING :)
THANK YOU FROM ISRAEL :)
Excellent information Sir. 👏👏👏👏
Thank you so much for sharing.
Ive definitely learnt alot and i did loose females to Male aggression as i do have them in a full black out tank..so maybe that was reason..
I've a few questions
1. Where can you get that smaller strain of bbs? Do you have a link?
2. Can you feed microworms as first foods?
3. How soon will the pair breed again after raising fry?
4. When you separated the female as you saw bulging stomach did they rebond being separated?
5. How did you do water changes and maintain water quality having tiny fry ?
6. What do you feed parents whilst feeding fry bbs or vinegar eels?
7. How often do you do water changes and % removed if they don't have eggs or fry?
Hi! let's see what I can answer. (1) I made a whole video about the small brine shrimp. It's 2 minutes and will explain everything including where to get them ua-cam.com/video/jTDGOLtqdrk/v-deo.html. (2) Yes you can absolutely feed microworms, the fry will eat readily off the ground. I have a slight preference for vinegar eels because of their longevity in water but either will work. (3) The next spawn will depend on how quickly the female grows a new batch of eggs and that depends on how she is fed. The shortest time between spawns I have observed is about 10 days. (4) My rams will pair / unpair / pair again easily. If there is aggression while trying to pair, maybe reduce or turn off lighting and give them a day or two. If a female is ready, I believe it's a proposition a male can't refuse. (5) My water changes were very easy because the tank is connected to an above-tank sump. I drained water from the sump and refilled with reasonably temperature matched water. Never had any issues with temp shock. (6) Parents will eat BBS happily and share them with the fry (they will literally pick them up and spit them out at the fry for them to eat). I also gave the parents frozen bloodworms to help keep them full. (7) I change my water when a test tells me nitrates are higher than I want them to be. I tried to stay below 20-25 ppm. My water changes were between 25% and 50% at a time. Great questions!
Actually let me amend (2). You can TRY to feed microworms as their first food but maybe have a backup plan. I've seen small fry struggle to catch and swallow microworms and vinegar eels. Maybe have some sera micron or another fry powder around just in case. At two or three days old I would be very confident that they could eat nematodes but having a powder on hand could be an inexpensive insurance policy.
@@MakeMoreFish
Thank you Sir for explaining.
I do have Hikari first bites...
So I'll incorporate it as first week foods...
Sir have you ever tried repashy gel food brand spawn n grown with rams and fry?
@@CrowntailHalfmoon First bites will work. I've tried that too and had good luck with it.
So detailed Thank you so much !!
Superb video!!! Love GBRs
Absolutely amazing content right here! May I ask from which source do you get your research material? I would also like to have a look at it. Appreciate it🙏🏽
TFH magazine articles are the source I trust most. That and club talks by reputable speakers.
@@MakeMoreFish noted. Appreciate the info
Amazing video. Very detailed. Has me feeling i could get those rams bred. Lol
Thank you for this fantastic video 👌👌👌
New subscriber ! First off I want to personally thank you for a very informative video! Not only do you take the time to carefully explain your breeding set up and as a hobbyist that speaks volumes about you as a person and hobbyist! You strike me as a perfectionist and your attention to detail is superb ! Now with that said I'm looking to purchase German black or dark knight rams whichever strain you are breeding, asking if you sell privately and if so do you ship ! I live in Cali and I believe there are only two breeders in the US that I would prefer to purchase from you or Dean (Dean's fish room)
Problem is Dean doesn't ship and I think his missing out big, so do you sell and ship ?
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Currently I do not ship fish but may start in the future. It's appealing on paper but I take very seriously the responsibility I would have to customers and to the fish being shipped.
@@MakeMoreFish
You should think about it! cause it would be great for the hobby and your fish look super healthy,
I know it would make me happy if you did!
I bet others would agree, keep me in mind and if you ever did, drop me a message. Keep those videos coming !👍
I’ve watched this video 10 plus times
I’m so nervous but I’m also excited about my rams breeding.
You got this!
Where do you purchase the potting planter ? How do you know if it's glazed? Great knowledge 😮
It's called an easy planter sold by aquarium co op. I like using them to hold plants in simple or bare bottom tanks
@@MakeMoreFish, the half flower pot. How do you know it's aquarium safe.
