# Anyone keep rams?



## joker (Apr 29, 2014)

Have kept and bred rams off and on for some time and have recently bred gold face electric blues and electric blues. These are some of the pairs and the offspring. The electric blue fry pictured are a few weeks older now and are now starting to breed. Last pic is of a young adult electric blue i bred.


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## Fishlover02 (Feb 25, 2013)

joker said:


> Have kept and bred rams off and on for some time and have recently bred gold face electric blues and electric blues. These are some of the pairs and the offspring. The electric blue fry pictured are a few weeks older now and are now starting to breed. Last pic is of a young adult electric blue i bred.


How are you conditioning them to breed/raising the fry? Do you let them (or have the chance/luck to have them) raise their own fry? As I have what I think is the beginning of a breeding pair of german blue rams, and more information is always helpful.


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## joker (Apr 29, 2014)

When I first buy pairs I first clean them best I can inside and out in quarantine regardless of the source, only time I don't do this is with my own stock I produced. Sometimes they will spawn during this process and that's ok but I don't stop the quarantine process. When quarantine is over I provide a tank for the pair and let them do the rest. I then hatch the eggs myself and raise them to adulthood. Have found rams to be private critters when it comes to tending a spawn and when they know, you know , were those eggs are they are destined to become lunch so I take control from there. There are those pairs that raise there own but I can't be bothered searching for them! Lol Pic of a spawn yesterday from my 3 31/2 month old electric blues in a grow out tank , not planned. Lol


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## Fishlover02 (Feb 25, 2013)

joker said:


> When I first buy pairs I first clean them best I can inside and out in quarantine regardless of the source, only time I don't do this is with my own stock I produced. Sometimes they will spawn during this process and that's ok but I don't stop the quarantine process. When quarantine is over I provide a tank for the pair and let them do the rest. I then hatch the eggs myself and raise them to adulthood. Have found rams to be private critters when it comes to tending a spawn and when they know, you know , were those eggs are they are destined to become lunch so I take control from there. There are those pairs that raise there own but I can't be bothered searching for them! Lol Pic of a spawn yesterday from my 3 31/2 month old electric blues in a grow out tank , not planned. Lol


Hmm, that's quite interesting! Do you change any parameters fo your water for them, or do you just stick to whatever your water source is? (GH,KH,PH etc.)


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## joker (Apr 29, 2014)

I usually do not adjust water but have added peat to stimulate a sleepy pair. Local tap water is what I use and it's average parameters are pH 6.5-8, TDS 180-220 and total hardness (calcium carbonate) of 80-100.


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## kuopan (Sep 6, 2010)

I was thinking about getting electric blue rams but opted out because I heard they don't live very long? is this true or just a myth?


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Very nice rams, I used to breed them a couple years and. I recently just had an EBR spawn with my GBR female. Just hand raising the fry also. They are just free swimming today, and all i had was bbs. We will see how many can eat the larger Food.


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## joker (Apr 29, 2014)

kuopan said:


> I was thinking about getting electric blue rams but opted out because I heard they don't live very long? is this true or just a myth?


Rams IMO live 2-3 years on the average if given proper care(clean, warm, and acidic). I do find EBR's a little more sensitive than say german blues in regards to internal bacterial infection brought on by improper living conditions but i also found the Israeli bred strain of EBR far healthier than the Asian strain having kept and bred both strains. Like the rams Tropicana , good luck with your fry!


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Thanks Joker, seems like my fry are eating the bbs. What live foods do you use? Typically I have Banana Worms for the first few days.


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## joker (Apr 29, 2014)

I have a few cultures i maintain including micro and Walter worms , vinegar eels, green water and two sizes of brine shrimp eggs.


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