German blue ram fish are really booming in popularity right now and many people who keep german blue rams in their tanks are actively trying to breed them to try and meet demand and earn a little money.
After we published our article going over caring for german blue ram fry, we noticed more and more people reaching out to ask about caring for german blue ram eggs.
Without the eggs being able to have their embryo grow and hatch, there is no point in getting ahead of yourself and thinking on caring for the fry so we wanted to publish this article specific to hatching german blue ram eggs.
Thankfully, there are some common mistakes that we see people make time and time again with their german blue ram eggs and for the most part, they are very easy to avoid.
Do I Need A Breeding Tank To Hatch German Blue Ram Eggs?
A breeding tank is an excellent option to improve the hatch rates of your german blue ram eggs as you essentially move the parents from your community tank where there are potential predators into the breeding tank.
There are a number of breeding tank setups that can work, especially as temporary tanks but for german blue rams, you will usually be wanting to look for a tank that is a minimum of 20 gallons but the larger the better.
Thankfully, there are some excellent quality 20 gallon aquariums on the market for around the $50 price point mark these days that will work perfectly.
If you are a more experienced fish keeper then you may have some old tanks that you can use that are no longer being used for your fish.
How To Set A Breeding Tank Up For German Blue Rams!
For the most part, you will want to try and replicate the water conditions that your german blue rams are currently being kept in.
This means looking at the pH of your water, the hardness (GH) and also the temperature.
pH is probably going to be the hardest thing to replicate as often our tanks natural pH can be different to what is found in our local water supply.
Substrate, rocks, plants, and hides can all play a part in helping keep your german blue rams as calm and relaxed as possible while trying to breed them.
You should always have plants be it real or fake as well as a small number of fish hides in a breeding tank.
Be sure to check all the decorations you put into your tank for any hitch hikers as small creatures such as shrimp and snails can and will eat your german blue ram eggs if the parents don’t catch them and eat the creature first.
Do German Blue Ram Eat Their Own Eggs?
This is a question we get asked a fair bit and to be honest, it really does seem to come down to the individual fish.
Some german blue rams will actively seek out and eat eggs in their tank even if they are their own eggs where as others will completely ignore them and allow them to hatch.
For the most part though, german blue rams are not that big on eating their own eggs provided they are not stressed or anxious.
Please keep in mind that it can be common for a german blue ram to eat some of their eggs if there is a problem with the egg.
These problems range from the egg not being fertilized preventing it from developing to the egg having a fungal infection on it.
This can cause a number of people trying to breed their german blue ram to worry thinking that their fish are eating all of their eggs but german blue ram are usually decent parents as far as fish go and most of the eggs you see them eat will have problems.
What Will Eat German Blue Ram Eggs?
Unfortunately, pretty much every tank mate you can think of keeping with your german blue ram in a community tank will eat their eggs.
This includes snails and shrimp too so don’t think that you can use them as members of a clean up crew without issue.
This is why we are huge fans of you using a separate breeding tank to protect the eggs from predators when trying to breed your german blue ram.
Depending on the age, nutrition, and stress levels of a female german blue ram, she can release anywhere from 20 all the way up to 150 eggs when spawning.
If the egg yields are at the lower end then you really do have to try and prevent as many of your german blue ram eggs from being eaten as possible.
How Do You Hatch a German Blue Ram Eggs in Your Tank?
If you want to hatch your german blue ram eggs in your main display tank then that is fine and many people do but you do need to take a few things into consideration first.
To start with, you will probably end up with very few fry if any at all as most of the eggs will be eaten before they have a chance to hatch.
You will also need to be extra careful when doing your water changes as the fry are very small and weak when first born and can easily be sucked up into your siphon.
We would recommend that you use a breeding trap or something similar to help protect your fry until they are big enough to fend for themselves.
A breeding trap is basically a clear plastic or acrylic box that has small holes in it just big enough for the fry to swim through.
The fry can then swim into the trap when they are born and be safe from any predators until they are large enough to defend themselves.
You will still need to do regular water changes but you can just remove the breeding trap, do your water change, and then put it back into the tank.
If you want to learn more about breeding traps and how to use them then please check out our breeding trap guide.
How Long Does It Take for German Blue Rams Eggs to Hatch?
Most german blue ram eggs can hatch in as little as four days in an optimal tank with the wrigglers emerging from the eggs anywhere between the three and five day mark in a perfect tank.
Just keep in mind that most community tanks are far from perfect for fertilized german blue ram eggs and it will usually take longer for them to hatch in tanks with poor water parameters.
