Pregnant German

joeyg2100

AC Members
Oct 31, 2005
322
3
18
I just bought two german rams from the LFS yesterday. Couldn't pass it up. The store gave me $5 off per fish for a mistake they made in an earlier purchase of some Cardinals(ended up being neons) Anyhow. I got the two home. I know the one is a female b/c she has a nice pink stomach, and the other one doesn't. The thing is I am pretty sure that the female is pregnant. Because she is always clearing off the same rock, is fater than fat, and her tube is showing. They are still really young though, they are only about
1 1/2". Can Germans reproduce at this young of an age?
 
If her ovipositor is showing, and she's clearing a surface, she's definitely ready to lay. Is the male helping her at all? He may be too young, but 1 1/2" sounds like a viable breeding size to me.
 
Yes the male was helping her at the fish store. One would clean the surface while the other one kept other fish away. They would switch off doing this every 5 or 10 sec. This is what made me get them. I wanted to have a breeding pair, so I think that is what I have. They have already claimed a rock in my new tank. They actually chased away the bolivians that I have in there. The Bolivians stay on one side of the tank and the Germans stay on the other. It worked out great for me. If they do end up not getting along I will take the Bolivians back and get two more Germans
 
My ram juvies started pairing up and spawning at about that size. I never got to see if they could actually produce fry as the eggs always got eaten...with about 5 or 6 different pairs of juvies in one tank....couldnt be helped....lol....but the females did lay eggs at that size and they would guard them as long as they could.
 
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