Pairing Rams!?

[osteve123]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and wonder if you can help?

I bought a pair (male and female) blue rams (correctly sexed). All was ok, with them swimming around together...so thought I had a "pair". However about a week later I got another "pair" of golden rams (again sexed). Again these first started off together...but then the female golden has gone off with the male blue. This pair is now "nesting", with the female blue and male golden left on their own, not interested in each other. I was really hoping of the pairs staying as pairs. Can I split them using a spare tank to make them pair as gold gold and blue blue? Any ideas, as I would really like "straight" pairs, I am aware they are the same species, just the colour difference etc.

Thanks,

Steve.

 

[DrRob]

You can separate them, no telling what they'll do to each other and you may be wise to make sure you have a means of dividing the tanks you put them in if they stay on breeding mode but don't identify the other fish as their partner or if the male blue pesters the female blue who isn't ready to breed yet.

 

[osteve123]

Ok....

The female blue seems to have a bit of a flirt with the blue male..but then gets chased off by the female golden!

Could it be that the male golden isn't mature enough..maybe split them, let the blue pair up over a couple of weeks, then re-introduce the pair of gold once the gold male is older?

What if they get split and she spawns in the spare tank with the male gold or leaves the eggs in the tank behind her?

 

[DrRob]

Sounds like you'll be fine splitting them into two pairs.

 

[osteve123]

Ok...the Rams are split....hopefully all goes ok....

 

[osteve123]

News isn't good....went out at 9 last night. Fish ok, water ok etc...got back at 2...both Golden Rams (taken out of the main tank) both dead.

Really upset......

Would stress have been an issue? They had eaten some food fine in their tank, had lost a bit of colour (as expected) due to the move...

Any ideas guys/girls....help would be appreciated...even for next time if I have to move fish.

Steve.