Bolivian Pairing

[wlagory]

My girlfriend has 4 bolivian rams in her 55 gallon tank. There are two larger and 2 smaller. When we bought the smaller two they appeared to be female, but now we are not sure as they have not paired up yet. I know bolivians are hard to sex but the smaller two seem to have more rounded fins than the larger ones. They all get along pretty good and almost school at the front of the tank begging for food.

My question is, how long does it typically take for bolivian rams to pair up? There is also 2 abramites and 4 cory cats in the tank. Could the abramites be keeping the rams from breeding? Any suggestions would be appreciated.:biggrin:

 

[mrlimpet]

they will pair up if they're compatible and only when they're ready. problem is they're operating on their own schedule, not yours. :wink:

even if you have males and females, they may never pair up. i've found a more reliable way to sex adults is to examine their genitalia, just in front of the anal fin. the female's eggtube will generally be larger and clearly evident while the male's will be smaller, pointed, and sometimes not even visible. here's a pic of my adult pair with the female on the left. this pair has spawned and the fry are almost a year old.



even with the juveniles, i'm beginning to see eggtubes on what i believe are young females. in this pic of the juveniles with their tankmates at feeding time, you can see eggtubes on two of the rams on the right.



hope this helps.

edited to comply with image-size requirements of the site.

 

[wlagory]

Thanks for your reply. Those are some beautiful bolivians! I will have to check out the ovipositers when I am around the tank next. Is this a fairly accurate way to sex these guys? Last time I looked, they all had some sort of exposed genetalia. Maybe we have all females. How about aggression? Do males show aggression towards both genders? Or just male to male, female to female? The two larger ones used to do some serious lip locking. But once they got settled in the aggression has plumeted, and they get along great. Even if they do not breed they are truly a joy to observe! Thanks again!

 

[mrlimpet]

thx. they are the first egglayers i was able to successfully raise.

I will have to check out the ovipositers when I am around the tank next. Is this a fairly accurate way to sex these guys?

it's the surest way i know. the female's ovipositer will be fatter than the male's organ, which tends to be pointy. i've read a lot that the dorsal fin on males has elongated tips and the females do not. however, my mature female has elongated tips on her dorsals!

How about aggression? Do males show aggression towards both genders? Or just male to male, female to female? The two larger ones used to do some serious lip locking. But once they got settled in the aggression has plumeted, and they get along great.

i've noted aggression like you describe (lip-locking, posturing) between the same sex. i think this is mainly a contest of strength to establish pecking order. this is different from chasing which usually occurs between males and females both ways.

good luck with your bolivians and post some pics when you get a chance.