Sexing Bolivian Rams

[jcabs100]

i wanted to know how to tell if your bolivian ram is either a male or a female what characteristics are there

 

[MegaZerino]

i wanted to know how to tell if your bolivian ram is either a male or a female what characteristics are there

females have a pinkish sort of belly when they are getting ready to breed i think

 

[jcabs100]

thats for german blue rams

 

[MegaZerino]

then i have no idea, is the femal elsightly smaller?? or is that blues as well?

 

[jcabs100]

wouldn't be able to tell you sorry

 

[jcabs100]

Anyone

 

[MegaZerino]

Anyone

i googled it and found this: The easiest way for me to sex, is by looking at the tail fin. The male has an extended tail fin, much longer than the females.

And then someone else said this: Young fish are very difficult to sex, but as they mature the male develops considerably longer extensions to the caudal (tail) fin.

so if they dont have the tail fin maybe they just arent very mature, or are both female??

 

[Essjay]

There is only one 100% way and that is by the shape of their breeding tubes. But the fish in the shops are usually too young to see them. The male's breeding tube is narrow and goes to a point while the female's is wide and the same width all the way down.
My male doesn't have very long tail extensions, and I know I have a male and female as they've laid eggs which have hatched.

 

[swanseastilo]

So how come some rams have pink bellys and some dont??

 

[MegaZerino]

So how come some rams have pink bellys and some dont??

different subspecies must be the reason i guess

 

[Essjay]

It's not different subspecies but different species. German/blue/electric blue/gold/balloon rams are all the same species (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) but bolivian rams are a completely different species (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus). That's why bolivian rams are more tolerant of pH, hardness and temperature than the other rams, whatever common names they have.