Amazing video and explanations 😀
This os very helpful tips,i get existed to have rams😊
I had a pair of golden ramirezi, but the female passed away due to disease, the male fish have been alone for two months so i set a new tank and put a new female egg loaded ramirezi and the old male in new tank , but the male chasing the female , could you suggest some method to make them bond and breed well
Amazing video thank you so much!
Fantastic video,kudos to you
How often do you change the water in the tank when conditioning the parents and for the babies? How much?
It's really difficult to write a prescription for water changes because there are so many variables. It's something you have to figure out through water testing at intervals. All I can tell you is it took 50% or more daily to keep 40 gallons of water as clean as I wanted it to be. Rarely did water changes while conditioning a pair of adults
Great video, thanks
Amazing video! Am seriously wanting some GBR's! With all the feeding do you do water changes? If so, how much/often? Would love to try and breed them, they are soooo beautiful 😊
Sure, plenty of water changes. I typically do large volume changes above 50% and frequency depends on water volume and the amount of food. It's almost impossible to prescribe without much more info but my recommendation is to feed and test water every few days until you figure out the rate of waste accumulation and work out a schedule that keeps the numbers where you want them.
Awesome. Thanks 😊
Thank you 😊 this is a big help
very informative vid. thank you
The most beautiful Cichlid imo.
Great video thanks for sharing. Do you think boiled egg yoke is a good food for a first feed? Thanks in advance 💯
I personally have never fed any egg products but I know of at least one very successful breeder that uses powdered egg yolk as a first food.
I have a question regarding most types of sensitive fry that are a lot smaller than GBR.
So far i have been able to breed danios, barbs, angel fish, corry's etc, but real problem kicks in with tetras. For some reason, i get complete fry die offs at arround 2-3 weeks mark. Before that, they eat, swimm and look very healthy. In some rare cases i got 4-5 odd fry that survived to adulthood, but all the other ones didnt.
I tried raising fry in 5 gallon tanks, in 10 gallon tanks, floating them in a tub that is in 30 gallon tank (holes on a side of container so they share water), heater / no heater, dozen types of food including bbs, microworms, infusoria, powdered pellets etc. No matter what i changed, outcome was always the same. They hatch, they start free swimming, they start eating and swimming completely normally then at the 2-3 weeks mark all of them die.
Couldnt be amonia spikes since i used filters, shared water with 30g tanks, daily water changes, etc. so im really in the dark here.... Do you have any clue on what might be going on?
Im just shooting my shot here, since none of the FB / reddit groups have been able to figure out whats going on :/
That's a puzzler, and really frustrating. I have to say I haven't bred any tetras personally but isn't there some issue with tetra eggs and fry being light sensitive? Could they benefit from dark tannic water? Any time there is total fry die off I just assume it's either a lack of food or some kind of water toxicity. If you're confident your water is staying clean I might be looking at food. Have you tried vinegar eels yet? That's all I can think of. I hope you succeed, let me know if you figure it out.
@@MakeMoreFish Some types of tetras are more sensitive than others, but that only impacts first stage . Not gonna lie, it was difficult to get them to hatch in first place, but die offs after 2-3 weeks dont make any sense to me.... Yeah i tried tannins, no light / dimmed light / normal light, cant say i tried vinegar eels, but thats only due to availability where i live. They're not so common here. The odd thing about water quality is that if its not clean all fry should die. Few ones that stay alive are bugging me, because i cant identify how are they staying alive while all other fry in the same tank are dying overnight...
Today i got a single pair from different breeder to try and see if its genetics related. Fingers crossed
I've been keeping fish since I was 9 y/o(37 now). Actively(mostly) breeding since I was 10. Keeping/breeding GBH's since I was 11. The German Blue Ram is one of my top 3 favorite fish in the world(auratus is another of my top 5 and I'm not sure about the third: another, complicated topic). I haven't kept any fish other than bettas and white clouds for the last 4 years. I recently got 3 paired(3 m, 3 f, mature, already bred, as a consolation prize since a raccoon apparently broke into their warehouse and ate 3/4 of what I paid for) adult GBH's and a male and female sub-adult electric blue(ordered 8 total electrics but apparently a raccoon broke in and ate 6 of mine, so they gave me 3 pairs GBH[REALLY not happy with the GBH coloration & patterning, they look EXTREMELY different and VASTLY inferior from their website but that's another matter. The electrics on the other hand are absolutely top tier]) and I'm so happy you've found such success with your breeding! Not EXACTLY how I would've done it, but there's many paths to the same destination. You seem to have found one that works well for you
Might I suggest daphnia? I'll get into that at the end.
