Bolivian rams

[stinnettjosh]

I have a bolivian ram in my 55 gallon and have two questions.
1. Can anybody tell if its a male or a female?
2. I have space for about 5 of these guys but would i be better off getting a group or just getting it a mate?
Thanks for all the help.

 

[hennaartist]

The only true way to sex a ram is if it gets a pink belly. Only the females will get a pink belly, but they do not always have it . If you want 5 of them you will need to get them all the same gender. Either all male, or all female. Or you could do a single pair, one male and one female. Rams are cichlids and are quite territorial.

 

[t4runnr]

I have 2 separate pairs in my 75 and have no issues. The only "territorial" issues I see are when one pair spawns. The other pair for some reason has "breaks" in their relationship and want nothing to do with each other. Then they get back together but haven't spawned yet since I got them. The other pair looks like they are getting reading to spawn again.

I believe I'm getting away with this is because of the footprint of my 75 and perhaps the driftwood that's used.

I got both pairs from another member here. They tank that they were in looked smaller than my 75 and they appeared fine when I picked them up.


With regard to sexing them, the vents on my pairs are quite noticeable on the females. But I don't know if that's because the females have already laid eggs before.

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[stinnettjosh]

Ok well ive got mine in a 55 which i believe is about the same footprint. And did you get yours as already mated pairs?


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[KidFish]

Could you get a better shot of the back tail. I would say male but I'd need a better shot of all the fins


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[stinnettjosh]

Is this good?


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[t4runnr]

Ok well ive got mine in a 55 which i believe is about the same footprint. And did you get yours as already mated pairs?


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When I picked them up, Laser said they were mated pairs. And they certainly stayed together. We'll except one pair which appears to break up and then reconcile and then break up again. The pair that has actually spawned are inseparable.

Not that it would make a difference, but if your 55 is the same dimensions as my old 55, then my 75 has a bigger footprint. It's 48 x 18 where my old was 48 x 12. So I'm not sure if the extra area is helping reduce any aggression.

 

[t4runnr]

Could you get a better shot of the back tail. I would say male but I'd need a better shot of all the fins


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The pair that had spawned in my tank both have the extended tail tips so I wouldn't rely on just alone. Granted the female's tail extensions are not as long as the male it does have extensions.

 

[stinnettjosh]

Oh ok yea so the footprint is some different. I thought that the length was the big thing for aggression but i might be wrong.


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[t4runnr]

Oh ok yea so the footprint is some different. I thought that the length was the big thing for aggression but i might be wrong.


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As I said in my original post, the tank that Laser had them in was smaller than my 75. Possibly a 40 of some kind. I can't remember. The 2 pairs seemed fine in there as well. He did have more caves in his tank than the tank I put them in. So it could be a number of things: area, number of caves, driftwood to help divide up the area. All I know is that the 2 makes and 2 females are doing just fine.


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[stinnettjosh]

Ok awesome. Thanks for the help.


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[stinnettjosh]

Ended up getting him a girlfriend. Hopefully they get along.


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[Gillie]

The only true way to sex a ram is if it gets a pink belly. Only the females will get a pink belly, but they do not always have it . If you want 5 of them you will need to get them all the same gender. Either all male, or all female. Or you could do a single pair, one male and one female. Rams are cichlids and are quite territorial.

Huh? Op has bolivians not blues.

Venting is the best way to sex bolivian rams, both of your fish from what I could tell after enlarging the pics it is male.

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[emilygupps]

I have 2 separate pairs in my 75 and have no issues. The only "territorial" issues I see are when one pair spawns. The other pair for some reason has "breaks" in their relationship and want nothing to do with each other. Then they get back together but haven't spawned yet since I got them. The other pair looks like they are getting reading to spawn again.

I believe I'm getting away with this is because of the footprint of my 75 and perhaps the driftwood that's used.

I got both pairs from another member here. They tank that they were in looked smaller than my 75 and they appeared fine when I picked them up.


With regard to sexing them, the vents on my pairs are quite noticeable on the females. But I don't know if that's because the females have already laid eggs before.

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You should name them Ross and Rachel!

 

[t4runnr]

You should name them Ross and Rachel!

Lol.


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[stinnettjosh]

Gillie are you saying theyre both male?


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[Gillie]

No I miread the first post and thought the first 2 pics were different fish, but the one with 2 together in the post stating you got him a girlfriend shows a pair

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[stinnettjosh]

Ok good. Cause they apparently havent taken to each other yet and the male is chasing the female quite a bit.


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[Gillie]

Ok good. Cause they apparently havent taken to each other yet and the male is chasing the female quite a bit.


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Yeah, she hasn't accepted him yet. Males aren't picky when it comes to mates they are always ready to go and most likely why he's chasing her.

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[stinnettjosh]

Ok so they'll get over it eventually?


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