Blue Ram

[Mystil]

Hello Peeps
I have a large blue ram male who is about 2 inches and I have wanted to get him a mate for a while.

I bought a female "dutch ram" but she is tiny, about 1 inch yesturday.

Is this going to work?

At the moment I have the male in a breeding trap so that she does not get bullied (advised by maidenhead aquatics to do this)
What do you think?

Thanks

 

[Mystil]

Sorry guys.
Just did a search on this forum and found that this question had already been answered.
There the same species.

So could anyone answer my question about the size difference and is it going to cause problems?

 

[Athena]

Hmm...I'm not sure about putting the male in the breeding trap really. How are they going to pair up if not given a chance to swim together? Just putting a male and female in a tank does not guarantee that they will form a pair, anyway. It's usually done by putting several females in with a male and then letting two pair off together naturally. You'll know when they've paired because they will follow each other about and possibly begin mating rituals (if the tank conditions are right for them).

I had a female much smaller than the male - they tolerated each other but never really paired off properly even though they were sold to me as "a pair" (but she was sick with a bacterial problem from the day I bought her and although I nursed her through it several times she finally gave up the fight and I lost her a few weeks ago).

How long did they say you must keep the male in the trap for? Surely not too long as that will be stressful to him and could make him ill.

They are very delicate fish and the slightest thing can upset them - any change in water stats or if the water is not matured enough or a PH imbalance, or even not getting the food they like.

You'll know when they are stressed as their bodies will take on a charcoal-ish, dark appearance and the blue bits fade almost completely.

I don't suppose you know how old that female is, do you? Must be fairly young at that size as they often grow larger than the males.

Regards - Athena

 

[Mystil]

I have no idea how old she is.
Maidenhead said for the day but I have taken him out now and I will see how they go.

Bit of a pain to get more than one female as the shop probably would not take them back after I had a pair.
Thanks for the info Athena