Boy or Girl Ram?

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betta4me

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
180
Location
Chandler, AZ
Can anyone tell me if my GBR is male or female? I would like to get "it" a friend of the opposite sex.

Thanks!


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Sorry to bring up my ram again, but I was just searching through liveaquaria and my GBR looks a lot more like a Bolivian...what do you guys think? The LFS sold him to me as a GBR though, I just want to get him a buddy for my 55g when it's ready and want to make sure it's the same species..if it matters....?
 
I vote Male Bolivian. NO way he is a GBR , he isnt near colorful enough. I would think he is male, since he has the extended black dorsal spike.
 
Is he the same color as in the photo? If so they I suspect Bolivian ram. I assumed it was the photo making it look washed out.
 
Yes, he's the same color as in the photo. When he gets excited, scared or during feeding time, his black stripes really brighten up a lot, especially the one on his head running through his eye. He's no where near as colorful as other GBR's I've seen and when I seen the photo on liveaquaria I figured he must be Bolivian or maybe a cross between something.
 
I'm 100% sure that's a GBR. Look at the tip near the mouth. Notice the tiny splotch of orange/red? Bolivians don't get that. Also, the slope of the area from the mouth to the start of the dorsal fin is that of a GBR. Also notice the prominent black eye bar, which is not usually seen as boldly in Bolivians. The lack of the ray extenstions on the caudal fin means that it's NOT a male Bolivian...even a young Bolivian male would show some sign of dorsal rays. If you want even more proof look closely at the eye. I can clearly see some red and Bolivians don't have red eyes.

Now, a better picture would help to determine the sex of the fish. I'm leaning towards male but can't be 100% sure from the pic. This fish looks like a young adult and should be sexable. If the pelvic fins extend past the start of the anal fin then you have a male.
 
Yes, he's the same color as in the photo. When he gets excited, scared or during feeding time, his black stripes really brighten up a lot, especially the one on his head running through his eye. He's no where near as colorful as other GBR's I've seen and when I seen the photo on liveaquaria I figured he must be Bolivian or maybe a cross between something.


Most likely it's an Asian bred ram. They tend to not get the same coloration and they don't have the nice shape as some of the nicer quality rams. They are treated with hormones and this shortens their lifespans. Sometimes they just don't have that much color to them. This is from inbreeding and adding wild blood to the line can help significantly.
 
Here's a few more photos, he's shy and quite darty so it's hard to get a good pic. I should mention that I've had him for about 5-6 months and he wasn't much smaller when I bought him. There's definately red in his eyes.

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That's definitely a male GBR. It's full grown or close to it as you should be able to tell from the new pics. It's also an Asian bred ram. Notice how long and stretched the body is compared to other rams that are more round and are stockier? That's the result of the growth hormones this fish was subjected to when it was younger.
 
Wow, thanks for all the information. So, I should be able to get a female GBR that looks like...well "normal" and they should be okay hanging out?
 
If you get a female ram he may chase her around or they may decide to pair and spawn. I guess you can only find out if you get a female for him.
 
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