Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping => General Fishkeeping Chat => Topic started by: glitch74 on June 25, 2017, 09:23:56 PM

Title: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: glitch74 on June 25, 2017, 09:23:56 PM
I've got an Electric blue ram male and a regular gbr female which I believe are currently spawning. Eggs all over a flat stone in the entrance to a cave
under a resin tree root and acting very very territorial,  chaseing away anyone who comes near it.
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: Littlefish on June 25, 2017, 10:09:30 PM
Congratulations  :cheers:
Please keep us updated on progress.  ;D
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: glitch74 on June 25, 2017, 10:51:12 PM
Wilĺ do
 :fishy1:
 :fishy1:
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: glitch74 on June 26, 2017, 07:35:57 AM
Woke up this morning, checked my tank and immediately saw the rams at the surface waiting to be fed, looked at the cave and my corys were in there and the spawning rock is totally egg free :'(
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: Sue on June 26, 2017, 09:35:24 AM
I'm sorry to hear that.

Cories and loaches are a real problem for spawning dwarf cichlids like rams. There are too many  for the parents to chase them all off at the same time so the ones not being chased can sneak in. The only way to avoid this is a ram-only tank.
And it is possible the rams ate the eggs. It can take some pairs several attempts to get it right. Or the cories could have stressed them so much that they ate the eggs themselves.



There is a well established idea that dwarf cichlids have to be raised by their parents to know how to be good parents themselves. Commercial breeders separate the eggs from the parents so when the fry grow up they need a lot of practice to know how to get parenting right. Those fish bought from hobbyists are usually left with their parents till the next eggs are laid, so they are much better parents in their turn.
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: glitch74 on June 26, 2017, 10:10:40 AM
@Sue how long do you think it will be before they try again.
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: Littlefish on June 26, 2017, 10:36:01 AM
Sorry to hear about your rams. Might be worth trying to rearrange things to give them a bit more privacy from the other fish.
Some fish take a while to get the hang of things, and have a few attempts before they are successful.
Fingers crossed they will try again.
Title: Re: Good news, spawning GBRs
Post by: Sue on June 26, 2017, 02:08:12 PM
The rams could spawn again any time from a week to a month after the last lot of eggs disappeared, provided they are a strongly bonded pair. With a less strongly bonded pair it could take longer or they may even never spawn again.