One of my GBH pairs spawned just this evening(wasn't expecting it as I only got them about 2.5 weeks ago) and I'm surfing the Tube, looking for others' experiences and good ideas on top of/in place of my own process, and I'm happy I found your video.
Good work, my friend.
Daphnia(tertiary/adult[generally] feed for rams, I personally use infusoria initially then BBS and finally daphnia/bloodworms/blackworms(impossible to get in my state unless I want to spend over $110 for bloodyshipping)/flake/etc.) I cannot possibly recommend a live food more for any aquarist, in general. For a breeder, if you're not using some form of live food for at least a significant portion of your parents diet, you'll never reach anywhere near your full potential(if you're able to breed effectively at all). Imo, the single easiest, cheapest and best(all things considered) live food to provide ANY carnivorous or omnivorous fish is daphnia. Anything that's not exclusively vegetarian will eat, and relish, daphnia. Baby daphnia(which will always be included while collecting adults for the parents if you're using a BBS net to harvest - highly recommended) are about the same size as BBS, a little bigger. I don't use them as a substitute for BBS, but they're an amazing supplement and great variety.
Stick a 10g Tupperware bin in a south-facing window, put a couple bladder snails or, if you use them(crushed) ramshorns as another live food(live snails will help the nitrogen cycle without relying on fish and ramshorns are MUCH more prolific than bladder snails and make for amazing cichlid food when crushed) and established tank water, along with nutrients(fertilizer if you want it to go fast, feed with cheap flake if not) and let it sit. It'll create greenwater(floating algae that colors the water itself green) and then buy a $15 daphnia bag from Amazon. In two weeks, 2.5 max, you'll have THOUSANDS of daphnia. A month, if you can feed them all, hundreds of thousands(maybe millions if you can feed them all; quite a task unless you've got an outdoor setup). You'll wind up with a different problem. How to keep enough green water to feed your daphnia.
Your fish will never be happier and after that initial investment you're upkeep cost is damn near zero.
Just a suggestion, but dude, DAPHNIA!
Yes :) I have 3 daphnia ponds outside now and love them. They are.. the best.
Thanks for the life story, sad mother fucker.
Brilliant!
How do you keep the bottom of the tank clean while feeding the parents and frys
Thanks for sharing
Awesome and informative
Great video! If I take the eggs out of the tank on the stone and put it in a tub with the air stone and melafix etc, do the eggs need to be kept at a certain temp? So I’ll need a heater too?? Sorry new to this
Heater is a good idea. Probably best to keep things consistent for the eggs but at the same time I do think they are flexible to some changes
Good stuff bro....Hoorah!!
Great video 😊
Wow these are beautiful Rams. Well done. I am really interested to know your water parameters in particular?
Sure, my pH is usually 7.2ish, gH and kH fluctuate out of the tap but are somewhere in the 2-4 degree range. For the rams I try not to let nitrates exceed 20 ppm
You should try Denison barbs next! Or puntius denisonii
İ enjoyed your video. Do you keep babies on osmos water? Or in simple fresh water?
I raised the babies in tap water. My water is soft out of the tap so I'm lucky in that regard
Great video👍👍. My rams (they’re black german blues) have stopped spawning for about a month, no idea why. Do you have any tips? Nothing in the tank has changed since they last spawned, and they’re a young pair so I have no idea. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! Let's see.. Assuming water is clean and temperature is suitable, the first thing that comes to mind is food. With enough protein and fat available a female should be continuously producing eggs whether a male is present or not. Does she look gravid? If not you might need to step up feeding or offer something richer- possibly live food. Being careful of course not to bloat them with too many bloodworms or something.
@@MakeMoreFish I feed about twice a day. Mix of live, pellet and frozen foods. She definitely is gravid (though it’s harder to tell on black rams as they don’t have the pink belly). Water is soft, tds below 100, and water temp is at 30c (86f). They’re in a 10 gallon species only, with sand substrate and loads of clay pots and pebbles as you showed in the video. I’ve literally tried everything the past few weeks to entice them, but not much is working. The male seems to be a bit aggressive, but nothing too much and the female is still very happy and eating. What I’ve done is brought the water temp down to around 78f, and in a few days I’m going to raise it back to 86f and see if that can stimulate some kind of breeding. If you have any more tips I’d love to know. Thanks!!
