What the heck are they doing to the poor fry?

[pixeyness]

I have a 27g community tank with a pair of bolivian rams who frequently mate. I haven't been able to get any of the fry to last but that is a whole separate post.

My question is this:
The wigglers are i think two maybe three days and the mom keeps filling her mouth and moving them about an inch and a half away and then the father goes and gets them and brings them back. They pass each other on the way back and do it again. What is this?

[desertgoldhound]

sounds like ring around the tank... mouth full of fishies...munchies muncies we all eat them.

[Cathy G]

They will work out their coordination - they are doing what they are supposed to do. Move the wigglers all around so they are never in the same place for long... the wigglers will wiggle for about 5 days before they start to be free swimming. Then you'll have to have some food ready - newly hatching brine shrimp is strongly recommended.
Oh, the parents might not get their act together this spawn, they might end up having a fight instead of working together. In that case they will eat them, or the father will keep a batch for himself and chase her away. (Or vice-versa.)

Isn't it fun watching them? If you have them in a community tank, probably not many will make it. If they are alone, you might try leaving the tank alone as much as possible to help them cope with their anxiety over the little ones. Bolivians live for quite a few years so they will have time to work it out if they are not sucessful this time!

Cathy

[pixeyness]

i think this is about the eighth or ninth. I have tried moving the wigglers into their own tank, moving them into a breeding net (is that what it is called) and just doing nothing. I have had no luck so far however. I have had luck with dwarf neon rainbows from the same tank and also right now zebra danios. I did leave some of the bolivian rams with the parents each time so i wouldn't traumatize them too much.
Should I put those two fish in their own tank if I want the babies to live? Would that even work? If so, does it have to be as big of a tank?
Thanks a lot!

[Cathy G]

Sorry I didn't read carefully...

It took my pair about 6 months to get it together, they usually ended up fighting over the wigglers and eating them...

What are the other fish in the tank? Do you know if the other fish are eating the young fry or are the parents? If it is the other fish, you might try moving the rams to another tank- probably a 20g long would work. I wrote up how I hatch the eggs myself etc, click on my aquarium link at the bottom right of my home page.

If you choose to hatch the eggs and get fry, be warned. Bolivian have enormous clutches. (I had over 200 in one and am still trying to find homes...)

Removing the wigglers should have been ok. How did you move them and what was the water you put them into. (If water from the parent tank, what were the nitrates?) I've never had any luck with the breeders nets, so I gave up on them alltogether.

There is something else you might try, move some of the community fish into a different tank. You can put them back when the fry are big enough not to get eaten. Keep nitrates less than 20 but if you see that they will be spawning soon, do enough water changes to get them under 10. See if that helps.

Are you feeding them live bbs as soon are they are free swimming? Hmm. Thats all I can think of now. Perhaps if you read my write-up something will occur to you.

I hope it works out!
Cathy
http://www.cathygeier.com

[lucky777ca]

I checked your page, I love it :) I was thinking about breeding blue rams while breeding kribensis cichlids at the same time, with 2 separate 10G tanks.

[Cathy G]

Thanks for the compliments. You'll need grow out tanks - the fry won't last in a 10g for more than a couple of months... if you have any specific questions, just ask. By the way, that huge bolivian clutch I mentioned - they are growing out in 2 tens, and a 50. For a while they were in a 20g long too... thats how many tanks! I do love the babies though...

Cathy G