Sexing rams

[littlebitlarisa]

I just got home with what is supposed to be 1 male and 3 female bolovian rams. Is anyone here good at sexing? Or are they even old enough to sex?


fish 1

fish 2

fish 3

fish 4

They are friendly little guys. Out and about and very active in the tank

I think I may have more than one male as I have already seen some liplocking but not sure if females do that too.

 

[littlebitlarisa]

Anyone?

They are doing great today. They have settled into the tank nicely and seem to be hanging out together for the most part. Sometimes they split and two go to one "cave" and two to the other.

 

[absolutangel04]

IMO, fish 1 and 2 look like girls, 3 is a boy, and I am not positive about 4.
It will be easier to tell in a few weeks though, they are still pretty young.

 

[littlebitlarisa]

Thank you! Two girls would be great as I am hoping to get a pair out of them or at least two that will live peacefully as adults. They all seem to get along well. There is a occasional conflict but nothing more than one running the other from its "spot" . They are cool little guys to watch!

 

[absolutangel04]

My Bolivians have always been really good together, but I only ever had 1 female. The more I look at it, I tend to think fish 4 could be a boy, but its really hard to tell for sure.
If you put up more pictures in a little while, I may be able to tell better.

 

[littlebitlarisa]

Thank you! They are all getting along fine so I hope they will stay civil. I will post more pictures in a few weeks.

 

[littlebitlarisa]

They are growing up

I couldn't get any individual pics or pics of each one. So I just made sure everyone was pictured. They were to active and begging for food

My question is though, do you see any females in this group?

 

[littlebitlarisa]

and one more

Please and thank you!

 

[Owl307]

i think I might have saw 1 female but its really hard to tell with the pictures

 

[gallowchris]

The pics arent the best angles and fin positions. Looks like in the fifth pic you have a female. Now are these young rams? Asking because the coloring is very washed out. Want temp do you have the tank at?

 

[absolutangel04]

In all honesty, its a bit hard to tell from the pictures. Since I can't really see the belly angle clearly on all the fish, its hard for me to say.
They look really nice though. Nice and colorful. They have much more yellow than any of my Bolivians have.
The fish in the front of the first picture looks like a boy, so does the one in the 4th pic, and the one on the right in the 5th. Also, the one on the left in the 6th shot looks like a boy too. I can't really tell the individuals apart, so I am not sure which fish is which.
The fish in the second picture, and on the right in the 3rd picture are female options, but like I said, the angles and blurry edges make it hard for me to say for sure.

 

[Discusapisto]

My pair if this helps.

 

[littlebitlarisa]

They are just babies so thier colors are not very clear. I am just hoping to have one female out of them. I am pretty sure two vent as males, one i belive is a female and the other doesn't seem to show anything.

Tank is at 81 heater is set at 76 becuse it seems to run hot. I cooled it down to what my digi thermometer said was 79 and they didn't seem to like it. Sitting at bottom and not swimming. So it now sits at 81 and everyone is happy.

They are very active and love to beg for food. So cute!

Hoping for a pair that will live peacefully in this tank long term. Even if its two females or two males I do not care as long as they are civil. Not to much interest in actually breeding them.

 

[Discusapisto]

Rams are amazing little cichlids I agree they look amazing in planted tanks and have tons of personality. Look for blue specks in the black dot on the side of the rams blue means female solid black is male best way to sex them when young.

 

[gallowchris]

Rams are great! The begging for food is too funny, mine always seems to be hungry! Between the Rams and my kids im always being asked for food! Lol

 

[Discusapisto]

Rams are great! The begging for food is too funny, mine always seems to be hungry! Between the Rams and my kids im always being asked for food! Lol

I know the feeling my 12 year old eats me outta house and home but make sure you feed rams carefully they can develop problems if fed too often or of to much of the same food ex. Bloodworms they deff appreciate a varied diet with veggies mixed in for long term ram keeping! Cheers!

 

[gallowchris]

Totally! I feed mine on a schedule of feedings, two small one during the day then a larger one at night. Mixing up the blood worms and flakes (cichlid) haven't added the veg though. Any suggestions? I was feeding my other cichlids veg flakes in th epast and it just slipped my mind with the Rams.

 

[Discusapisto]

Totally! I feed mine on a schedule of feedings, two small one during the day then a larger one at night. Mixing up the blood worms and flakes (cichlid) haven't added the veg though. Any suggestions? I was feeding my other cichlids veg flakes in th epast and it just slipped my mind with the Rams.

Spirulina flakes or formula two flakes by ocean nutrition are prob the best foods I've ever used I use their community flake as well all real ingredients plus garlic infused which helps the rams helps with internal parasites my discus pound them as well. A good frozen alternative is spirulina enriched brine shrimp by hikari good stuff my rams breed often something's working lol!

 

[gallowchris]

Spirulina flakes or formula two flakes by ocean nutrition are prob the best foods I've ever used I use their community flake as well all real ingredients plus garlic infused which helps the rams helps with internal parasites my discus pound them as well. A good frozen alternative is spirulina enriched brine shrimp by hikari good stuff my rams breed often something's working lol!

Thank you! I will be going out tonight to Big Als to get some of the Formula Two. Always great to get tips, so again thank you. Hikari makes some of the best foods, I used their golf pellets when I had Butterkoferi and they grew to three year old size (7-8") in side of 10 months! Had to sell them, don't have the room for a 200 gallon tank!

Any other tips with Rams? I just had a couple die with Hole in the head (Long Fin GBR) but my Golden are perfectly fine. The last GBR has a couple spots but the metro seems to be working (fingers crossed)

 

[Discusapisto]

Thank you! I will be going out tonight to Big Als to get some of the Formula Two. Always great to get tips, so again thank you. Hikari makes some of the best foods, I used their golf pellets when I had Butterkoferi and they grew to three year old size (7-8") in side of 10 months! Had to sell them, don't have the room for a 200 gallon tank!

Any other tips with Rams? I just had a couple die with Hole in the head (Long Fin GBR) but my Golden are perfectly fine. The last GBR has a couple spots but the metro seems to be working (fingers crossed)

Your welcome anytime I enjoy helping out with fish I'll do anything to see our finned friends survive. Only tips I have is I've breed rams and all dwarf cichlids really for 10 years now and with rams I keep them in my discus tanks so they get weekly 50% water changes 83-84 f temp mixed diet frozen,live,flake,pellet,veggies ph is 7 ammonia nitrate nitrite is 0ppm they are in with live plants a plenty I starve all my fish one day a week to help aide their digestion and that's about it really, keep them with warm water fish that they can get along with and don't introduce disease once they are established (new fish or plants) I add my rams last to any tank so I know all is well. I avoid these new rams like long fin ram angels ballon rams I'm a naturalist the rams mother nature gave us are pretty enough I stick with those I feel the hybrids are genetically weak but just my opinion I wish you success and happiness friend!