looking for good info about raising Rams, better than the average "caresheet" type minipage?

Question

I dont know much about it, I know it needs frequent water changes and the one I have is about an inch long and without long fins or bright colors. its just green shades with black when its angry

I think its a juvenile Bolivian Ram

Answer 1

I have been in the hobby most of my life, but somehow I never really got into the breeding realm until I happened across the NAS website, and decided to join. At my first meeting I met a few people that were breeders and I was instantly hooked. I just HAD to breed some fish! As you can see by the title of this article, my first breeding experience happened with Microgeophagus altispinosa aka the Bolivian Ram.

I first saw them at the store I happened to be working in at the time. And as was customary with fish that I was interested in, I put all six of them into a tank by themselves for a quarantine. I fed them well, with frozen bloodworms, and chopped frozen krill, and meanwhile, I did some reading. The book that gave me the most information was American Cichlids I (Linke and Staeck) and I discovered that it was recommended that the pH be in the slightly alkaline range. I thought that this might present a problem, as my tap water most always has a pH of 6.8. I tested the water in the store, and it was about neutral. They seemed fine, so I didn't worry about it. After two weeks, they started to develop nice round bellies, and good color. I saw no sign of disease so I took them home. At this point, they were about 1 inch in total length. I put them into a 46-gallon tank with the Ph at 6.8 the hardness at 4dH and the temperature at 83 degrees. I planted with a few anubias, some water sprite across the top, and a large piece of drift wood with Java moss. I also lay some flat rocks about the bottom, at the advice of another NAS member. As dithers, I added a small school of rummynose tetras.
I fed three times daily, with a rotating menu of frozen and freeze-dried krill, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine, frozen glassworms, and color flakes. The water changes were done once per week, at 30% of the tank volume.

After about six weeks they had doubled in size and I knew I had a pair. There were two fish that would hover above the same rock, and chase all the other fish away. In talking to other NAS members, I was told that this meant that they were ready to breed and would do so soon. A day or two later, I went into my fishroom and there they were…. About 60 or 70 little eggs on top of the rock that they had been defending. This batch ended up being eaten, as did the 2nd batch. The 3rd batch hatched and were bought to the free-swimming stage, but disappeared two days after. As the spawns came with regularity, and I became more familiar with the pre-spawning behavior, I began to watch for it and one night I was talking on the phone to another member, and I was able to witness them spawning right before my eyes! The female, would make a few passes over the rock, and on the third or fourth pass she began to lay eggs. The male was standing guard and keeping all of the other fish out of the area. They were very aware of my presence so I turned the overhead light in the room out got off of the telephone, and backed off a few feet. After she had laid a dozen or so, the male made some passes close to the eggs, and I assume that he was fertlilizing them. This went on for 45 minutes to an hour or so, and when all was said and done, there were about 75 to 100 eggs, in a tight little group. They hatched in about 60 hours at 83 degrees, and were free - swimming in about 72 hours. I was told that it was probably the tetras and not the parents eating the fry so as soon as the 4th batch became free- swimming, I removed them, filled a 5.5 gallon tank with water from the parent tank, added a mature filter, some Java moss, and put the babies in their own tank. I started them with microworms as a first food and fed three times daily. After about two weeks, I took some color flake, spirulina flake and small bits of freeze-dried krill and crushed it into a powder. After about a week of the flakes, I noticed that the number of fry was becoming smaller. I thought that maybe I wasn't changing the water enough, so I began doing 25% every other day, but the babies kept dying till I had only ten left. At this point I moved them to a 10-gallon tank till they were about 3/4 of an inch long and they were auctioned off at the NAS auction.

While the rearing of the young was going on those fish just kept on spawning!

They spawned every 14 to 20 days or so. I didn't have the room for so many of them so I decided to let nature take its course. I watched carefully and was able to verify that it was indeed the tetras eating the babies. They would pick them off a few at a time.

For my first time, I must say, that it was pretty problem free (except for so many of the fry dying off). I would think that I was probably feeding a bit heavy and bought the Nitrogen content of the water up as a result. I need to thank Sal, Don, and Ken for all of their help and advice, and especially for putting up with all the phone calls!

I think that the most important lesson I learned about breeding (in my opinion anyway), is that good quality food and water are of the utmost importance. As well as providing the fish with a proper environment with which to breed. If I was hooked before, I am REALLY hooked now! I currently have five different types of Apistos and will be trying my luck with them in the months to come.

Answer 2

human beings that answer in the straightforward strategies as sure or no, or like u said very few words are not to any extent further wondering issues out. they only favor factors. i'm a philosopher and easily answer issues that i'd have an answer for. This one...nicely perchance 3. you may want to imagine about the question and elements an answer that folk should be helped. i'm effective i receives quite some thumbs down, yet that isn't what that is all about. Plus it takes me awhile to kind. i'm no longer the fastest individual accessible. wish you want what I only said. i like sharing my inner ideas with others

Answer 3

If you'd like better info, can you at least tell us what type of Rams you have? Butterfly, Bolivian, Blue, German? There are different types of these "chihuahua" rams. Some are hardier than others :)

Answer 4

I do not have rams but I have cichlids, but about all I can offer you is a link to some possible help,,,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_cichlid

Answer 5

...and where can we find this?


he he I thought you meant that you found some info and you were advertising it. sorry about that.