Blue Ram Questions...

Hi boyohboy,

Funny, I was just at the LFS today asking the resident expert (who I trust very much) about ram compatibility. Here are the answers I got:

1. Compatibility: Blue Rams are OK with small tetra and cories -- in fact, that is the exact species mix I was asking about, too.

2. Size: 3 inches is about right.

3. Swimming region: Rams swim in the middle of tank.

I don't know about Asian vs. "German" or the sex issue, sorry. What the fellow told me did wash with what I've read in books, however.

They are best kept in m/f pairs. You might be able to get away with two males together, but two females will constantly bicker.

Rams generally don't usually get much larger than 2'' due to extensive breeding (the exception being wild-caught fish).

They great with other small, non-cichlid tank mates such as the ones you mentioned.

Finally, European rams are generally stronger and prettier because they aren't as mass produced. Asian rams can be finicky about water conditions and some die without and visible signs of disease.

HTH

You might do a search on this site for Blue Rams & sexing. I think the females have spots in the dark black spot on their sides and there is a diff in their fins. I can't remember so do a search.....

I added two female German Blue Rams to my tank a few weeks back with little color. I then added a male to the tank and the females colored up wonderfully. I've read that rams get brighter with age and at around 11 months they are at peak brightness. I have various other fish in my community tank including 8 cardinal tetras, 2 angels, and a gourami. My tank is 36 gallons with no problems. I've heard that rams can have problems with cories because they do tend to swim at the bottom of the tank quite a bit. I have 3 Otos in my tank as well and have never had issues with my rams and Otos. The Rams tend to bicker amongst one another. Occasionally, my Gourami will dart at the dominant female ram in the tank, but only if I throw in some tubifex worms and they are fighting for food. Overall, my rams tend to stay towards the middle of the tank and love to dart around the bushes. They are fascinating fish.

sry if somone said this but the easy way to tell rams apart is the male has an extended dorsal ray and the females is shortened

[edit]- havin a female and a male will be perfect especially if u buy them young because then u can provide better for them and feed them better food then most LFS's can

good luck from the local ram nutcase!

IMO they both look like males. The thing about the fins is this: The dorsal is the fin that runs along the back of the fish. Many fish have 2 distinct dorsal fins, others have only 1 (like the blue ram), or maybe it's 2 connected, not sure. On blue rams, the trailing end of the dorsal fin is pointed on males and rounded on females. This is why I believe both of yours are males. I've also heard that the black stripe on the front of the dorsal is darker on males. Hope this helps.

The top one, I think, is a female. The pink belly and blue speckles in the black dot (males will have speckles around the dot but not in) are usually reliable indicators. The other one might be a male.

meangene does have a good point about the fins, but, as you can see in the picture, both males and females can also have rounded fins.

Here's a few pics from http://southernapistos.com.

The top fish is a female, the bottom male


In this one, the bottom left is female, the one facing completely broadside is male.


HTH