• Hello guest! Are you an Apistogramma enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Apisto enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your fish and tanks and have a great time with other Apisto enthusiasts. Sign up today!

German Blue Ram sexing

Ste88GermanRam

New Member
Messages
3
Hello everyone. Story is I got myself a male & female pair last week. Was told to either keep a pair or 1m & 3f. Unfortunately I didn’t go with the 1&3 option straight away. So went back today to get 2 more females. Shop didn’t have many left and they struggled to pick out 2 females. Was assured these two are females and the last they had. My male has pestered the life out of them since I put them in, are they females? And will they be accepted by him as he’s quite dominant. Any help is great and I appreciate your time. I’ve added the best pics I can as they are both timid and dart away to cover, only chance I get is when the male drives them out.
 

Attachments

  • 1DCE02FB-8238-44FA-B2EC-F9C8F3149F25.jpeg
    1DCE02FB-8238-44FA-B2EC-F9C8F3149F25.jpeg
    887.3 KB · Views: 189
  • 55460433-9B9B-4360-9B07-7D717C319003.jpeg
    55460433-9B9B-4360-9B07-7D717C319003.jpeg
    981.5 KB · Views: 185
  • 84461EB6-6FB1-4F90-A99D-8860E76919A1.jpeg
    84461EB6-6FB1-4F90-A99D-8860E76919A1.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 185
  • 3B00285A-17D1-4BC2-877D-098C5E8A8852.jpeg
    3B00285A-17D1-4BC2-877D-098C5E8A8852.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 177
  • F1877C2E-54C3-42F5-9489-EFD971C0E8DC.jpeg
    F1877C2E-54C3-42F5-9489-EFD971C0E8DC.jpeg
    950.8 KB · Views: 170
  • 36ACAC3D-4695-4352-8B98-D7E0340D926D.jpeg
    36ACAC3D-4695-4352-8B98-D7E0340D926D.jpeg
    722.3 KB · Views: 170
  • 83B6C196-BEDA-458D-8762-EB40F270C925.jpeg
    83B6C196-BEDA-458D-8762-EB40F270C925.jpeg
    1.4 MB · Views: 190
  • 62CE01E9-BD9A-4D65-9437-04615E03BAC2.jpeg
    62CE01E9-BD9A-4D65-9437-04615E03BAC2.jpeg
    940.8 KB · Views: 175
  • A27A517E-BB8F-4FBE-B4AF-4DA1D7CF077D.jpeg
    A27A517E-BB8F-4FBE-B4AF-4DA1D7CF077D.jpeg
    886.4 KB · Views: 176
  • B48CE4E7-89CD-4820-9FA7-0A21BDA7A8CA.jpeg
    B48CE4E7-89CD-4820-9FA7-0A21BDA7A8CA.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 189

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
Welcome to the site, Are the photos of the fish you bought today? if the aggression continues you could re-arrange the decor and re-introduce every fish at the same time, it helps to reestablish territories. also it looks like at least one of of your supposed "females" is a "balloon morph" which is a spinal defect (i believe) Just making sure you are aware.
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,959
Location
Germany
If I see that right almost all are tankbred strains (I see a balloon and at least one longfin, aswell as one which is probably a hybrid with the gold variant), which makes sexing a lot harder.

Usually if the second ray of the dorsal is significantly longer it's a male and if the belly is reddish it's a female. Many domestic strains are either lacking both signs often or females develop longer fin rays. So unless one has wild type fish the sexing is always a gamble.
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,366
I could be mistaken but generally speaking rams are M:F. Having extra females might give the male more options but the other two females will have to be removed else there will be violence.
 

Ste88GermanRam

New Member
Messages
3
Thanks all for replying. My tank is a juwel vision 180. It’s quite well planted. Tanks only 3 months old. I was always told it was 1 male and 3 female to keep it calm. My mistake was I added two females a week later. Also is the balloon morph bad? Are they ok? I am finding the way fish are bred is shocking. See photo of my male and female from a week ago. And of my tank setup. Thanks everyone.
 

Attachments

  • 744ECAC4-BA7B-412A-8CD9-311EFEC7EE32.jpeg
    744ECAC4-BA7B-412A-8CD9-311EFEC7EE32.jpeg
    714.2 KB · Views: 176
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 165

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,959
Location
Germany
The tank is ok for one pair of rams, for more it's too small and neither sufficiently planted nor structured. Just as a sidenote: I see gourami, those need far more plants, especially such that grow to or even above the surface. I see the roots of some floating plants, but that's not remotely sufficient. A well structured gourami tank should be planted so densely that from top to bottom one cannot see the back wall of the tank.

Rams are generally problematic thanks to generations of mass production, but the domestic strains are often of especially bad health due to excessive inbreeding, also further health problems from the changed physiology lead to shortened lifespans. I would return all fish besides the original pair, which looks quite healthy.
 

Ste88GermanRam

New Member
Messages
3
The tank is ok for one pair of rams, for more it's too small and neither sufficiently planted nor structured. Just as a sidenote: I see gourami, those need far more plants, especially such that grow to or even above the surface. I see the roots of some floating plants, but that's not remotely sufficient. A well structured gourami tank should be planted so densely that from top to bottom one cannot see the back wall of the tank.

Rams are generally problematic thanks to generations of mass production, but the domestic strains are often of especially bad health due to excessive inbreeding, also further health problems from the changed physiology lead to shortened lifespans. I would return all fish besides the original pair, which looks quite healthy.
Thanks for this. I am now looking on either returning or rehoming them. Tanks only a couple of months old. I was made aware of the need for plants for the gourami so have since planted more tall growing plants, just a matter of waiting for them to grow, all what’s in there have grown from a few inches to that in 10-12 weeks so hoping not too long.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
17,916
Messages
116,205
Members
13,028
Latest member
JaconieMalonie

Latest profile posts

Josh wrote on anewbie's profile.
Testing
EDO
Longtime fish enthusiast for over 70years......keen on Apistos now. How do I post videos?
Looking for some help with fighting electric blue rams :(
Partial updated Peruvian list have more than this. Please PM FOR ANY QUESTIONS so hard to post with all the ads poping up every 2 seconds….
Top