Gold rams

[bosk1]

I have been on a hunt for these fish for almost a year, and finally found some. Now that I have them, a few questions come to mind:

1. Are these a completely different species from either the German Blue or the Bolivian, or are they merely a color variation of either of the above?
2. How do you sex them? The ones I got were fairly young juveniles, so it may be too tough to tell anyway. But the ones I suspect are females have a much lighter coloration, and do not seem to have as much of a pronounced dorsal spike. But those are the only discernable differences. The difference in spike is somewhat negligible, so perhaps it means nothing. And as far as the coloration, could the difference just be due to dominance? I know that with some fish (e.g. clown loaches), the fish that establishes itself as the dominant fish can sometimes tend to have a darker color, whereas the other fish will lighten somewhat. I don't know if that is the case here.
3. What else can anyone tell me about these marvelous little fish?

 

[bs6749]

1. Same species but different coloration as the German Blue Rams and completely different species than the Bolivians.
2. Not sure exactly on the Gold Rams but in the GBR's the males have longer pelvic fins that extend past the anal fins, so I am assuming this is very similar. Female GBR's also have a pink or pinkish tinted belly that gets darker in color before spawning. You may also be able to see the ovipositor of the female Gold Rams when they are not spawning to help identify them. When they are ready to spawn it is obvious which is the female by the ovipositor. Also, I would guess that the males are larger and longer than the females which is the same with GBR's.
3. These fish will like soft water that is acidic (a pH of between 6.0-7.0), but do well in a pH as high as 7.8-8.0. Many will tell you that a stable pH is better than a perfect pH. I would also guess that males and females will remain faithful to one another when it comes to spawning as is the case for GBR's. It is fairly to get them to spawn, more difficult however to raise the fry. They will sapwn in the substrate, on leaves, and on flat surfaces such as slate.
These fish may lose color in times of stress and it becomes very apparent. They also lose color at nighttime when the lights are off. I feed mine (GBR's) New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula to help bring out their color. I also feed them live blackworms, which they readily gobble up when placed in the tank.
These fish can be timid and shy, so have a well planted aquarium with caves for them to hide in. Keep the water temperature between 76-82 degrees. Males tend to show off and "mouth wrestle" over territory and females when placed in the aquarium. Most of this is a bluff and no damage is really ever inflicted.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask, I am sure someone on here will be able to help you out.

 

[bosk1]

Okay, I know there are more ram lovers on this board...

 

[Jchillin]

...and you're right, there are. Here is the GBR profile I did a while back, basically repeats what is stated above:

German Blue Ram Profile

 

[clubsuperduty]

...and you're right, there are. Here is the GBR profile I did a while back, basically repeats what is stated above:

German Blue Ram Profile

That was very informative I am actually looking into some blue rams for a tank right now.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's some more good info....

http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/Dwarf/RamInfo.asp

http://apisto.bravepages.com/Ram article.htm

 

[Pleco]

Okay, I know there are more ram lovers on this board...

Better yet still where did you find them considering we live in the same city?

O st. had to order the Bolivians that i wanted, i dont trust Capital as far as i can throw them, and I still have to visit Exotics new digs.

-Pleco