German blue ram life expectancy?

[Guest]

I'd like to have a few of these but ive heard they don't live long? what is the average life expectancy, and what is a good amount to get if i want them to spawn.. are they easy or difficult to sex?

 

[talloulou]

Jchillin did a pretty good profile on them.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=60871

I bought mine when they were really young and their colors weren't in "full" yet. I find them almost impossible to sex when young. I was told by the store I had a male/female pair. But now I'm pretty sure I had two females. One only lasted a few months. The other one is doing well still. When I bought them they weren't too colorful. After getting them home they colored up fast. One was way more colorful then the other, leading me to fully believe I had a male/female. But now I think the colors were more a dominant/submissive thing. Once the more colorful one died, the other one all the sudden started boasting really bright colors, a very pink belly, and a proud tall mohawk. Jchillins profile has really good info on sexing. And there is the thread on german blue rams that would probably be helpful as well.

 

[Hrafnkel]

10 minutes. >.> Just kidding.

I've heard up to about 3 years.

 

[talloulou]

10 minutes. >.>

That's too funny. When mine had gone a couple of months I really thought I had lucked out since they hadn't dropped immediately. I figured, WOW, they made it through the hard part now they will live a lifetime. I was pretty surprised when the one went downhill and died. I still don't know what happened.

 

[Hrafnkel]

Who knows. Doesn't seem like they need a reason. Ah well, in retrospect, I like my figure-8 better. He may not be as pretty, but he's easier. >.> And less worry involved.

 

[Guest]

thanks for all the info.. i am going to read that profile and some of that looooooong thread... but just curious.. about how much do you pay for them? Ive seen them about 5 or 6 bucks around here.

 

[Hrafnkel]

I paid $5 a piece at Lubbock for my pair that died, at Abilene they're $10 each.

 

[TankGirl]

The German blues available to me locally are relatively short-lived, IMO. Maybe 18 months, 2 years, if you can get them to live beyond a week or two. I have given up on these, but it may be that everyone is using the same local breeder, or something, and the stock has been overbred.

I'm going with Bolivians.

 

[Jchillin]

I have given up on these, but it may be that everyone is using the same local breeder, or something, and the stock has been overbred.

That is the most common problem with GBR's. There is an internet site that sells GBR's that are "farm raised" in the far east. Research has shown that the rush to get them to market has produced weaker strains and very stressed out fish.

 

[workfortheman]

Research has shown that the rush to get them to market has produced weaker strains and very stressed out fish.

I'm pretty sure that my rams were from a local breeder, but I'm also pretty sure that they had been inter-bred for generations. This likely produced a weaker strain and a more sensitive, less colorful GBR. I wish I had good advice on where to buy these little guys (and girls).

 

[TankGirl]

Research has shown that the rush to get them to market has produced weaker strains and very stressed out fish.

I'm pretty sure that my rams were from a local breeder, but I'm also pretty sure that they had been inter-bred for generations. This likely produced a weaker strain and a more sensitive, less colorful GBR. I wish I had good advice on where to buy these little guys (and girls).

You are right, and the local breeder gets their stock from the sources Jchillin mentions, so it is a double whammy. There has got to be a responsible breeder out there that regularly introduces privately imported stock, but I don't know who that might be.

 

[Lance M.]

So you would have to get wild caught so they would live longer? Then you can breed them on their own.

And how would you be able to make sure that you got wild caught ones?

 

[ribboneel33]

That is the most common problem with GBR's. There is an internet site that sells GBR's that are "farm raised" in the far east. Research has shown that the rush to get them to market has produced weaker strains and very stressed out fish.

When they are there they are injected with color enhancing hormones with adverse effects. Most from a breeder live longer

 

[delfisherman]

I dont think that there is such a thing as a wild german blue ram due to that they were a wild species in the 40s but have been so bred youll be lucky to find a F1 ram

 

[ribboneel33]

I dont think that there is such a thing as a wild german blue ram due to that they were a wild species in the 40s but have been so bred youll be lucky to find a F1 ram

I haven't done much research on them as I dont have much hope for them to live long