@@sachaholt6023 So at this point I would just be guessing because I haven't had that specific problem but if I was in that position, I think I would actually reduce the total number of potential spawning sites so that I could watch them more closely. Maybe just create one or two really good ones and watch how they act around them. Watch for that site prep behavior and how the two fish are interacting with eachother. Do they seem paired and happy or is he picking on her a little bit? Is it possible that they have spawned but then ate the eggs before you saw them? It can happen quickly. With proper conditioning and a good tank setup, after a long period without success I would be looking at trying a different male/female. I know access might be limited to the black. I hope that helps and that eventually you get your babies.
@@MakeMoreFish Thanks so much for your help, I’ll try all of these ideas out 👍👍
How many times do you feed the fry?
Thanks for your good video. i want to ask you something.for making spawn you used vase. what is the pot made of ?
It's just a cheap terra cotta flower pot. Fairly easy to cut
@@MakeMoreFish how did you cut?
@@akvaryumtv4900 most recently with a Dremel tool and a cutting wheel. You can also do it with a hand saw
@@akvaryumtv4900 You can also soak the pots in water so that they get a little softer and then snap off chunks at a time with pliers until you roughly get a half pot. I'm personally not a fan of that method but it can be done.
Hi good morning didn't you use a water heater to breed them the video was really helpful
Good morning, I did use a heater to keep the water at around 84
What fry powder did you use and can i use it till they are big enough to eat baby brine shrimp?
New Life Spectrum's fry powder. Yes it can be used until they are large enough for brine shrimp.
Hello, I would like to ask you for advices of how to breed a German Blue and a Gold Ram. I have seen them spawn 3 times already but after a day or two the eggs would suddenly disappear. I have seen a snail and searched up if it was a threat and I found my answer. I took the snail to another tank however they were on their 2nd spawn during this time so I had to wait for their 3rd spawn(the eggs were gone as well). My waters have a pH of 8 and a temperature of 84. Hopefully you answer. Thank you.
If it were me, I would pull the eggs after they spawn next and hatch them artificially with an antifungal. That would at least tell you if the issue is fertility / water chemistry. If the eggs still don't hatch it might be worth adjusting water parameters but my guess is that they will. That would mean the parents aren't properly caring for the eggs. You can let them try until they get it right or start working with different individuals. They aren't all good at caring for eggs.
I have a sand substrate with a pair of Rams they have produced eggs but not sure if they were fertilised anyway no eggs survived but I'm wondering will the sand substrate be bad for the fry when they eventually succeed in spawning? Also I have 3 young Strbi corries in there will they try to eat the fry ? Tia.
Sand should be fine, ideal even. I think corydoras would definitely eat eggs or wigglers if given the opportunity. If you keep some light on the parents will probably scare them away but if you're looking to eliminate the risk, I might separate them.
Hey there, a perfectly guided video and I really appreciate your work. Can you please guide me further?
I had a pair that produced two offspring. However, after a couple of days, the eggs completely whiten and become unproductive. the male, however, guards the eggs. It occurred twice. Unfortunately, the woman passed away. Two more women were added. Now that the old male and the new female had laid eggs, guess what? Same outcome; after two days of their complete care, every egg is now white. They aren't watching it right now. Yet another futile endeavor.
I really wanna know where I'm lagging to care them. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks man.
There's always the possibility that the male is infertile but there are some things you can try. I've had this happen to me too. It may look like the eggs are being cared for but some parents are better at it than others. Males guard but don't circulate water over the eggs as actively as females. You should see the female sitting low over the eggs, constantly fanning water over them and only briefly leaving. If not done properly the eggs will die off. You can try removing the eggs on the object they were laid on and manually aerating them in a separate container. You might find that a clutch of eggs that completely failed when left to the parents is actually 95%+ fertile when hatched artificially. You can also try keeping the tank lit 24 hours a day until fry hatch and grow a bit. If it gets dark and the parents go to sleep somewhere else in the tank, who is tending the eggs?
Well, I mostly see both the parents standing close to eggs and fanning. And yes, when the lights are off, they usually becomes there to the eggs. Like I normally turns on the light at evening and keeps it till early morning. So, next time will try to remove the object with eggs to another container and will give it a power filter with subtle flow of water. and what if the male is infertile? Do I have to add another male? or is there any option to do anything with current pair?
