Bolivian rams; pairing or fighting

[Kelly5978]

I got a hopeful mate for my Bolivian. Can you tell if this is pairing or fighting? I'm not positive about the sex of each. They really lip lock at the end.

http://youtu.be/0-nr0yhVBz0

[bshenanagins]

Originally Posted by Kelly5978

I got a hopeful mate for my Bolivian. Can you tell if this is pairing or fighting? I'm not positive about the sex of each. They really lip lock at the end.

http://youtu.be/0-nr0yhVBz0

Nope their fighting, lip locking gives it away. I believe they are both males.

[Kelly5978]

Okay. Thx. He never really colored up, so I'm going to return him. Funny enough, the blue rams didn't mind him. They HATE my larger one. But, they let the smaller one swim and sleep by them. Oh well. Hey, for future reference....isn't the lip locking what angels do when pairing?

[bshenanagins]

Originally Posted by Kelly5978

Okay. Thx. He never really colored up, so I'm going to return him. Funny enough, the blue rams didn't mind him. They HATE my larger one. But, they let the smaller one swim and sleep by them. Oh well. Hey, for future reference....isn't the lip locking what angels do when pairing?

Not sure about angels, I just know with rams it's a no no

[FishieMomma]

Originally Posted by Kelly5978

isn't the lip locking what angels do when pairing?

Yes, my angels always lip-locked a day or so before laying eggs.

[blizowman1]

Yep my angels lip lock and beat the hell out of each other like they're fighting the whole mating process my female comes out missing scales and everything

[Kelly5978]

Well, this is a bummer. I thought for sure I had a male and a female. And, since my cichlids did that when pairing up (and I knew angels did), I just assumed. The little feisty one was looking pretty stressed this morning....just sitting by the filter, wouldn't eat, so I took him back. Hope he didn't have anything. I went back to the store 4 times to watch how he acted. He seemed healthy, but wAsnt doing well in my tank. Darn . So: angels lip lock, but rams don't when pairing. Got it. How do you sex a Bolivian? Is there anything really obvious (like the round belly in a German blue)?

[Kelly5978]

So...I took the new one back. Today, I go to a breeder friend's house. He has 2 Bolivians. Both have white things sticking out. They swim together, never fight, etc. My friend is not interested in breeding this species, so offers me 1. So, I spend an hour (using the Internet) to try to sex them, as I don't want another male ram in my tank (unless what i have is a female.....basically, i want the opposite of whatever i have). I pick the duller colored one, with the shorter, fatter white thing, the more rounded head, and a more yellow belly (mine at home has red and yellow belly). I put it in the tank. My Bolivian starts turning colors I didn't know it had, got striped up in the back (NOT STRESS STRIPES), more like a design, and started swishing its tail on the new one (almost like smacking it in the face with its tail). They swam over to the blue rams area....and an all out war ensued until the new fish figured out it should go to the other side. Now, both Bolivians are chilling on their side. How can you tell if a ram is pairing or fighting? There was no lip locking this time, but they both seem tense. I don't really care if they breed or not.....but I don't want more stress in the tank. The whole point is to distract the original Bolivian, so he'll leave my blues alone. Not the smartest plan, I admit....but he/she is soooo pretty! I don't want to re-home him.

[Kelly5978]

Are these 2 girls? The old one is red bellied, new one yellow. No lip locking, but mine keeps following the new one. And has kinda nipped its side a few times. They're so pretty together. Can't 2 girls get along?

[blizowman1]

I think I would try to look on YouTube and see if there are any vids of mating behavior or maybe even a sexing video....

This is what my male looks like I also have a female but they never breed so idk how that act goes

[Kelly5978]

That fish is gorgeous!!!!! I wonder if the blue is a "male" thing? The one I DIDN'T pick from my friend had a little blue in its dorsal. Like a second line under the red. Well, would 2 females and a male get along? I have looked and looked online trying to sex them. But, every article, and every person says something different. I think the female is supposed to be less colorful (this one has colored ALOT since entering my tank). I dunno. Guess ill just wait and see.

[blizowman1]

If you look at my YouTube account (blizowman1)

I have a contest video I just posted a couple weeks ago showing my male and female Bolivian I believe