Ram Problem

[stonedcamel]

i appreciate any advice given

 

[Johnlenham]

i appreciate any advice given

This is about the most comprehensive thing ive found on Rams though granted I havent lookd THAT hard
Ram Facts

It does mention being kept at warmer temps for better colour and ive noticed this with mine but i dernt push it past 26-27 for my other fish's sake also dont take it for gospel.

 

[Truck]

the warmer temp does bring out colours, but also optimum health

 

[Johnlenham]

the warmer temp does bring out colours, but also optimum health

Are there even many fish that can be kept at that temp though? Surely you need ot find a balance if its a community tank?

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

rams are beautiful fish... but they're just ridiculously fussy!
after my first 4 PAIRS (!!! ) i gave up trying to keep them.
i do beleive they require the pristine water stats and quality that discus require.
what you're experiencing with your ram is what happened to every single last one of mine.

i see you have 2 options here; as said before, rehome the male and replace the pair with something just as beautiful but a lot less fussy (a suggestion would be apisto cacatuoides... they're lovely ) or keep the male and hope for the best and maybe add a female if he lasts a few months.

anyway, the best of luck i hope it goes how you want it to

pink.

 

[TigerIssey]

Are you positive the fish you said is female is actually female. If you post a picture I can tell you definitively. I had two that I thought were female, they turned out to be male, yeasterday bought 4 females to go with them (so cute and small atm)
If it is male, they could be fighting over territory, adding females has calmed my males down considerably, They are now all showing off to the females.

EDIT I have looked at your thread on sexing your rams. Sorry to rell you but you have 2 females. This may be causing a little friction within your tank.

If you want me to explain how I know they are female I will but could you post some photos here and I can use them to explain.

 

[stonedcamel]

the male

the female

her colours became alot more clearer as she got older, she was younger when the picture was taken and i was really certain they were a male and female pair although didnt spend all time together but i knew they might not be a breeding pair.

thankyou pink dolphin, the male and all the other fish are still happy although i found her dead this morning, so i might be looking for another center fish

 

[minxfishy]

Sorry to hear she didnt make it RIP.

They are german blue rams BTW, not golden rams, although their requirements are the same.

I wouldnt add anything else just yet, let the tank settle and ensure there are no other problems 1st.

 

[stonedcamel]

i know what you mean bout leaving the tank to settle.... will leave it for bout a month and see....

everyone seems ok though

 

[Truck]

They are german blue rams BTW, not golden rams, although their requirements are the same.

german blue rams and gold rams are the same species, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

 

[minxfishy]

 

[TigerIssey]

If you look at the anal fin on both fish, they do not pass the junction with the tail, in a male they do. Both were females, probably one got harassed by the other for territory.

Edit
The ones in my sig are male. Although long finned the anal fin still passes the tail junc in male but not in female.

 

[Johnlenham]

If you look at the anal fin on both fish, they do not pass the junction with the tail, in a male they do. Both were females, probably one got harassed by the other for territory.

Edit
The ones in my sig are male. Although long finned the anal fin still passes the tail junc in male but not in female.

Is this the same for Bolivians?
No idea how to work out if mine is a Male or Female. Ive found people saying
Black spots = male, longer front spikes on the dorsal = male , more rounded= female but im not sure whos right or wrong

 

[TigerIssey]

Is this the same for Bolivians?
No idea how to work out if mine is a Male or Female. Ive found people saying
Black spots = male, longer front spikes on the dorsal = male , more rounded= female but im not sure whos right or wrong

Not sure for bolivians, I think you need to count the rays.

If you look at a ram such as stonedcamels females, their irredescent spots may show up if the colours are turned off, these dots are the ones used to sex them. Males can have smudged spots over the black area, the females are very distinct. As a fish gets older (needs to be adult) you can look at the first three spines of the anterior dorsal fin. The posterior dorsal fin passes the tail junction on the males but never on a female. The anal fin passes the tail junction in a male, never on a female. The females will start to develop pink bellies, in the presence of just two females, one can hold this colouring off giving the impression she is male. This is due to territory, the sub female is allowing the pink bellied one dominance. I have seen this in my old tank, until I learned how to sex with the anal fin, I had no idea that at one point I had two females.


EDIT Until I bought these four male long-finned, I had no idea whether it would work on these until they have shown their full colouring in the last week. It stands with long-finned as well.

 

[indir-emir]

For bolivians, from the research ive done, they say to sex them, with a guarantee, is to look at a vent thats on the bottom of their body between the anal fin and the uhh front fins (dunno the name of those ones lol). The female vent is more easily visible while the male is a smaller and points at an angle going towards the anal fin. Also from the research ive done the female can also have the things that Tiger described only for males, check the link. There is a few more out there but this was the most helpful when i was sexing my bolivian rams

Here is a link to show one of the sites i found that supports what ive said:
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtop...ighlight=sexing

Regards,
Indir