my rams

[barramundi]

Hi all,

After reading this part of the forum and seeing the nice pics i had to try some.

Can anyone tell me if i have a pair of rams and how many is a good start,they will be in with discus in a 560ltr tank.They are starting to get some color we love them and their little stand offs.Hope you like them,

john

[fishgeek]

looks like a pair
males noramally show no blue spotting in the lateral black spot, as in top picture
bottom one is probably a poorly coloured female
as she settles in i would expect her belly to show more red colouration

andrew

[barramundi]

Thanks Andrew,

I have only had them a few days so hopefully the female will color up more as she settles in,it was a nice color in the lfs.

john

[Th0mas]

I'm no expert with ram but I would say both are male.

Neither of them shows the classic pink/purple colour in the belly and both have rather high dorsal (overall).

Thomas.

[steph]

Yeah my gut reaction is its two males. Especially from the behaviour described.

Check out this link for pics of males and females.

http://www.apistogramma.com/cms/microgeophagus/m._ramirezi/microgeophagus_ramirezi/
you can see the female is less thick through the body in comparison.

In a 560litre tank (is that 6ft??) you could easily have 8 of them, especially if the tank is well planted and has some decorations creating smaller territories

Cheers


Steph

[Nathan]

i agree i do think they look like two males just the bottom one isnt coloured very well. the females have a lot of pink/purple on the belly and are usually slightly rounder.

nathan

[barramundi]

Thanks all,

So do you think i should go and get 2 females,what would happen then will any start fighting or will they just form 2 pairs.

Thanks again for info..........john

[Th0mas]

Depending on how many other fish they're sharing the tank with, otherwise there should be plenty of room for two pairs in a 560l tank.

Thomas.

[steph]

They are unlikely to fight, you may get some faceoffs and display behaviour but as long as your tank bottom is big enough there shouldnt be any problems.

Good luck

Steph

[barramundi]

Thanks Steph and Thomas,

I will get 2 females, i have a few fish in the tank at the moment with lots of plants and driftwood so they should be ok.

Thanks john