View Full Version : Blue Ram ID
Hurley
03-06-2006, 1:17 PM
I was wondering if someone could help me tell if my blue ram is a male or a female. I've read about how to do it and what to look for but I just can't tell for sure. All the pictures are of the same fish. I'm sorry they aren't great but they were the best I could get. Thanks
Rachael
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk083.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk082.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk081.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk078.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk075.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/Bunny1113/Boardwalk074.jpg
joeyg2100
03-06-2006, 1:47 PM
Sure looks like a male.
mooman
03-06-2006, 2:09 PM
I vote male also
IndianaSam
03-06-2006, 2:10 PM
Gotta agree that it looks like a male to me. Extended 2nd and 3rd Dorsal rays and what not.
He's darn good looking too.
Hurley
03-06-2006, 2:16 PM
Well, I am very glad I asked b/c I was leaning towards female!!! :eek:
Thank you Sam, I just got him and I am very pleased with him! Now all I have to do is find a female for him!
joeyg2100
03-06-2006, 4:12 PM
When you are looking for a female. Loof for these signs. If there are big enough. When they are younger it is hard to tell sometimes
-At my LFS that sells these you can always see the pink belly, no matter the size and they sell them when they are about 1.5"
-So look for the pink belly first
-The 1st and 2nd dorsal fins will not be as long as the males
-Check the black spot on the side of your fish. If it has bluish/silver dots in it then most likely it is a female(will be a lot of them), but after looking at yours you don't have the black dot. So don't know about this one.
-pelvic fins rounded at tip
-Also the female will be smaller than the male.
I am sure that there are a lot more ways, so other people can help you. Hope this helps
male. the spangling in the black dot is usually fail safe method for me. with all the fish farm rams the dorsal characteristics seem to have become almost meaningless. so much line breeding.
Cathy G
03-06-2006, 7:22 PM
Ah, my male ram has blue dots in his black splotch...
My female has much longer black rays on her dorsal fin than any of the males I have ever brought home - she is butch!
The males tend to have longer/angular dorsal fins, they seem to go up out toward the back and come to a point, the females are rounder towards the back...
The absolute best way to buy one fish of the sex you need is to watch them very carefully, over a period of time. (In order to buy the right sex of their cousins Bolivians, I made several trips to my lfs over the course of a couple of weeks.) The female rams will get pink on their tummies. The males will not.
Also, as you watch for them, follow emg's advice - look for their sexual organs.
The males won't usually have much showing - small, pointy, thin if at all.
The females have more of a tube, it is bigger and thicker.
If you bring your sleeping bag to the fish store, there is one other thing that is kind of interesting to watch. The 'pecking order'. The dominate male tends to push the other males aside, and the dominate female the females. You don't see the head male pushing many of the females around... thats the head females job...
Cathy
Sorry for the long post!