Bolivian Rams - Help Sexing Please

[yoz0807]

Following a little reasearch I decided to get a pair of Bolivian Rams.

The girl in the LFS was helful, but like me she was unsure if we had managed to get a pair.

The fish in pic 1 I think is a female, but am not sure about fish in pic2.

Also fish 1 seems quite aggressive towards fish 2 .
Having spent an hour or two reading the site tonight, I am even more confused about their behaviour.
Knowing what I have would help though.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Snap! I too have recently got two of these rams. The guy in LFS tried his best to sex me a pair. The best way is to have a good look at their vents. On pic #1 you can see the vent on the bottom side of the fish as a small bump. On a female this protrudes as a bump whereas on the male (can't see vent on pic#2) it tapers to a point. I understand that you are able to sex them easier when they mature. If you see them grappling each other with their mouths, this is a sign of them pairing off. If the female wins the battle she won't be interested until they grapple again and he wins. Apparently it could end up in a fatality , or they will pair for life! How are your rams doing in regards to eating?

these are mine http/s142.photobucket.com/albums/r81/mbs...=ramssexing.flv

 

[yoz0807]

Fish 2 seems a little shy and doesn't want to show me its tackle.
I have spent ages trying to get a better pic.
They have nibbled at bits of food but neither of them seem to be getting enough just yet. I am hoping its just until they have settled in.
I take it that you agree fish 1 looks female?

 

[mbsqw1d]

"Fish 2 seems a little shy and doesn't want to show me its tackle."

lol. Yeah I'm 75% sure #1 is female I have spent all day making sure mine have eaten properly as they had sunken stomachs Problem is my 5 Colombian Tetras eat like possessed Piranhas! Your male has lovely black markings!

These are pics I'm going off:

http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/FemaleVent.jpg

http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/maleVent.jpg

 

[yoz0807]

Thanks for them pics.
Having spent the last 20 mins trying to get the money shot, and failing I would say that fish 2 does seem to be male
At first I thought the two of them were fighting but it may well be the courtship thing.

When I went back to the tank the 'male' had taken over the spot that the female has occupied all day and she seemed more submissive and in a corner.
But it didn't last, as she chased him off again.
His markings are nice aren't they....
The markings and colourings on both fish seem to be changing every time I look.

How do you 'make sure they have eaten properly' ?

 

[~T~]

The second looks male going by the much pointier ventral fins.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Thanks for them pics.
Having spent the last 20 mins trying to get the money shot, and failing I would say that fish 2 does seem to be male
At first I thought the two of them were fighting but it may well be the courtship thing.

When I went back to the tank the 'male' had taken over the spot that the female has occupied all day and she seemed more submissive and in a corner.
But it didn't last, as she chased him off again.
His markings are nice aren't they....
The markings and colourings on both fish seem to be changing every time I look.

How do you 'make sure they have eaten properly' ?

I've literally watched them eat to make sure (I've had a lot of spare time on my hands today lol) They seem very hungry as they even rise to the surface for the food instead of just waiting for the scraps like most bottom dwellers / earth eaters.

And yeah I've heard they have complicated love/hate relationships! Anyway, cool we've both got similar aged/looking rams we can share our findings!

 

[meguro]

female
male

 

[yoz0807]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I feel as confident as I can that I have a male and female. The question now is wether they will get on

mbsq, its good to know that someone else is on the same learning curve, and it would be good to share info.

 

[ALW]

female
male

Agreed! The second looks like a young male

 

[shane87]

iv just got 1 bolivian ram and just makin sure its a male...i dont have a picture but the end of the top part of its tail fin is extended buthe bottom one isnt...it loos like the 'vent' is pointy

 

[mbsqw1d]

iv just got 1 bolivian ram and just makin sure its a male...i dont have a picture but the end of the top part of its tail fin is extended buthe bottom one isnt...it loos like the 'vent' is pointy

Do you have it on it's own or did you get a pair?

 

[shane87]

on its own.....the lfs only had one left and didnt knw when he was gettin anymore in so had to take it

 

[coldcazzie]

"Fish 2 seems a little shy and doesn't want to show me its tackle."

lol. Yeah I'm 75% sure #1 is female I have spent all day making sure mine have eaten properly as they had sunken stomachs Problem is my 5 Colombian Tetras eat like possessed Piranhas! Your male has lovely black markings!

These are pics I'm going off:

[URL="http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/FemaleVent.jpg"]http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/FemaleVent.jpg[/URL]

[URL="http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/maleVent.jpg"]http/i100.photobucket.com/albums/m15/Blairo/maleVent.jpg[/URL]

Do those pics apply to sexing any kind of ram? I'm thinking of getting a pair, but not sure of the kind until I discover what the lfs has in stock...

 

[Truck]

coldcazzie-

Bolivian rams can be sexed by colouration and fin shapes. The Easiest way to tell is by looking at the dorsal fins, the first three rays will be extended on males, however this can sometimes be in accurate

Blue rams are easily sexed providing you get good quality stock that doesnt come from germany! german blue rams are the worst quality, with czech rams being the best out of the two, with wild caught or home bred being better. Female Blue Rams have Pink bellies providing theyre not high on hormones and antibiotics, that the breeder may have given them.

some breeders give them hormones to stop them sexually maturing.