Thanks a bunch for sharing such knowledge, much appreciated ❤
Sure, give that a try. Use something that can create a gentle circulation of water in your container. I usually use an airline but any circulation should help. Methylene blue can also be helpful to stop the spread of fungus from any damaged or infertile eggs to the other healthy ones. Catappa leaves or alder cones can accomplish the same thing ostensibly, though I haven't proven that for myself yet. Regarding the male, if it turns out he is a dud, I would get another male (keep them separate) and see if you get different results. What I personally would do is hang on to the male until a batch of fry is grown up and ready to sell and then send the male off to wherever they go. Most people just want to keep the fish, not breed them, and he could find a great home.
I have a pair of black rams with 1 week old Swimmers, they're great parents taking time to share parental duties but concerned that I will soon need to remove the female, cause I'm sure at some point she will start Peking at a new flat rock or surface prepping to re spawn! Being watching your video! Would you suggest I remove her now or give her a few more days ! It's 1 week since the fry were wrigglers
IMO you have probably have a few safe weeks before you need to worry about a subsequent spawn. You can remove either one of the pair when it comes time, or both. Once the fry are good swimmers they should do fine on their own.
@@MakeMoreFish
Any tipson how to net those rams 🤣fast Lil shits and worried bout spooking g and stressing fry! The price Amish keeper takes when he wants to see his breeders raise their own fry ! Fantastic experience ☺️
I am artificially hatching my ram eggs. Have you ever experienced ram fry huddling at the surface of the tank? My free-swimming fry clump up at the surface of the water. Mine make it pass the wiggler stage and when it comes time to free swim they all huddle at the surface and eventually die.. They won't come mid-water or stay near the bottom of the tank to hunt for food.
I haven't seen that personally. They do tend to stick together in a group or sometimes a clump but should venture off throughout the space looking for food. I would need to know some more about how they're being kept to make specific recommendations but if I was experiencing what you described, I would just go down a check list making sure conditions are right for them. Clean, warm (82+), and well oxygenated water, gentle water movement, and adequate food. They will eat from any water level including the surface but it helps to watch them closely when feeding and make sure they are actually eating. Look for full stomachs and waste being produced. If they aren't eating, either they can't eat the food they're being given or they are sick and don't want to eat.
@@MakeMoreFish Thank you for the reply. I figured it was the oxygen level so I increased that + checked the water param which all turned out ok. (temp ammonia etc..) I think it might be due to a fear or natrual instinct when they see a large shadow or lack of parents.. I've tried letting the parents raise the eggs but they lack the fanning skills and the eggs turn mostly white. I keep the fry in a clear breeder box which may spook them since they have no cover. This time around I am changing the water more frequently and also keeping them in a non see through white container which may help with spooking them.
How long after hatch are the ram able to be bred? I know it depends on a good diet and all but say 4 months?
For some reason I'm having trouble getting a response to post. I think 4 months is probably a fair minimum
Males maybe sooner. I just had a 12 week old male fertilize a spawn.
hi , how often do you change water in the container where they were seperated from parents ? thx
In that instance the fry were in an enclosure that circulated water from a 10 gallon aquarium. I don't remember changing water at all until the fry were moved out to a larger tank. In general I think the need for perfect water is overstated. If I was judging by the numbers I would be feeling a need to change water if I saw nitrates up around 30-40 ppm. That's just my personal feeling about it and it isn't based on any evidence that higher nitrates would be problematic. They could be, I just don't have evidence to support it.
First 10 seconds busted up laughing. Wish I had an army lolz
I have 2 pairs or german ram in my tank, one pair shown sign of spawning, they worked together to clean one spot but the male for the 3rd time had no interest to spawn, the female tried to push him towards her area but he had no interest.
This happened over 3 time now, any idea why?
Thank
Not really, that's unusual. Are you sure it's a male?
Did you use RO water and if so did you remineralize the water (is that needed?). I'm looking to get Rams but worried about the water parameters with using RO water with no minerals in the water (I think I have 14-18 PPM TDS in my RO Water) with a pH around 6.5 or so. I'm also wondering what you used for a home for the fry when you moved the rock into it's hatching area without the parents.
