Pairing German Blue Rams

[catfishblues]

I have a male gbr in my 45 gallon planted aquarium and he has been there for about two weeks. i would like to add a female but i tried that once before and they just fought the whole time. is it because i added them at the same time? and are there any tips on gbr pairs?

 

[KittyKat]

Tips? Buy a pair or 3m 3f and let them pair off on their own, but the latter should not be attempted unless your tank is 4 ft or longer.

What are the tank dimensions and layout of the set-up? Are you sure you didn't buy a second male? (How did you sex them?) Are you 100% sure you have blue rams and not Bolivian rams?

 

[catfishblues]

well i had to get rid of that first pair but i am sure they are not bolivians. they were in a tank next to them and i could see the differences and when i did try the female had a pink belly. the dimensions are (trying off the top of my head so i may be off by a few inches) 22" long, 17" tall, and its a bowfront so 16" at the longest point.

 

[KittyKat]

Well, if the original male and female were fighting, they were not a pair: they were a male and a female fish. A pair has a bond beyond being of the same species and breed with each other.

A 22*16*17 inch bowfront is a 20-22 gallon tank, not 45. Because of the bottom area, it is only suitable for a pair of rams or an individual (they are territorial). Personally, I prefer to see them in pairs and there are two ways to go about this:

• buy a male and a female which have already paired up
• buy a male and a female and hope that they pair up

If you want higher changes of success, the first is the better option. The second option is like taking a wild guess. You could try adding a female to the tank, and taking her back to the LFS is she doesn't, exchanging it for a new one, but that's not the most pleasant way to do things (for the females).

There really isn't a good way of getting a pair now that you have only one fish, to be honest.

 

[catfishblues]

Well, if the original male and female were fighting, they were not a pair: they were a male and a female fish. A pair has a bond beyond being of the same species and breed with each other.

A 22*16*17 inch bowfront is a 20-22 gallon tank, not 45. Because of the bottom area, it is only suitable for a pair of rams or an individual (they are territorial). Personally, I prefer to see them in pairs and there are two ways to go about this:

• buy a male and a female which have already paired up
• buy a male and a female and hope that they pair up

If you want higher changes of success, the first is the better option. The second option is like taking a wild guess. You could try adding a female to the tank, and taking her back to the LFS is she doesn't, exchanging it for a new one, but that's not the most pleasant way to do things (for the females).

There really isn't a good way of getting a pair now that you have only one fish, to be honest.

my bad! the dimensions are 19-1/4"L x 38-1/2"W x 52-1/4"H

 

[KittyKat]

my bad! the dimensions are 19-1/4"L x 38-1/2"W x 52-1/4"H

Are you sure you got those right? I assume you don't mean 19.25 inches long, do you? Maybe you mean wide? …and 52 inches is very tall for a tank, usually that's the length (right to left).

Anyway, a 19.25*38.5*52.25 inch tank is 164 gallons, not 45. A 52.25 inch tall tank is not suitable for rams because it is too tall: they are earth eaters, which means they live on the bottom and they don't do well in tanks which are 2 ft of deeper.

Or are you maybe measuring in cm, not inches? If you are measuring in cm, the tank is only 10 gallons. 19.25*38.5 cm is too small a footprint for rams, so they wouldn't be suitable for that either.

 

[cools32]

Hello Catfishblues

Blue Rams are not the easiest species to breed, and require VERY good quality water to flourish. It can also be difficult to obtain good quality stock, as most of these fish for sale in UK dealers shops are very poor quality fish imported from farms in SE Asia. If you can, try and obtain stock from a hobbyist breeder, or better quality imported stock from Colombia.

You could try adding three females... (they have the red belly and irridescent spots on the larger Black spot on their sides), and the male is likely to pair up with one of them. Once you have a 'pair' take the other two females out and leave the 'pair' to get on. A pair will often eat the eggs they lay the first few times, but hopefully will eventually get the hang of things.

Good Luck

Mark