Breeding Journal, Species: [Gramma loreto]

General
Species:  Gramma loreto
Social Structure:  s/b harem have pair
Size of Individuals:  2" young adults
Age of Individuals:  unknown but young
Date added to Tank:  August 2010

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  55 gallons 
Substrate Details:  1-2" aragonite sand
Filtration Details:  Sump, coralife superskimmer, refugium with chaeto and 2 kinds of gracillaria
Water Changes:  weekly 7 gallons
Water Temperature:  78F
Lighting:  2 54 watt T5HO: ATI blue+ and GE 6700K or similar
Lighting Cycle:  12 hours
Other Tank Inhabitants:  copperband butterfly (to be removed) 2 female orange spot filefish, 1 purple firefish, 1 radiant wrasse H iridis

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  SF Bay "Reef Plankton" and "Plankton" in AM, Mysis and krill PM, DIY food 2-3x, freshwater leftovers (bloodworms, blackworms, BBS), Otohime pellets
Feeding Schedule:  varies

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn: probably September 2010 
Spawn Time of Day:  midday to late afternoon
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  unknown 
Courtship Details:  male constantly augments nest, hovers and flashes fins above entrance, spits sand female faces male flashing fins then enters nest for at least an hour 
Egg Size: 
Egg Color: 
Egg Count: 

Hatch Details
Hatch Date: 
Hatch Time of Day: 
# Days after Spawn: 
Larvae Description: 


Larval Tank Details
Temperature: 
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Other Tank Decor: 
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Lighting: 
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Larval Feeding Details
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Feeding Schedule: 

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start: 
Days after Hatch: 
Date of Settlement End: 
Description of Fry: 

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 
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Other Tank Decor: 
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Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
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Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information(NO PHOTOS OR VIDEO):  Male gramma's pelvic fins more than twice the length of female's and both fish are young but almost the same body length. Pair may still be too young to spawn as female never gets very big before spawning as seen in older females with eggs. Male uses tubular sponge, caulerpa, single polyps of palythoa, xenia and gracillaria to make nest but rejects yarn.

Primarily posting because I need information. Would appreciate connecting with others working with grammas, have questions on larvae-are they easy to attract with light, will light inhibit hatch as in clowns, does hatch occur immediately at full dark or hours later, are larvae similar in size and visibility to ocellaris. (I don't have trouble seeing larval clowns) Plan on soon removing butterfly as I suspect it eats eggs from latest nest site, wrasse may also be a problem long term.



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Trying to post photos but failing will try flickr instead of photobucket



 

here is the female

I am planning to breed this fish, and have a pair (but the female is still too young)  Use to have a trio where they bred once back in the early 90s but I didn't have the ability to raise larvae back then.  Now that things are easier with algae paste, I going to try it again.  Good luck with your spawning, and I'd be happy to give you moral support.

Thanks, and good luck to you too! I am planning on adding a few more females when the LFS gets them in.

 

Wondering if maybe the bristleworms are eating their eggs. 

Thanks,
Kate 

I don't know.  I think with mine, one of the other fish in the tank ate them.  This time I am going to house them in a central system with a bare-bottom tank with an overflow that goes to a larval capture area.

 
This is what I would do, too. I have a group in a display tank that courts and spawns all the time but I've never been able to collect larvae. If I ever decide to buckle down and really work with them, I will set up a pair in a broodstock tank.

--Andy, the bucket man.
"Not to know the mandolin is to argue oneself unknown...." --Clara Lanza, 1886

Sounds like I am on the right track then.  Let's see what happens.  Please stay in touch! Thanks and good luck!

any updates? I just received a pair and would enjoy some breeding info. Thanks.