2 BLUE RAMS - probably males?

[BLASK]

*i posted this in begginers forum before*
ok so today I got two rams, i dunno if they are both blue or gold or one of each. I think I got a male and female. However I might have gotten two females or two males. Both have short spikes on the head and the first one is shorter than the rest. I cannot see pink bellies though. In the container at the lfs they were not fighting, nor in their tank. They are swimming happly in my tank and eating the vegetation and picking at the gravel - even chasing some water bug! One chased my ghost shrimp a bit. Ok- now for them both - How do I know if they are fighitng? They seem good next to each other, they will rub bodies against each other and then one will sorta kiss the other on the body - it doesnt look like biting. There is no chasing- they just do their own thing. Can females fight? They are exploring the tank as I write this. I took some pics but I cannot get them to be clear so its a bit blurry.

 

[BLASK]

a slight update - they were put in my tank at about 4pm yesterday, its 9am right now and there is chasing going on. One is following the other. The chaser has his spikes extended while the one that is being chased has them flapped down. It lasts about 10 seconds and then they go off into the plants.

 

[pseud]

Hard to tell.
I say two males. The first dorsal spike on my male was shorter when I first got him, so that's only a good indicator for older males. Yours look small, so they're probably juveniles. No pink tummy on either, at least, none that's showing in the photos. Can't really see the rear of the dorsal fin too well.

Sorry, but I'm about 80% sure you have two males... (more pics would help, post as many as you can lol)

 

[a.d.wood]

Hi there,

I'd say 2 males as well > look for blue spangling on the black side patch, present in females, absent in males.

'Blue rams' can be sexed using a variety of characteristics. The males
are generally larger (most prominent in adults), have slightly longer
fins (dorsal) and lack the blue spangles in the black mid-lateral spot
found in the females. Wild fish are very easy to distingush, but the
cultured varieties may be a little harder, assuming both sexes are
present. If I were asked for one reliable difference, I would say the
blue spangles within the black mid-lateral blotch is the best method (it
also works on young fish and the cultured varieties).

Regards

Andrew

 

[yvez9]

i vote for 2 males as well

 

[BLASK]

here are more detailed pictures, enjoy. (not all 56k safe)

 

[a.d.wood]

Hi there,

Definately males in all of those pictures.

Andrew

 

[pseud]

Yup, definitely males.

Here's a pic of my male and female so you can see the difference:

Male:

Female:

 

[Pixie25]

wow they are beautiful - can someone tell me if a pair of rams (one male one female) will live happily in a 5g? i see they only grow to 4-5 cm.

 

[Jer-]

Two rams in a 5g is not a good idea. I am not sure as to how many gallons a pair needs at least, but i think it was 10 or even more galons for a pair.

If you were to hold two rams in a 5g, frequent water changes are to be made as Rams require clean fresh water. The Rams would probably be stressed out too much due to this as water changes may introduce sudden changes in water temperature etc.

I Hope i am correct with this information. This is what i know anyways. Please correct me if i am wrong.

HTH

 

[Pixie25]

wow - the guy at my local aquarium said they are very fragile to keep but he said they only grow to 4-5 cm and that they are best kept in pairs so i thought i would ask.

they sure are beautiful! if you are correct then when i have enough room to do up my 13.5g maybe we could keep a pair they really are stunning - i just found out about this little aqua centre near me and i was mesmerised by them! gorgeous little fish.

 

[pseud]

As stated 5 gallons is WAY too small for a pair of rams. You need at least 20 gallons per pair, (and I personally would hesitate to put more than one pair in anything less than a 55 gallon).

 

[Pixie25]

woah! that big! in a 20 gallon can you only have 2 rams and no other fish? that sure is a lot of space.

oh well, just another reason to buy a bigger tank when i have the space and money available!

 

[pseud]

No, you can have other fish in there also, just remember to choose compatible fish and not to overstock. Also remember that rams are very sensitive to water quality, so fish with a high waste output (plecs) I wouldn't recommend, unless you keep to a strict regime of water change and gravel vacumming.