Bolivian rams spawned again!

Two of my rams paired off again and spawned! I think this is the pair that spawned last time. However, they decided they liked the front of the driftwood instead of the back for this go 'round. As a result, I got some clear pictures of their spawning site. Incredibly, I had just gotten home from work and came in to check out the tank. I noticed the eggs and then saw that mom and dad were still in process of laying eggs.

I watched as the female passed over the site, her ovipositor very prominent, and she laid eggs onto the flat area. The male followed her and made his own pass to fertilize them. It was quite business-like. They paused occassionally to chase off an interloping fish. In fact, as is the nature of all cichlids, they have been very diligent in protecting the area. Even now, the female is hovering over the eggs and making clear to any other fish she is determined to be a good mother.

My sword plant in the middle of the tank is suddenly huge! It is touching the surface of the water! Those leaves are over a foot long, for sure. They look great! Maybe I wasn't really paying attention but it seemed like they didn't grow for several weeks and then all of a sudden they were inches away from the surface. The otos have been very active in the tank, too, which helps. In fact, you can see in this picture to the left a leaf on the lower left side that has patches of brown algae removed by the otos, bless their hearts! They are very entertaining each night as I play, "Where's oto?" and try to count them. I found 10 for sure tonight. I can see 8 right this second. I really like these little guys.

Water parameters are near perfect. I have zero ammonia and nitrites. Only 5 nitrates ppm, too. The bacterial bloom is near gone.

I did recover one oto body yesterday. I will try to replace him this weekend, I think. Maybe I will get a stronger one this time. They just have a hard time surviving being collected, sold, and rehomed.

The other fish seem healthy. I am still treating the tank with Paraguard. I saw a couple of the black skirts flashing against plants and gravel. And, at least one oto had that long, thin stringy poop that could mean an internal parasite. The Paraguard doesn't seem to stress anyone and it sure helped with the fin rot, so, I think it's a good idea for now.

***update: I just counted 11 otos right now. I might still have 12, but I am pretty happy with 11!