German Blue Rams

[Talvari]

I have a pair of Balloon German Blue Rams. I was told it was a male/female pair... Ive had them for about two months, now, I think. There is a pretty big color difference, and a little size difference. The larger is definitely the more... precocious of the two. They've settled in nicely, have good color, and are pretty energetic.

Not the best pic, I know.... Bu I'm only working with a cell phone camera and those little buggers are fast!

The one on the left is supposed to be the male, the one on the right the female. Thoughts?

 

[garfy]

That not a bad pic Nice looking fish you have there

 

[dotswithchemicals]

I love German Blue Rams, but the balloon kind are absolutely adorable! How much did you pay for them? A store near by me sells Electric Blue Belly rams, like yours I believe, for about 24$ and at an actual fish store they're priced at 64$.. beautiful fish but not in my budget, sadly.

 

[Talvari]

Thanks... It took me 20 minutes of almost constant snapping to get a decent one, lol!

These guys I got over at Country Max. I paid about $20 for the pair.

 

[dotswithchemicals]

20$?! Gah, no fair! but good for you.

 

[Talvari]

I know! I've seen them really expensive before! I took a bit of a chance with them, since my tank had only recently finished cycling.

I was really hoping that it was a male/female pair... But I can't tell and I cant seem to get a good enough picture for anyone else to tell. :/

 

[Talvari]

Here is a better picture of the supposed "female". I had to bribe her with shrimp pellets to get her to sit still!

 

[Ardynas]

I'm not positive but the top picture looks like a male chasing a stressed male that's lost color.

 

[siva]

Balloon rams, like balloon mollies, are bred to be deformed, which makes them highly sensitive and often causes health issues and shortened lifespan. I would highly encourage all in the hobby to purchase regular rams, as I believe breeding deformed fish is hideous and gruesome.

These are harder to sex, but I would guess they are both males.

 

[bonibelle]

I saw these guys at my lfs today. Not sure how much they wanted for them as I opted for young regular GBRs..They were beautiful though.

 

[Talvari]

I'm not positive but the top picture looks like a male chasing a stressed male that's lost color.

He wasnt being chased. The one of the right was just sitting there, the one on the left was going after some food that was floating around in the tank. They rarely chase each other and can usually be found hanging out together under the same bunch of leaves first thing in the morning.

 

[a.tetreault]

Balloon rams, like balloon mollies, are bred to be deformed, which makes them highly sensitive and often causes health issues and shortened lifespan. I would highly encourage all in the hobby to purchase regular rams, as I believe breeding deformed fish is hideous and gruesome.

These are harder to sex, but I would guess they are both males.

most fish are bred for a specific look, like all types of fancy goldfish and countless other breeds. it does not always mean there will be a shortened lifespan, and i believe as long as you are giving them a good home and are caring for them properly it is perfectly fine to keep them. i do respect your opinion, but feel you may have been a little too harsh in your comment and as im sure you know it is not as extreme as many of the breeds out there!

It is just like breeding dogs for looks, and i wouldnt consider that as wrong as most of those dogs are very happy and very healthy, provided there owners take good care of them.

 

[bs6749]

Balloon rams, like balloon mollies, are bred to be deformed, which makes them highly sensitive and often causes health issues and shortened lifespan. I would highly encourage all in the hobby to purchase regular rams, as I believe breeding deformed fish is hideous and gruesome.

+10. I couldn't agree more and I am glad to see that someone else appreciates Microgeophagus ramirezi in it's true form.

 

[Talvari]

So does that mean noone should keep pugs or bulldogs because they are bred to have a deformed facial structure that negatively impacts their breathing capabilities?

 

[bs6749]

So does that mean noone should keep pugs or bulldogs because they are bred to have a deformed facial structure that negatively impacts their breathing capabilities?

No, you may feel free to keep whatever you want. But these balloon morph rams are far more prone to illness and disease than the normal morph of Microgeophagus ramirezi, so when balloon rams get sick and die, they give the species a bad name because people think that the balloon morph is comparable to the normal morph, and they aren't. Normal morph rams are far hardier than balloon type. They aren't natural and wouldn't make it in nature.

Pregnant bulldog females (not sure about pugs) must have c-sections to ensure that the pups survive. Let bulldogs loose in the wild and that will be the end of them because they won't be able to reproduce. Does this mean that they are bad? No. Someone may get just as much enjoyment out of them compared to a "more normal" type dog such as a Shiba Inu, that is more closely related to the ancestor that gave rise to the domesticated dog. Just be aware that certain breeds come with risks and known maladies much like large breed dogs are prone to hip dysplasia and typically live 1/2-3/4 as long as "more normal" breeds of dog. So be aware that your balloon rams are known to have issues and don't compare this morph to the normal morph, because they aren't one in the same as far as what you can expect out of them.

 

[severum mama]

I agree with what bs6749 said. To go along with that, I find it unethical that fish farms/wholesalers/lfs's are perpetuating the short bodied deformity (which often leaves the fish barely able to swim compared with the normal bodied counterparts) and are marketing it as "balloon" something-or-other because it's "cute". Essentially, they have found a way to charge the customer extra for fish that should have been culled.

 

[Talvari]

I understand, and I am just as outraged by people charging more money for "designer dogs" just because it has a cute sounding name like puggle, or because they were too stupid to get the animal fixed and now have an oops liter on hand.

I am just somewhat offended by what Siva said, because it sounds like by buying this fish, I am not just as interested and into this hobby as anyone else, or that I care about animals less because of it.

As I stated... I bought this pair for around $20... No different than what I would have paid for my LFS regular GBR's. I also know that they can have health issues associated with them, just like any other "designer" breed.

 

[siva]

I am sorry you feel this way, I certainly did not mean to offend you. Nothing I said has anything to do with your interest in this hobby. I simply stated the facts, and how I personally feel about them. I am not going to push the issue, as others have the same right to their beliefs as I do, but I am going to clearly state it and attempt to educate others on the matter whenever the opportunity arises. It is in no way an attack on you personally. If no one had ever informed me, I may still be in the dark about it.

Clearly we are just on different pages when it comes to these sort of fish. To each their own, and I would hope we can agree to disagree w/o hard feelings.