I got my Black Rams from Liz today and I must say, I am Super Happy. There are now nine healthy Rams swimming happily in a 40 breeder and I was also able to shut down two 20Hs for the time being.
Thanks Liz.
I'm so glad you're happy with them, Willie.
Liz is quite the Black Ram expert now, she may be the best in the country!
Quote from: Barb on May 05, 2021, 06:46:28 PM
Liz is quite the Black Ram expert now, she may be the best in the country!
These are gorgeous. |^| |^| |^| |^| |^|
Well my Black Ram pair number 1 is sitting on another spawn. That is great considering the last spawn didn't work out because they decided to make a meal out of their young. This time I am pulling all of the fry as soon as they become free swimmers.
I actually managed to save 5 fry out of the last spawn from their parents dinner plate and they are doing surprisingly well. I wouldn't usually have saved them but I was determined to have some survivors. I feel much more confident about the new spawn because of that.
I'm sorry they're giving you such a hard time, Willie. The most dangerous time for the fry is when the wigglers just start to free swim. Do your pair eat them after they've been free swimming for a while? You might find it easier to net out the parents than the free swimmers. With Discus that's the easiest way. Yes, you catch a few fry in the net, but you can take the fish out of the net with your other hand and dump any fry you snagged back into the breeding tank.
I've only had one pair that insisted on eating the kids and I just dumped them back in the forsale tank and netted out another pair. You don't have so many options. If you keep having problems let me know. I'll find a proven parent raising pair for you when I have one.
These guys are so horney in my tank that I dumped some rams that I was no longer using for breeding in a BB subadult Discus tank sub-adults with no hidden place to spawn. Damned if a sneaky pair didn't spawn again and a several fry escaped being eaten by the Discus and are now swimming in the tank. I have no clue why it is so easy for me. Maybe it because I change so much water.
I've got a spawn of wigglers from Ram pair # 1 waiting to free swim and as I am typing this when I checked in on Ram pair # 2 I noticed that they were spawning. I have all my stuff to raise them working for me at the moment (microworms, bbs ). I also have the 5 surviver fry from Ram pair # 1's last spawn still alive. Wish me luck everyone. mim mim mim
Any progress breeding a type of fish you've never worked with in the past is good progress. It was very hard for me at first. It still is because the fish are so damn sneaky when they get into breeding mode. I still don't know for sure if my new pitch black pair's all fungused or if they moved them to inside of a pleco cave. Daddy ram started going inside the cave. He has not been doing that. He may have moved his tiny wigglers on the sly. I'll find out in a day or two.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 02, 2021, 06:03:33 PM
Any progress breeding a type of fish you've never worked with in the past is good progress. It was very hard for me at first. It still is because the fish are so damn sneaky when they get into breeding mode. I still don't know for sure if my new pitch black pair's all fungused or if they moved them to inside of a pleco cave. Daddy ram started going inside the cave. He has not been doing that. He may have moved his tiny wigglers on the sly. I'll find out in a day or two.
Thanks Liz. It means a lot coming from you.
The pair # 2 female beat up the male so badly that I had to take him out this morning. huh
Isn't this the second time you've had a pair with a killer, Willie? Hope he recovers for you. If you have a BB tank you can put him in try using salt at 2 tablespoons per 10 gallons to help take the stress off and prevent infection.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 03, 2021, 06:56:08 AM
Isn't this the second time you've had a pair with a killer, Willie? Hope he recovers for you. If you have a BB tank you can put him in try using salt at 2 tablespoons per 10 gallons to help take the stress off and prevent infection.
Liz, yes I've had that before but this time it was the female that hurt the male. The funny thing is that he fertilized all of the eggs. I hope she doesn't do anything with the eggs. Right now she is guarding. Thanks for that salt suggestion. I'll put some in as soon as I do my telehealth appointment.
I have never heard of the female going for the male. That is very very unusual. It's interesting to me that you've had a killer twice and I have never had one.
My new pair was a bust. They're back in the big tank now and sometime today, maybe during WC I'll keep my eyes open for another pair looking like they're in the mood.
How are you guys setting up you ram breeding tanks?...if you've already posted that I missed it and you can point me to it...
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 03, 2021, 12:05:24 PM
I have never heard of the female going for the male. That is very very unusual. It's interesting to me that you've had a killer twice and I have never had one.
My new pair was a bust. They're back in the big tank now and sometime today, maybe during WC I'll keep my eyes open for another pair looking like they're in the mood.
Liz my old Golden Eyed dwarf cichilds did that. I would pull the male because the females are so protective of the spawn. That is a breed trait though.
Quote from: wsantia1 on August 03, 2021, 12:45:40 PM
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 03, 2021, 12:05:24 PM
I have never heard of the female going for the male. That is very very unusual. It's interesting to me that you've had a killer twice and I have never had one.
