I picked up a gorgeous pair of blue rams at my LFS about three weeks ago, and since then they have spawned three times(!). The first two times, the eggs "disappeared" overnight before ever hatching. This last time, I wasn't even aware they had spawned until the male attacked my hand when I reached into the tank to prune one of my plants. I looked to see what was the matter, and saw that he and the female were guarding over a "cloud" of little fry!
I'm not sure how old they are or what to feed them, as I am very new to keeping rams and have never been particularly interested in breeding fish until now. A not-so-scientific description of the fry: tiny clear blobs with tails and big eyes. They stay mostly in one area of the tank, some resting on the gravel, while the majority are swimming around near the parents. If any of them stray too far, the parents take the fry in their mouths and spit them back onto the gravel. So far, the pair are doing a great job of chasing off the other occupants of the tank (four cherry barbs and a few oto's), and even flare angrily at me if I get my nose too close to the tank.
Can anyone point me in the direction of some info about raising fry? Since I wasn't prepared for this spawn, I'm not holding out any high hopes for their survival, but I want to at least learn what to do the next time this happens!
Thanks!
I'm not sure how old they are or what to feed them, as I am very new to keeping rams and have never been particularly interested in breeding fish until now. A not-so-scientific description of the fry: tiny clear blobs with tails and big eyes. They stay mostly in one area of the tank, some resting on the gravel, while the majority are swimming around near the parents. If any of them stray too far, the parents take the fry in their mouths and spit them back onto the gravel. So far, the pair are doing a great job of chasing off the other occupants of the tank (four cherry barbs and a few oto's), and even flare angrily at me if I get my nose too close to the tank.
Can anyone point me in the direction of some info about raising fry? Since I wasn't prepared for this spawn, I'm not holding out any high hopes for their survival, but I want to at least learn what to do the next time this happens!
Thanks!
