Sex this Blue Ram please!
- Thread starter SWerner13
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colematthewmalaka
Aquarium Advice Freak
I'm guessing female if you look closely you can see the fins on yours are more rounded then the other pictures this indicates it's female but it's really young so it may change and show male characteristics, I'm no expert but I do think it's female.
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
I'm gonna go with female as well. 
time will tell. i went to the fish shop and when my fish guy stuck the net in the male was always on this females tail, so i told him that i had to have that male. i got home, put them in the tank and they are in love. haha but if you are trying to force marriage it may take a little more time or a few more females. usually to force you should put in 6 or 8 germans, in this case, and see which ones pair up, but that would be costly. so just give it time, good luck.
yah i know and agree, i had the same problem i needed my couple to make it through the night with my firemouth who is now gone. your female shouldn't get killed, just pray for her. and it wouldn't be a bad idea to ad another female either. if she pairs up with the male you could add another male or bring the "less attractive" female to a fish store for another fish or some carbon for your filter. haha
Haha well we'll see how it goes for now I suppose. I'll just monitor for as much as possible. I believe the store I went to has a 3 day policy so I will just watch through monday. I drip acclimated so there should be no reason for her to have trouble adapting.
bs6749
Aquarium Advice Addict
Do you have any better pics of the fish? I'm interested in seeing the length of the pelvic fins for more accurate sexing. It looks mostly female but if the male is being territorial towards the fish that may be preventing the rams whose sex is in question of showing it's true colors. It may actually be a male that isn't showing it's colors because there is a dominant male in the tank.
You can't force any fish to pair up with another. It's THEIR choice, not yours. The only thing that YOU have control over is their environment and things like water temperature, amount and types of food, how often water changes are done, decorations, tankmates, etc. Any of these can entice them to spawn but when it comes down to it it is not YOUR choice but theirs.
My feeling is that since the male has acted this way to the fish they won't ever pair. Males are generally interested in spawning and they don't usually deny females...another reason I think the fish could actually be a male. It's also possible that the male thinks that there is simply another fish invading "his" territory and he was defending it.
You can't force any fish to pair up with another. It's THEIR choice, not yours. The only thing that YOU have control over is their environment and things like water temperature, amount and types of food, how often water changes are done, decorations, tankmates, etc. Any of these can entice them to spawn but when it comes down to it it is not YOUR choice but theirs.
My feeling is that since the male has acted this way to the fish they won't ever pair. Males are generally interested in spawning and they don't usually deny females...another reason I think the fish could actually be a male. It's also possible that the male thinks that there is simply another fish invading "his" territory and he was defending it.
bs6749
Aquarium Advice Addict
All the "obvious signs" tell me that it's a female but I've seen a "female" with a pink belly before spawn with an undoubtedly female ram producing wigglers. I'm just puzzled by the lack of coloration on the fish. It's not immature because it looks fairly large and appears to have the shape of a female, front dorsal rays of a female, pelvic fins appear short, though not clear and that indicates female, and shape of the head indicates female as well. The actions by the male in the tank indicate a threat so this would imply that the fish is male or possibly the male already in the tank was previously paired and isn't accepting of this new suspected female. It does happen, and if this is the case he may never spawn with this "female".
Whatever the case may be, and I don't mean any offense by this, but if the sex of a ram is EVER in question that ram isn't worth having in my opinion. Either the fish is sick, stressed, or just has bad genes. At any rate, I'd take it back and look for a better colored female. Just my two cents.
Whatever the case may be, and I don't mean any offense by this, but if the sex of a ram is EVER in question that ram isn't worth having in my opinion. Either the fish is sick, stressed, or just has bad genes. At any rate, I'd take it back and look for a better colored female. Just my two cents.
Well the colorations and all that may be out of wack because I took that pic like an hour after bringing it home.
Man I'm having trouble getting a decent ram in my area. And so is my friend! I guess the best thing would be to take it back tomorrow you think?
colematthewmalaka
Aquarium Advice Freak
No I wouldn't it may just be getting it's colors mine aren't that colorful yet and aren't much smaller than the one in the picture and they're blue pigmentation is just starting to show. I'd keep it for a while and see if it changes at all.
bs6749
Aquarium Advice Addict
Definitely take it back. If it isn't colored up by now it won't ever color up nicely. I have an abundance of females that I'm growing out and seem to be lacking in males. They are excellent stock being half wild blood and I should have 2-3 ready to go very soon. I'll send you a PM with details.
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