I bred and raised mine in tap water. Slightly above neutral ph and moderately low hardness. With tank raised rams it isn't necessary to go so soft or acidic. As long as you don't have liquid rock water I would expect them to live and breed just fine. I used at first a german breeding ring to artificially raise fry. Later I moved them to an acrylic box.
can u plss tell me how take care of water for german blue rams
and can a pair live in 10 gallon
Sure, keep the water warm. Somewhere around 84. Keep nitrates low with water changes as needed. If your water is soft, great, but don't mess with your water to make that happen. Unless it's very hard water they should be fine. A 10 gallon is enough to keep water chemistry stable but there is no guarantee they won't become aggressive with each other.
Thanks but how to reduce the level of nitrates and ammonia in the tank
For ammonia you'll want to read into the nitrogen cycle but it relies on filtration and time. Nitrates are typically removed through water changes and/or live plants.
Thanks bro
Is it best to have a pain in a tank alone or will they still breed with a few other peaceful fish in there ? Thanks
There's pros and cons to both but I would say by themselves with plenty of cover and line of sight breaks
Thanks 👍
perfect,u got New subscriber,thx
Thank u
i want them to raise their eggs but after a day or two they always eat the eggs. i dont know why, there is plenty of live foods for them to eat. is it because of stress or something? should i not let them raise their fry?
hello, just want to ask you as an expert , how to get your ram colours like a Rainbow, i recently bought a german blue ram and its pale , no colour just a layer of red on the fin except that nothing, i feed the ram pelllets and blood worms, what to do ???
Just try to make it comfortable. Go down a checklist of good care practices for rams. Temperature, reasonable water parameters, good tankmates, appropriate waterflow, etc. Try to eliminate anything that might be stressing it out or making it sick. IMO most importantly, get it some friends. I think they show their best colors when they are trying to attract mates. It shouldn't take any special foods to get great color.
Hi, how many gallons is in 48L of water please.
What was that plant... I couldn't catch it when you named it in the video. Thanks.
That was pogostemon stellatus octopus. It's a mouthful
@@MakeMoreFish Thanks. Thought I had lost my hearing. :)
THANK YOU. Water parameters do NOT matter for tank bred fish, AS LONG AS THEY ARENT DEAD..100%. i mean obv no extra high or low pH and no extra high or low temps. 79-85. clean water tho
Yep, that about sums it up. Outside of extremes it just isn't important
do you have to keep the breeder box aerated or with a filter? whats the temp for the breeder box or you dont use a heater for it?
The breeder box uses an air uplift tube to circulate water in from the main tank. The source water is filtered, aerated, and heated. Heat is usually lower by 1-2 degrees F in a breeder box than the tank it's connected to
Great video. I had my nine rams for about a week before I noticed eggs.
I pulled them, did the airstream and methylene blue and they hatched. Had about 150. When they began to swim, I fed them a powder diluted in their water.
I dont know what happened but they all died on day three of free swimming. I did water changes in their dip and put box, which I kept in the tank so they would have the same temp, about 84 degrees.
I'm at a loss, but the pair laid more eggs, and I'm doing it a over again. I just wish I knew why the first clutch perished.
I wonder too! Sorry to hear that. What kind of enclosure were they in once free swimming?
They were still in the dip and pour container with a little bit of java moss, and suswertang from my shrimp tank.
@@chettoczek I hope your next batch is a success! A few things come to mind regarding the first attempt, I'll just throw them out in case they are helpful. I bet you changed out all the meth blue water after hatching so it probably wasn't that. Total losses would be either a water toxicity issue or lack of food. I would lean toward water quality. I'm personally a fan of hang on tank breeding boxes to circulate fresh water and allow a good view of the fry. Especially with prepared food like a powder, constant circulation might serve you better than manual partial water changes in a closed system. I hope that helps, best of luck with the new fry.
Oh also was there continued aeration? Another potential problem in a situation without circulating water. Oxygen can deplete quickly at 84+ degrees
The container is a hang on dip and pour.
I did have an airstream, which I kept toward the top as to not cause too much current. I did 50% water changes twice a day after feeding them the powder. I also hoped the java moss and suswertang had some micro organisms for them aswell. I was using new life spectrum fry food. Should I use a netted breeder box in the tank instead?
Which is the smallest tank that I can breed them? Is 5 gallon enough?
