German Blue Ram

[Mattzilla]

Got a few german blue rams not long ago of Sloany (thanks mate) and they have really settled in well.

here is the dominant male

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4651688332_97a42c97e5_b.jpg

they are cute and feisty little buggers!

cheers
Matt

[jluna]

one of the best fish ever, i reckon. in shape and mature they are stunning. great pic of yours!

[TW]

That's a beautiful looking fish

[Vspec]

certainly is.

[mcloughlin2]

Good to know there will be thousands of good quality locally bred rams available in a few months now you have them! :lol:

[swampy1972]

Nice fish Matt.

I recently got a pair of German BRs as well. My male doesn't seem to have the extended spineous dorsal like yours. Is this a sign of a young fish or possibly not a true German (sorry, new to Dwarf cichlids :oops: )?

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/swampy1972/Shrimp/DSC02712.jpg

[Mattzilla]

not sure to be honest i'm new to dwarf cichlids too

anyone got any ideas on this one??

[alannahindir]

Im prety sure the best way to sex these is by venting them. I htink i have a article on it somewhere in my favourites, i can dig it up if people are intersted in seeing it?

Its how i sexed my bolivian rams (i know its not the same ram as that though, but from memory applies to blue ram also).

Very nice fish by the way :) Im considering getting some as one of my Rams is getting on the old side of her life span and looking like she might be ready to give in.

Well anyway, if people want to see it just let me know here and ill post for everyones help (if i can find it) :)

[alannahindir]

Well thought id dig it up anyway :P

Here it is (if im breaking rules please let me know or delete the link!):
http://brc.moonfruit.com/#/sexingguide/4528902946

Good luck! Yours looks male to me (vent wise) swampy. Cant tell by yours Matt, the pic isnt of the right angle :)

[Rod]

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n3/A_H_Sprite/Rams107.jpg

Here is an image of a (mature) pair I once had......male on the right.
These were locally bred from German stock.....bought them as juvies for $8 each...

This is the best pair I've owned......body shape,finnage and colour is just about perfect

I'd normally associate the reflective scales in the black spot with a female
In Good condition females have a red belly.
They can have longer front dorsal spines but don't have extensions on the ventral fins....and their body shape is a bit stockier and they tend to be smaller

In a shop.....they will often pair up....each pair taking a corner to defend

[Mattzilla]

stunning pair... you can really see the red/pink belly on the female


i only bought 4 recently and the other three are all still much smaller and paler in colour. i suspect they are all females for that reason but will need them to grow out a little more before i can be sure

i'll post pics as they grow

i'm hoping to breed them down the track

cheers

[Mattzilla]

Well thought id dig it up anyway :P

Here it is (if im breaking rules please let me know or delete the link!):
http://brc.moonfruit.com/#/sexingguide/4528902946

Good luck! Yours looks male to me (vent wise) swampy. Cant tell by yours Matt, the pic isnt of the right angle :)

thanks, good info

[steph]

I recently got a pair of German BRs as well. My male doesn't seem to have the extended spineous dorsal like yours. Is this a sign of a young fish or possibly not a true German (sorry, new to Dwarf cichlids :oops: )?



Hey Swampy, I reckon your male has some fin dmg to the first few rays of the dorsal. Not sure where you got him from ? GIve him time and lots of good food and water and they should grow back.

AFAIK German Blue Rams just refer to the 'source' eg vs Singapore/Asia. There seems to be a difference in quality/health of the stock coming through. I personally would prefer locally bred rams - I reckon they do best of all as they can be fragile at times.

Fabulous fish, and the one that got me hooked on dwarfs so many years ago.

Steph

[ILLUSN]

let me know when you have fry Matt.

[swampy1972]

I agree Steph. It look like he has some dorsal damage. He also has a bit of damage to his right pelvic fin that is on the mend.
When I first saw the pair in the shop, he and the female were in full colour and courting so I'm convident of the sexes. The female had a pink underside as per Rod's pic.They've toned down since going into my tank with the new surroundings but I'm confident they'll pair up again once they settle in.
Just looking at the lines of my fish compared to Matts and Rods, I can't help but feel it may still be a bit juvenile, mainly looking at the head shape, colour and fin length. Is this correct?
Great looking fish Rod by the way.. I can only hope mine develop into something that spectacular.. :wink:

[Tommo]

Where can i get some in Victoria ?



They are sensational looking fish !! Compared to the rubbish thats out there !

[alannahindir]

No problem mattzilla! Hope it came in handy for you :) Sure as hell helped me a ton!!

Sorry to kinda hijack the thread, :P, but anyone know of any breeders who are selling the longfin variety of german blue rams? Man oh man would i love a pair of these!!

[jluna]

on a good healthy fish, i find the luminous dots in the black patch the best indicator of a female (and conversely, no dots on the male)

[Mattzilla]

on a good healthy fish, i find the luminous dots in the black patch the best indicator of a female (and conversely, no dots on the male)

would you suggest then that mine pictured above is male or female?

i only assume it's a male because it's bigger than the others i have and doesn't have a pink belly

[Rod]

I would suggest it's a female.....however could be wrong!
One photo is difficult to be certain....vent sexing would be better
If you have a group....see how they pair up

If 2 start defending a territory they are pairing up

[gingerbeer01]

Bred lines can show indicators contrary to the normal sexing - females didn't used to have such dominant dorsal spikes. it depends on the line breeders selected preference.

I am going to suggest Male for your fish Matty based on body shape and lack of colour to the belly. The patch is suggesting female, but the haricut suggests male.

Do agree with Rod on venting.

[kristina]

I was going to say similar to gingerbeer. Black spot suggests female, no red belly and overall shape and finnage suggests male. Can you get a better angle for us?

[Rod]

I wonder if some fish are actually 50/50!!
Happens in humans!

I've got female kribensis with spots on their tails.....I always thought that was a male trait???

Lots of fish are inbreed(even if selectively like Geman Rams)....the differences/traits begin to blur

[Mattzilla]

I'll get a few more pics when I can to see if that helps clear it up. It's behaviour suggests that it's a male I think

[Tommo]

I think they are a male and a female :)

Simply because of the colour of the belly and the fins :)

[kristina]

I think they are a male and a female :)

Simply because of the colour of the belly and the fins :)

refer to the first picture in the thread by Mattzilla. The one with only one fish in it. This is the fish in question, not the other examples below.

[Tommo]

Thanks Kris

I still think that the first pic is a male :)