# My Bolivian Rams are having babies yay



## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

yay ! 

my altispinosa had lot of eggs by the time i came back from work 

my angel fish i got last week is trying to have some and my ram is chasing it away  i got mad at the angelfish and returned him to the store .... 


now the store guy is laughing at me saying do you think the bobies will survive ..... everyone in the tank is gonna have fish food soon  

i never planned on breeding them but now that they did i have no idea what to do next .. 

im also gonna give the 2 rainbow fish and the honey gaurami to the fish shop ( wont get anything back ) 

do you guys think atleast 2 or 3 out of 30 eggs would surivive in a 30 gallon tall 2 bolivian rams ( parents ) 6 rasboras and 2 dwarf neon rainbows ? 

i have seen my 2 dwarf neons dancing together a couple of times but ........ thy never had babies


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

this is the dad


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

two adults and their brood will survive in a 15g but a 20 long would be better, they do not need height they need space.

Id set up another tank just for them.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

well what if i leave them all just like that ?? 

none of them survives ?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I agree.I would set up a 20 long nice and planted just for the parents.Once they spawn they will care for the eggs.I have heard rams are some of the best parents in the fish world,and will guard the eggs and fry fiercely.You may also want to get some brine shrimp naupilii for the fry to munch on after they hatch too.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

if you dont remove them do not count on any survivors, maybe the solo one or two who hide all the time but to be honest id just do another tank. Its not expensive, you just need a tank, light,heater,air pump(dual port) and two 30-40g capable sponge filters.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Yea I know it's not expensive but I can't care for them. And If they all survive what can I do with all the babies ? 25 to 30 in round one and anothr 2 rounds I end up having 50 to 60 thats too many lolz


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Too bad.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

You have no idea the market for privately bred rams. I just sold a trio not proven but a male and two females for 45 bucks. I sell my babies at the local swaps, I drive up to three hours to get to some but I never have ANY leftover livestock to come home.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Sounds good business to me but isn't it like I have to care For them for 3 months before they get to a stage when I'll be ae to sell them ? 

Good to know  I'm from Chicago too, I live downtown


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Not really, maybe 10 weeks till they are ready for sale, with the amount of swaps that go on around here and the little to no rams on those swap markets its easy to sell out. I sell wild type and true half wild angelfish and never come home with any, I take 30-50 bags a swap and sell em all.
Depending on the set up you can raise them cheaply, I had the tanks already so putting em to use was nothing more then the water and electric bill and an RO unit.

What intersection are you by? I had a few places in chicago before I came back to the elgin area.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

WhiteGloveAquatics said:


> You have no idea the market for privately bred rams. I just sold a trio not proven but a male and two females for 45 bucks. I sell my babies at the local swaps, I drive up to three hours to get to some but I never have ANY leftover livestock to come home.


How do you find out about local swaps? Is this a breeder thing?


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

No, its thru local fish clubs.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Clark and Divison Lolz 

Partayyyyyyy


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Type in your browser,your town or state,and aquarium club.Most states have them(not mine,stupid SC.....)But anyhow clubs have meetings and swap meets and even auctions.Its nice to meet others in the area interested in the same thing you are,and swapping fish and plants and what not is a nice way to add more excitement to the hobby.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

well you guys are really convincing me to care for the babies :| 

whiteglove can you give any specific care that needs to be taken for them ? like special food, feeding, when should i move them from the main tank to the smaller tank and would 10 gallon be enough for 10 babies ? 

also once they are born can i net them and put them in the tank ? 

i said 10 babies cause i return from work around 7 at night and i dont htink any will be remaining by the time i come back. i guess it will be all skirmish like the petstore guy said 
every one in the tank is trying to eat the eggs


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

also one more question 

i have male and female dwarf neon rainbows and male and female australian rainbows 

i have seen both the pairs having s*x (or what it looks liek ) many times and also the female dwarf neon rainbow look pregnant .... and its swiming real slow 


anything i can do about it ?


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I feed all my fry the following, variety is key in their growth and development

Kens egg flakes
Kens freeze dried tubifex worms
Hikari frozen daphnia,bloodworms,baby brine shrimp and rotifers(the best IMO)

I wouldnt worry too much about this batch, let this be the practice spawn, the parents are new to it and so are you, observe and once all the eggs are gone you can set up another tank identical in water parameters to the one they are in now. You need to get some sponge filters or a sponge inlet cover for a HOB filter and get it seeded before you set up the new tank so the cycle time is little to none.(usually two weeks with a filter)

Unfortunetely a 10g is too small of space for them to grow properly, 10g is not alot of water for anything but a single fish to live in. Id go with a 15g or a 20g long(hurry petco only has their on sale for $1 per gallon for another day or two, I think till saturday its a steal you wont regret it.