5 may be enough to spawn them but you will need much more space to raise the fry. I like a 40g
@@MakeMoreFish I see, thank you! I'm actually finally decided on going for Kribensis and with 15 gallon tank! And this would be my first attempt at aquarium keeping
What temperature do you keep and breed em at?
I like to keep them around 82-84 and breed them at more like 84-86
@@MakeMoreFish got it , thank you!
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Just looking at your UA-cam video on your Blue Ram and so can you keep your Blue Ram in a 10g tank I have had two Ram but I just can't keep them from Die I have her you can not keep them in a 10g I feed them flack I tried to keep the tank at 6.0 and 78 75 and thay still Die so can you help me with this
Sure, you can keep a pair of rams in a 10 gallon, the only issue would potentially be aggression. Line of sight breaks such as plants and hardscape can help in that case. In terms of bioload a 10 gallon is plenty large. My advice would be don't mess with your pH just let them adjust to your tap water. Keep your water temp between 82 and 86 and use an airstone to keep it oxygenated. They should do just fine
Since they lay eggs when they will start moving how many hours?
36 to 48 hours depending on temperature. At 84-85 degrees mine have hatched at around 36 hours.
How many water changes you make ??
Not any more than another species. It's impossible to prescribe a schedule for someone else but I do recommend testing your water and finding a schedule that works for you.
My 40 gallon breeder is at 80 degrees pH 60 my rams are doing great
My Rams spawn a lot of times but every time they’re eating the eggs. Any advice please?
That depends. Is it a pair? A group? Are they eating them quickly after laying them or a day or so later?
@@MakeMoreFish yeah it’s a pair, Sometimes they eat they eggs immediately after a few hours and sometimes after one day at most
Have same issue , they. are pair but they keep eating the eggs
would the female still recognize the male even when removing for about a week? I am planning to remove my female as soon as they started free swimming because last time on day 2 free swimming the fry gradually disappear one by one, any tips? really great video btw
Hard to say if they would recognize each other but after a period of isolation I do think they would be happy to see a potential mate. I think it just depends why the parents are eating fry but there are some things you can try like making sure the fry are eating well and that the water is clean, if fry get weak or die the parents will eat them. You can leave the lights on at least dimly at night. Parents can get spooked by light cycles and eat fry in a panic. Otherwise I would do what you're doing. If they won't stop eating them, I would separate fry from parents after hatching and raise them manually
@@MakeMoreFish thanks a lot! I separated the eggs before but they just keep swimming at the top of the tank and then gradually dying idk what's the reason, I'll try putting them in a 2.5 gallon tank with christmas moss and some driftwood, thanks again!
@@fishlifetv1617 I've heard that same issue from a few people, sorry to hear that. It kind of sounds like a water toxicity problem but its hard to say. Good luck on the next round, if it happens again maybe check the water and see what you find. When fry die IMO its either water quality or a lack of food
Can u have 2 different species in s bigger tank and breed both same time like apistos and rams
In a tank with a large footprint and lots of line of sight breaks to allow each species to form distinct and defensible territories, probably. It's just a bit more difficult and unpredictable. I currently keep different cichlid species in the same large tank by using a matten filter in the center of the tank as a divider. That has worked well for me
My Blue rams laid their eggs but they eat them next day. Any tips ?
That has happened to me too. First I would give them a few attempts to see if they improve and if not, start learning to hatch and raise them artificially. If the eggs still don't hatch it could mean someone wasn't fertile and at that point I get another pair
Do you think 36 hours would be too late to pull out the ram eggs from the tank ? 30 hours seems a better option?
How does removing the parents from the tank and let the eggs be in the 15 gallon tank sound ?
if you're trying to identify the point where the eggs can survive without being aerated and tended to by the parents, I think them being "eyed up" is a good indication. By that I mean you can see the dark eye spots of the fry within the egg. If you want to pull eggs and raise them artificially, I don't have experience with letting them hatch in a space as large as a 15 gallon aquarium. I suspect that might not work very well. When I raise them artificially I let them hatch and then spend the first few weeks in a small enclosure that circulates water. Some kind of a breeding box, mesh enclosure, something like that.
How many times need to feed food to parents ? 1 or 2
more often in small amounts is great if you have time for it
Do you have any blue rams for sale?
So what do you do with these armys of tiny rams?
Once they mature they go off to a local store and hopefully make someone's day