# Bolivian Ram Fry in Planted Aquaria



## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Hi,

My bolivian rams spawned about a week ago and the mom is still guarding in the fry in my planted 72ga with other fish that include cardinals, pencils and rummys. The tank is moderate to heavily planted. As anyone had any success with any of the fry living to adult size if they simply let "aquarium nature" take it's coarse.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Congrats on your new fry!

I'm sure some, if not quite a few fry will survive with the tankmates you have in the tank, along with the fact it's fairly well planted. The Rams are pretty protective parents, and none of the other fish are big enough to really overcome them.
If you want to improve the chances of a bigger survival rate, you could leave some sort of a light on in the tank 24 hours, so they aren't as vulnerable at night.

Keep us posted.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Thanks Jan. I would have never thought about that. In terms of food do you think they will be O.K, by picking here and there.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Maybe you'll be ok if your tank is old and well established. I'd probably try to supplement with baby brine or something similar. The little ones need to eat quite a bit.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

guaiac_boy said:


> Maybe you'll be ok if your tank is old and well established.


How do you mean, as far as the fry's senstitivity to water conditions.

Well after about day 5 or 6 of the mother protecting the fry I don't see any of them right now. I pencil fish look like little barracadas picking them off as they search thru the plants. I didn't hatch any BBS to feed so that might have kept them small too long. I really had no initation of raising the major of them, but would have liked to have a few survive.

Right after they were free swimming the did remove 10 or so to a 5g tank and right now there are 4 still alive and I've been feeding Hikari First Bites which they do seem to eat, but they really don't look much bigger.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

In an older tank there are probably more 'thingies' around for the little ones to eat. If the fish spawned and the eggs hatched, the water quality is certainly ok. It will take them 2 or 3 weeks with perfect feeding for them to get big enough to look like fish. They grow quickly, but not that quickly.

I've never been able to keep fry alive with any other species in the tank. It seems that most fish are accustomed to eating anything that wiggles & fits in its mouth.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

I just noticed a few fry still in the 72g tank. I don't know if I should try to get them out and put them in the 5g where there are still 4 out of 10 alive. I might try and hatch some BBS today.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

If you're serious about raising fry I'd try to set up a tank specifically for it. I think you'd find it to be much less frustrating in the end. Raising a beautiful fish like rams to maturity is enormously rewarding.


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## Error (Apr 16, 2004)

I know you're not really looking to raise the fry, but if you do in the future, something that might help out is getting a vinegar eel culture going.

They can survive in your tank for a while and the culture requires NO maintenance. (Really, NONE.) It's the harvesting that requires a moment of your time 

When I had Betta imbellis spawn in one of my tanks, I just added a turkey baster of fresh water filled with vinegar eels daily. I never watched to see if they ate it, but I assume they did since quite a few survived.

The reason I mention vinegar eels is that they a) tend to disperse around the whole tank, as opposed to baby brine shrimp which instead flow with the current; b) they last for at least two days in your tank, which will give the fry a lot of time to hunt and eat them; and c) most adult fish in the tank have no interest in vinegar eels (they are too small), but baby brine shrimp will be gone in no time.


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