My first Ram eggs ever!! But...

[big_ed]

The good news:
So I was away from my place for a few days and came back to find that my pair of GB Rams laid their first set of eggs! My first dwarf cichlid eggs ever!
They had laid what looked like 30-50 eggs on a large leaf of Anubias. They are currently in a 20 gal. tank w/some rummy-nose and neon tetras, driftwood, amazon type plants and gravel substrate in a mix of RO/tap water resulting in 160-170 TDS.
The bad news: After about a day of when I got home they started eating the eggs and now they are all gone.

I have a 10 gal. tank and my research around the net tells me the following should be a suitable breeding configuration for the pair:
-10 gallon bare bottom tank
-sponge filter
-piece of driftwood w/attached java fern
-heater set to 85
-pure RO water

My questions:
1. Does the breeding tank setup sound about right? Is there anything else I should or should not have in there?

2. I read in a different post that adding some sand might make them more comfortable. Exactly what kind of sand should I use? Pool filter sand or Multi-Purpose (sand-box)?

3. Is it possible that me returning home scared them somehow and caused them to eat the eggs or could it just be their inexperience?

This is first time my rams have ever laid eggs, and I really wanna get it right next time. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

ed

 

[kretz11]

1:your breeding tank setup sounds pretty good, but I would try 80-82degrees instead of 85. 2:Sand may help but I haven't found it necessary......mine always layed in a tipped over flowerpot in a barebottom tank. 3: it was more likely that your water was too hard and they went bad(fungus),so they ate them....You can also try adding 2 drops per gallon of methyl blue.

 

[big_ed]

thanks kretz,
i have read about the infamous flowerpot. i will definitely have that in the tank!
ed

 

[Orchid]

Big Ed,

Sometime the parents aren't successfull with the first few spawnings. It is also easy for the eggs to fungus. Make sure the parents are comfy, water perams are right and they usually get it right. Good luck.

 

[farm41]

Get some sand that is inert, that is it won't add to the hardness. Quartz or silica sand is fine. I just have about 1 inch deep in 1/4 of the tank, the rest is bb. They may choose a flat rock in addition to the wood, they like to move the eggs. Don'y worry they will get it right.

 

[big_ed]

thanks orchid, and matt! i'll be setting the breeding tank up this weekend! :mrgreen:

 

[aspen]

ed i fill a bowl with sand, 6" across and 3" deep, with about 2" of sand. this is in a bb tank. they will like the sand bowl, and spill some into the corner, if you put the bowl in the corner. then when eggs are laid and hatch, pull the bowl and maintain the cleanliness of the tank. this is better imo, than covering the bottom with sand. feeding fry can be very messy and cleanliness works for me.

all materials placed into a softwater tank should be acid tested. pour a little onto the rock or in the sand, and if it fizzles, don't use it. it will increase the kh and therefore the ph of your water.


rick

 

[Neil]

big_ed,
Congratulations and sorry about the end result, but you are on your way. Getting them to lay is half the battle.

1. Does the breeding tank setup sound about right? Is there anything else I should or should not have in there?

Sounds good to me. Maybe a touch too warm, but they can easily handle 85.

2. I read in a different post that adding some sand might make them more comfortable. Exactly what kind of sand should I use? Pool filter sand or Multi-Purpose (sand-box)?

Yes, add some thicker-grained sand and pay attention to the type as stated above.

3. Is it possible that me returning home scared them somehow and caused them to eat the eggs or could it just be their inexperience?

Could be inexperience or possible the water isn't quite to their liking. Give it another spawn or 2 and then play with the conditions. Ideal is 6.0pH, fairly low hardness 1 or 2dGH and very clean water. The latter 2 are more important than the first.
Neil

Neil

 

[big_ed]

thanks neil for all the info!
i ended up having to house-sit this weekend so i haven't yet been able to set up the tank. i'll be setting it up for sure this week.
thanks again to everyone for sharing your knowledge!
ed :mrgreen: