German blue ram help.

[Pckerfreak44]

Soo I believe my female has been carrying eggs for about a month now. Well at least her abdominal area has been really round and red for that long. They have both been very aggressive during this time too but they still have yet to spawn. They have once a few months ago but haven't since then. Today I decided to rearrange my tank, and they were super aggressive to my keyholes. My questions are...

Is it normal for a female to hold that long without laying eggs?

Are my rams being aggressive because they are trying to claim new territory?

Will changing the rocks and decor around encourage them to spawn?

The female has become very aggressive and she usually isn't, the male still chases her around a lot though, is this normal too, considering they are still a young couple?

Thanks for the help

 

[Andy Sager]

Soo I believe my female has been carrying eggs for about a month now. Well at least her abdominal area has been really round and red for that long. They have both been very aggressive during this time too but they still have yet to spawn. They have once a few months ago but haven't since then. Today I decided to rearrange my tank, and they were super aggressive to my keyholes. My questions are...

Is it normal for a female to hold that long without laying eggs?

Are my rams being aggressive because they are trying to claim new territory?

Will changing the rocks and decor around encourage them to spawn?

The female has become very aggressive and she usually isn't, the male still chases her around a lot though, is this normal too, considering they are still a young couple?

Thanks for the help

The answers to your questions are Yes, No, Sometimes, and Maybe. LOL (jk)
Actually, fish can hold eggs pretty much indefinitely without spawning so the timeframe is not really a concern.
The fact that they both were still defending an area pretty much means that they are still a couple. Rearranging the decore will make them reestablish a territory but not much else unless the new area they choose is more protected from the other fish thereby being more condusive for a spawn.
The "fighting" between the couple could be a pre-spawn squabble, The female not liking the results of their last spawn so she wants another mate, They are young and haven't quite gotten the routine down yet, One is ready to spawn but the other isn't, OR lastly, they are ready to spawn but the water parameters aren't right for spawning so they are waiting for the right time. (Check the water parameters first )
I know I am in a minority here but I prefer to breed my rams with no other fish in the tank. It's possible that the rams no longer feel it is safe to breed in the tank so they are holding off. If all else fails and the water parameters are right, you might want to remove the other fish and see if this sparks a little flame .

You might also want to check out this thread (post #4) as the OP describes his exact water temps and values for his Ram's spawn. Maybe your values are different now then before when they spawned? http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f82/german-blue-rams-spawning-video-224927.html

Hope this helps...

 

[Pckerfreak44]

The only other fish are a dwarf gourami and 2 keyholes. Plus bottom feeders.

They did eat the eggs last time so she probably wasn't too happy... Haha oh well, she will have to get over it because that's the only man in her life.

They tried to claim like 3 4ths of the tank as theirs. The keyholes were just trapped in a corner and couldn't leave without being picked on. But they calmed down a bit now.

Thanks for the help helped a lot

 

[Andy Sager]

The only other fish are a dwarf gourami and 2 keyholes. Plus bottom feeders.

They did eat the eggs last time so she probably wasn't too happy... Haha oh well, she will have to get over it because that's the only man in her life.

They tried to claim like 3 4ths of the tank as theirs. The keyholes were just trapped in a corner and couldn't leave without being picked on. But they calmed down a bit now.

Thanks for the help helped a lot

It kinda sounds like they either all need to go into a larger tank or remove the other fish if you really want them to breed. Breeding cichlids will usually defend a territory which can create havoc in the tank and can stress out the other fish to the point of getting sick. You really want to keep an eye out for this with your other fish. If breeding is not your goal, you may want to entertain the idea of separating the pair so that they don't hurt each other or the other fish in the tank. Just something to think about

Good luck with them

 

[Pckerfreak44]

Hmmm... Maybe... I'm not sure. I don't wanna get rid of either one of them

 

[Andy Sager]

Hmmm... Maybe... I'm not sure. I don't wanna get rid of either one of them

Here's a 2 word solution for ya: Tank.........Divider..... It's the best of both worlds

 

[Pckerfreak44]

I feel like it looks bad haha plus I have rocks in the middle so it'll be real hard to rearrange. They dont pick on the keyholes that much so I think everything should be okay. Well I hope atleast