Just my advice, pick a hardier and better parenting species. Bolivians, or apistos would be great alternatives.
Breeding German Blue Rams
- Thread starter Fishfriend1
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Bolvians look cool, I may try them. I was initally gonna go Convict, but... thousands of babies ain't waht i was looking for. The apistos get too big for the tanks i can put them in.
IME, bolivians are harder to find in fish stores than GBRs. My LFS carries balloon rams, gold rams, many apistos, GBRs, electics, and others except for bolivians. I expect they would be in the same price range($10-$15 each). Bolivians are less colorful IME.
I'm pretty sure that apistogramma trifasciata could work with just the cories, you'll want 1 m and a couple females.
Honestly, it just seems like a PITA to try that right now, I'd wait until your tank is more stable and you can afford to get them yourself (along with fry food, and potentially grow-out tanks).
You shouldn't get too far ahead of yourself, but if you do decide to try then you need to figure out what to do once they actually DO breed, that way you're prepared. I don't have experience with rams, but you're going to want some kind of grow out tank sooner than later.
Honestly, it just seems like a PITA to try that right now, I'd wait until your tank is more stable and you can afford to get them yourself (along with fry food, and potentially grow-out tanks).
You shouldn't get too far ahead of yourself, but if you do decide to try then you need to figure out what to do once they actually DO breed, that way you're prepared. I don't have experience with rams, but you're going to want some kind of grow out tank sooner than later.
Put them in the 30, then take them out once they spawn.
Not sure how good of parents they are but being somewhat weaker is actually a good reason to breed them. So long as you don't excessively baby them tank raised are probably going to be fairly hardy compared to typical stock.
One thing I have considered is trying to breed some cold hardiness into some of the cichlids. Since some species can have hundreds of surviving fry from one spawn it wouldn't be too hard if you make it a long term project. But the issue here is fish like that would be extremely invasive if released. A lake full of buttikoferi would be amusing at first but that would spell the end of any decent sized fish.
*sigh* you're probably right.... when i can afford it I will do it!
Cold hardiness, lol, I once had a little daydream about it. Imagine cold-hardy convicts... in the delaware river.... oh my. But cold hardy rams/cichlids wouldn't be something I can't do, my basement stays at a relativly cool 50-55 in winter, that's pretty cold for tropical fishes. And trust me, babying fish isn't something I'm known for. TBH, I have never even attempted to make the fry survive, I usually go with the old "If they make it they make it" idea. Course, with these I would be trying to help the fry a little, so they would get baby foods, but that's about it...
