Bosom buddies? (Ram question)

[Rasciomon]

I just set up a 20-gallon tank that's going to be largely for plants. I've already planted it, and it's just about cycled. I'm considering a pair of dwarf cichlids. Today at the LFS I saw two electric blue rams that looked exceedingly healthy and vigorous. They're just over an inch long, and they look identical to me. So, either they're both males, or they're too young to show any dimorphism. Two questions:

1. Would you expect sexual dimorphism in rams to show at this size?
2. What if I just buy them and they turn out to both be male? Will they get along as they mature, or will one get beaten to death or fail to thrive?

 

[coralbandit]

I would expect to be able to tell some at 1" but the smaller the group to show difference the harder it is to tell.Often behavior is KEY to sexing electric blues if size can not be used.
I stand by males are larger and have longer fins, but again in small groupings it can be hard to tell.
Will 2 males get along over time ? Probably not ,but that is just from my experience with GBR.
My EBR (aprox. 20) are just starting to pair up and lay eggs for their first spawns...
I need to get them into a larger tank so I can pull naturally formed pairs to have the best success with them this fall.

 

[Rasciomon]

Thanks! Good info. I went back and looked again, and they're a little bigger than I first thought. And they're exactly the same...body shape, size, fin-length, color...

I think I'm going to pass and wait until I can get a confirmed pair. If I wind up special ordering, I may just get some Apistos instead.

 

[coralbandit]

Thanks! Good info. I went back and looked again, and they're a little bigger than I first thought. And they're exactly the same...body shape, size, fin-length, color...

I think I'm going to pass and wait until I can get a confirmed pair. If I wind up special ordering, I may just get some Apistos instead.

I keep and breed both GBR and apisto hongslio rostrich strain....
I think I have an add in the classified....