Re: RAMS

[Steph & Dave <caligula@curie.dialix.com.au>]

Thomas Soelter wrote:
> 
> Hi to everybody,
> 
> a few month ago i bought 4 blue rams (2 male, 2 female) and kept them
> quite alone in a planted (Cryptos and Microsorium) 100 l tank. The
> males had an estimated size of 40 - 45 mm the females 35 - 40 mm. I
> started to feed as well as i could (living daphnia and white mosquito
> larvae, frozen food, flakes) in order to raise them a little.
> 
> The tank temperature was kept at 24 C to avoid breeding (I thought -
> but they didn't understand). Just after a few days I had 2 pairs,
> which were fighting at the borderline to enlarge their territory. Just
> the following day both pairs spawned.
> 
> Do they often spawn in groups ?

Hi Thomas

I also have two pairs of Rams in a 50ish gall (200litres) community tank
with approx 15 other fish and a yabby.

Over winter  (Apr - Oct) I had the tank heated to 24 degrees C and both
pairs spawned regularly on a 4-5 week cycle. They would defend the eggs
usually for 2-3 days after which the eggs would disappear.  I assume
that the eggs were getting eaten - by whom im not sure.

Mine were definitely as small as yours if not slightly smaller (males
about 3- 3.5 cm) when they started spawning.  These days they males are
about 5cm and the females are about 3.5 cm.

My gut feel - nothing scientific here - is that the stimulus of other
fish of the same species and all the associated behaviour that goes with
it encourages spawning.  

My fish book (only 20 years old :) states that males will grow to 7cm
and females somewhat smaller.  I would think at 4 - 5 cm's the males
would be adult and and mature enough to spawn.

Steph