sexing rams?

[Theresa_M]

Hi,

I ordered two German Blue Rams online and received them two days ago. They are in my 29g community tank and seem to be doing well.

They're not quite 1" so I would think they're rather young? Right now they are a pearly color with a faint bit of blue behind the eye and a hint of the black verticle line thru the eye showing. Is it common for them to not have much coloring when they're young?

How can I tell the difference between a M and F? What has everyone's experience been with max size? I've seen ranges from 1.4" up to 4"

Any other info or care suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I'm really excited about these fish.

Thanks,

Theresa

 

[yutaka]

Hi Theresa,


i am also a newbie when it comes to ram...
i have been breeding balloon and regular rams with encouraging results and my observation might be of use to u....

difference between M & F:

Male - the "spikes", 1st 3 rays of dorsal r usually longer
Female - the black blotch r usually tainted with iridescent speckle
- usually have pinkish belly when they r about breed
- if fertile, usually spot a bloated body

if yur fishes r well fed, the best way to confirm is to take a top down view and note their anatomical difference...u will know automatically...

as for max size , i have no personal records as my balloon rams outlive the regular ones...i have decided to continue with balloon rams for their cute body shape and coloration....

if u r into breeding, they r easily bred and raised under conditions/methods i have been using thus far which has reduce mortality rate significantly....if u r interested, i have posted some pic and guidance here
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2769

yutaka

 

[Neil]

Theresa_M,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

They're not quite 1" so I would think they're rather young? Right now they are a pearly color with a faint bit of blue behind the eye and a hint of the black verticle line thru the eye showing. Is it common for them to not have much coloring when they're young?

Yes, they will start coloring up soon. 1" is not all that large so they are likely pretty young.

How can I tell the difference between a M and F? What has everyone's experience been with max size? I've seen ranges from 1.4" up to 4"

See yutaka's post for sexing. German Rams usually don't get all that large. 2 to 2.5" is good sized.

Make sure that you keep your water changes up. Rams are sensative to poor water quality. They also will benefit from a varied diet with frozen foods as a staple. After they spawn, you will need to make sure that water parms are carefully maintained for the fry. And the fry are too small to eat BBS, so you will need to find an alternative for a weeor so. All this info and much more can be found through a search here. You will probably have more reading than you know what to do with, if you type in "rams".

Good luck with them,

Neil