Im simply stating that you need to set up special tanks to breed and raise fish in if you want to see them grow much past the size of a grain of rice.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

If they are breeding it is likely they will breed again before long so like Whiteglove says you can set up for the next lot. If you are not able to set up another tank you could try adding plenty of hiding places and a big clump of java moss in the hope that one or two will hide long enough to survive.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Well I already have a lot of hornwort all over the tank and also lot of hiding spots in the tank 


So even of I get a new 20 or 30 long today and set it up ... There is no chance forme to catch some babies and put them in the tank before they die ?


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

There is if you can seed the filters, or get seeded filter material or gravel from your established tank or from the LFS.

I invested alot in sponge filters as you can toss em in a tank, let em colonize then remove them and use them in other unestablished tanks to take in that excess bioload.
You can also fill the tank half way with old tank water and half way with new treated water and you should be fine. My angels transfer tanks 3 times in the 10 week period I raise them in and each tank is like that and not once have I had a mini cycle nor have I lost a single fry to water parameters.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

It's worth a try, there is usually a lot of trial and error involved in breeding and raising fry but if you are into the idea you might as well start learning now and it might just work out.


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## Skybox (Nov 13, 2010)

what do you feed them. I have 3 in my tank and they don't even look as nice as your. And they don't eat anything.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Skybox said:


> what do you feed them. I have 3 in my tank and they don't even look as nice as your. And they don't eat anything.


one of the three should be eating i guess 

this happens when one of them bullies the other two so the other 2 will always be at the top (they are bottom dwellers ) 

happened with mine when i got another male, also they might be less colorfull cause they are females ... females arent that colorful 

and what i feed ? normal tropical flakes all week and frozen brine shrimp every sunday and live bloodworms once in a while (like may be once 2 months ) 

post some pics so we can guess if its a male or a female


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

just saw your gallery ^^^^^ 

your tank looks cool 
but i dont see any rams in there ! 

and that yellow fish .. is that killie fish ?


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

now im confused 

the eggs are dwindling in numbers... i mean the dad fish is always gaurding them and i cna only see half as many eggs 

if the babies are out there should be egg shells right ? 
and if the babies are not out what happened to the eggs ? 
im sure no other fish is even coming closer to the eggs ..... 


is it possible that the dad fish might be eating its eggs ?

and just for info : im feeding correctly and there is always a little tiny amount of food left after they all ate ................


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

no, no shells at all.
and yes its possible but at night things do manage to disappear.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

so chances are there are babies and i dont see them 

or 

someone is eating the eggs ?


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

no way  

the dad fish IS eating the babies or all the babies born and gone ....... 

there are like 15eggs this morning and now there are none 
also the fish left its guarding stance and headed off to a different spot


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## Skybox (Nov 13, 2010)

Wow.. sorry to hear that..(no babies) You should of try moving some out of the tank. But what do i know about these fish. My guess. And I haven't update any pix lately. I'll update soon.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

That's a shame. Usually the hard bit is getting fish to breed, once they do they are likely to again, parents often get better with practice also, so think about if you want to set up for next time.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

well, they are courting each other 

but what would be use of an extra setup if dad itself is eating the babies ? 

even if they are in a seperate 20 gallon it would still eat the eggs 

and no its not a shame LO comeon thats how they are in the wild.... they dont have a seperate lake for the eggs hahaha 

and yes im thinking of getting a second setup but not for breeding im thinking of getting a similar second tank with german blues  i like them


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Yes but these fish dont know the wild and wild fish are mindset differently then captive bred fish.

Practice makes perfect, I had a pair of angels(female just passed while I was away from the site) who for 4 years straight laid eggs then ate em. I have a pair now that will take human flesh over their own babies.


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## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

so as angels are cichlids 

some of the cichlid fish do eat their babies making it impossible to see the swimming fry isnt it ? 

and now my dwarf neon rainbow looks preggy  


lol yea looks like my tank is full of love, ill post its pics soon (its a random swimmer too hard to capture the shot  )


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