german ram problems? or just tough love?

[sldp999]

hi folks,
i have 2 german rams. one is smaller than other and the smaller one has less colour so i'm assuming its the female.
so, the male german is always always chasing the female and it doesnt seem likes its in a good way. they always fight for food. and somes they stair at each other for a good minute or so.
now, is this regular behaviour for two german rams??
if NOT, what should i do?
i'm thinking of getting two more. would that solve the problem(if indeed it is a problem).
would it matter if i get two different rams like blue long fins german rams?

thanks.
have a good night.

 

[Zagz]

You may have two males. Can you post a picture? If you have a male and a female, they may not be compatible. Pictures to help us help you sex them would give us some direction in what you can do to help. Rams are still cichlids and can be aggressive.

What size is your tank and what else is in there with them?

 

[sldp999]

hi,
i will post some pictures first thing tomorrow. my aquarium lights are off right now.

i have a 25 gallon and have 4 cardinal tetra and lots and lots of plants.

hope to here from you soon.

 

[sldp999]

hi,
so this picture is my bigger blue ram which i think is a Male but i could be wrong. like i said it has more colours than the smaller one. i couldnt get a picture of the smaller one cause it keeps moving.(trust me i tried really hard).
which do you think is more aggressive, male or female?

 

[bs6749]

That picture shows a female (I'm 100% certain). So, with that in mind, if it's the dominant one in the tank, you don't even have to show me a picture of the other one because it's a female too. She looks slightly plump. I'd bet that if you introduced a male and did a 10g water change with slightly cooler water you'd see eggs within 3 -5 days. That really won't be ideal though as you want to only keep sexed pairs in the same tank. So, you'll have to find a home for the female that is being picked on by the dominant female. If you don't, the chances are that she'll be harassed to the point of her death. A 25 gallon is really too small for two pairs of rams. You might be able to make it work but you'll have to know what you are doing and know what to watch for with aggression. You'll also have to know how to stop this aggression. I say add 2 males and see what happens. Maybe you'll get two pairs to form and they'll each keep to one end of the tank. A 29 would be much better for 2 pairs though.

 

[sldp999]

hi,
i will have to get a picture of other one. cause its smaller but the 3 top front fins are longer than the rest so i'm thinking its a male and it doesnt have a plump belly like this one in the picture.
could a female harass a male?
thanks for the advice.

 

[bs6749]

Females can harass males but generally this only happens if the female is older than the male or larger. Since you said your female is larger than the other one then it could be a male. Does the other fish have any pink on the belly? Also, if the pelvic fins of the other fish extend past the start of the anal fin it is a male.

 

[sldp999]

hi,
i'm certain that they have both female.
both of them have small blue spots on top of the middle black spot.
both of them have black stripes on the pelvic fins.
the bigger one is harrassing the smaller female.
i will introduce two males tomorrow and keep a close eye on them.
if alot of aggression is seen, what can i do to stop this?

one more question.
i would like to get 2 male golden rams. do you think they will get along with the female blue rams?
thanks