My new pair was a bust. They're back in the big tank now and sometime today, maybe during WC I'll keep my eyes open for another pair looking like they're in the mood.
Liz my old Golden Eyed dwarf cichilds did that. I would pull the male because the females are so protective of the spawn. That is a breed trait though.
...I had it happen once with breeding Krebs...everything was good til he must have pissed her off...he was dead at the end of the day when I checked on them...
Ron, sometimes I just go BB. There are too many places to hide in a planted tank. These fish are sneaky when they are caring for kids.
I snagged what I think is another potential breeding pair this afternoon when I fed lunch. Their tank has quite a few baby long finned albino snots. I put in a piece of driftwood with plants glued to it as a place for the little snots to hide. I use anything from 10 gallon tanks to 29's. I change a ton of water. In a 10 I have to change water more often than in a larger tank.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 03, 2021, 03:54:18 PM
Ron, sometimes I just go BB. There are too many places to hide in a planted tank. These fish are sneaky when they are caring for kids.
I snagged what I think is another potential breeding pair this afternoon when I fed lunch. Their tank has quite a few baby long finned albino snots. I put in a piece of driftwood with plants glued to it as a place for the little snots to hide. I use anything from 10 gallon tanks to 29's. I change a ton of water. In a 10 I have to change water more often than in a larger tank.
Liz, how often do you change the water in the 20 gallon tanks. I'm pulling the parents out of the 20 either tonight or in the morning.
Willie the answer to that question depends on so many things I can't give you an easy answer. I learned by trying different things and seeing what worked for me. These fish are still teaching me this or that I didn't know.
I have been watching videos on raising Rams this afternoon....Liz, is raising and breeding the black Rams pretty much like raising the German Blues?...
I had a pair of them several years ago and they spawned a couple times, but I had no place to grow them out...they were in a small community tank and the parents stressed and ate the eggs...
As far as I'm concerned the only difference is that it easier to tell the sex of the blues.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 05, 2021, 06:59:50 PM
As far as I'm concerned the only difference is that it easier to tell the sex of the blues.
...thanks!...
The second Pitch Black pair from Pitch black parents spawned for the first time this late last night or early this morning. I'm watching and waiting.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 06, 2021, 07:20:33 PM
The second Pitch Black pair from Pitch black parents spawned for the first time this late last night or early this morning. I'm watching and waiting.
Good Luck Liz. |^| |^| |^|
Quote from: wsantia1 on August 03, 2021, 06:08:51 AM
The pair # 2 female beat up the male so badly that I had to take him out this morning. huh
So I put a different male in with this female and the same thing happened to him. The only difference is that I was around and got him out of there before any real damage was done. huh
I know some may be wondering if she is a "he". Well she has already spawned with the previous male she beat up. Then she ate the wigglers. huh
I guess I'll put her in a tank with one of my blind Angels (I have 2). I rescued these angels so they are now pets instead of potential breeders.
I'm sorry I sent you a fish that turned out to be a killer Willie. She's a real head case. If she were mine I'd give her a lot of air out by tossing her into the weeds and walking away until she turned into compost.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 28, 2021, 07:14:49 PM
I'm sorry I sent you a fish that turned out to be a killer Willie. She's a real head case. If she were mine I'd give her a lot of air out by tossing her into the weeds and walking away until she turned into compost.
...there's your tough love side showing up again, Liz...! :D :D :D
Quote from: LizStreithorst on August 28, 2021, 07:14:49 PM
I'm sorry I sent you a fish that turned out to be a killer Willie. She's a real head case. If she were mine I'd give her a lot of air out by tossing her into the weeds and walking away until she turned into compost.
Liz she is a beauty so I will pass on throwing her into the weeds ;). I'll find a spot for her in one of my snot tanks. |^| |^| |^|
It's been a couple of rough weeks for my Pitch Black (mostly gold) fry. It seems that every day there are 1 or 2 more dead. I've been feeding them 3 times a day and they get close to a 50% water change every day. I am now down to just 2 gold ones. It just seems like they are not growing well even though I make sure they are well fed. huh
I do have a spawn of wigglers but there were more unfertile eggs that fertile ones. I am waiting for them to go free swimming so I can snatch them up. It may just be the pairing. I also have another pair that like each other a lot but I can tell the female is not ready. She was the youngest of the bunch.
Then there is the murderer male and the crazy female that I can pair with anything including each other. They are both healed up and healthy so maybe I'll try again. They have both spawned before, just not with each other. huh
I'm trying not to let it get me frustrated because I know these fish are great stock and it's only a matter of time before I am successful.
Keep at it Willie. I wish I knew how to advise you better.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on October 06, 2021, 05:46:39 PM
Keep at it Willie. I wish I knew how to advise you better.
Liz , I don't give up easily. I'll have nothing better to do when the winter comes. Thanks mim mim mim