girl of boy??

[pisces]

Hello everyone, Would anyone be able to tell if my golden ram is a boy or girl? the guy in the pet shop told me it was girl. He sold me 2 of them. This poor fish is getting chased all over the tank.:frown:

[URL=http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=goldram5bf.jpg][/URL]

 

[aquaticclarity]

Pisces,

Even after I enlarged the photo it's hard to tell. The first few elongated dorsal rays look boy like, but aren't that pronounced. I've seen many girls with slightly extended dorsal rays. The belly region looks girl like though. Based on the photo I'd go with girl. After 1-2 weeks of good feeding if it's a girl the belly should fill out and looked a little more of a white shade then the rest of the body.

Jeff

 

[pisces]

Thanks Jeff, The other ram is chasing her constantly, its slightly smaller. is this normal? I read somewhere that if sometimes the male will kill the female if he doesnt bond with her..

 

[aquaticclarity]

Sure, they are cichlids; even dwarf cichlids will kill each other especially when reproduction is involved; "bonded" or not. It isn't unusual for chasing to occur especially in a smaller tank or if there aren't enough hiding places/territories or if there aren't some other "distractions" like other fish, cichlid or otherwise, in the tank.

Speaking of which, how big is the tank, how is it decorated, and what else fish-wise is in the aquarium?

Jeff

 

[pisces]

its about 10 gallons. I have the 2 rams and 6 neon tetras. Also 2 zebra danios that are just visiting for a couple of weeks.

 

[aquaticclarity]

The tank needs more decorations. Try to break up the line of sight, discussed in a different thread. Adding some more plants and/or driftwood so the rams can get out of the view of each other would be a good idea. If the aggressive fish can see the subdominant one there will be a fight or at least some serious chasing. Trying to create to separate territories of driftwood and plants would be best, if you have the room in the tank. This way each fish has a separate non-touching structure to call its own.

The accompany fish in the tank are good choices, although the danios may be a little too active for the rams. But you mentioned they are only in the tank short term.

Jeff

 

[Cathy G]

I agree - it looks like a girl - her dorsal fin is rounded at the back/top. Males' come to more of a point.

I really think you need to provide more shelter and hiding places in your tank. More plants - anubias, driftwood, etc. You could also float a bunch of hornwort or something. A background might help as well.

2 girls will fight over the territory. A male will chase a female if he is ready to spawn and she isn't. The stress can easily lead to major health issues in the subordinate fish. While it is possible to house a pair in a 10g there is not alot of space for the fish to get away from each other. In these cases it is especially important to provide lots of structure.

Hope it works out for you.
Cathy

 

[tjd]

Some chasing is normal between a pair until they start to breed. With the cardinals there is little chance of the fry surviving though.

Are you sure the other ram is not the same sex as well? For sexing rams I usually look at the stomach area. Only females will fill up with eggs and get the darker color on their stomach whether pink/red/purple/black. When viewed from above or straight on the females will look more full/rounded. I have found especially with the aquarium stains that elongated dorsal and ventral fins are not a reliable indication.

Tom