Archivarium 2004

[boingyboingy]

I have 4 balloon gold veil tail rams...I guessing they look that way through selective breeding and so forth, but I heard that they are maybe sterile and unable to have babies and we only get them from artificial insemination maybe just like lyretail swordtails maybe? Well anyway...I was just wondering if balloon rams can breed naturally or is it only through artificial means???

[Marcos Avila]

That's a good question. Yes they're products of selective breeding and sometimes this can result in fish that can't reproduce, such as the male lyretail swordtails you mentioned (I've kept those myself).

Here's a topic from last December where a member's balloon rams layed eggs, but he doesn't mention if they were fertilized. Maybe you can contact him and get an update:

http://www.aquahobby.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=16359

(BTW those are NOT ram/angelfish hybrids as he initially thought)
_________________
Are you a Fish-HAVER or a Fish-KEEPER?
Success with a fish/tank is measured in YEARS, not months or weeks...

[boingyboingy]

yup those look like mine except with not black striping. I'm jealous that he was able to get them to breed...I've had 3 but one died and have 2 now for about a year, I was hoping that these would be male and female, but it seems like they are both males as they fight over territory all the time. Then I just bought 2 more a couple months ago in hopes of having a female or two. So far it looks like the two new one paired up sorta with the existing two males, but I haven't noticed any breeding courtship or eggs, or anything other than them squabbling over territory. Maybe later I can post a pic of my tank when I can get a digital camera.

what are some of the techniques to hope to get them to spawn? I currently hold them in a 20g long with rosy barbs, farlowellas, sae's, otos, and a hill stream loach. They probably won't be that successful at defending with my rosy barbs, but I plan on getting rid of them soon. The tank has the works for planted aquarium, and give or take some algae my tank is looking good. fyi...

PS: I have some swordtails hoping to breed some, but they always end up being males when I think I got some females go figure....