Quick Blue Ram question(s).. searched

[volkl23]

I just got a pair of juvenile Blue Rams wild-caught near the waters of Columbia. They are probably 1.5 inches and the female is starting to have a slight pinkish hue to her belly.

They look great and are starting to color up nicely. Since this is my first pair, I do have some questions.

Are the dorsal fins supposed to be ALWAYS flared? Sometimes they are fully flared, but a lot of times they are "slicked" back.

Another question.. the male seems to be on a power-trip now that he's been in the tank for around a week. He chases the female relentlessly especially during feeding time. When the female gets near the food, he would just shoo her away. He doesn't have much of a problem with the other fish when they feed near each other. I wasn't quite sure if this was their way of "getting to know you," but I'm just afraid she's not eating as much as she should.

My setup is a 20H (yes I should've gotten the long, but I didn't know much when I first bought the tank) with the blue ram pair, 6 cherry-barbs, 5 Rummy-Nose Tetras, and 2 African Dwarf Frogs.

 

[musho3210]

from what i have experianced with bolivian rams is the dorsal fin is fully extended during "treading water" but while swimming and quick bursts of speed the FRONT of the dorsal fin sort of slicks back.

 

[Star_Rider]

they don't always extend the dorsal..
or flair their fins all the time but they do seem to 'display ' often.

in your case you may have a dominant male just setting the boundaries.

if you do have a male and female they may eventally pair up.

your rams are young so they will settle in.

if these are wild caught..make sure you are up on water parameters..the blue rams can be sensitive to water conditions.

 

[volkl23]

I hope the rams pair up soon or resolve their issues soon. I feel bad for the female not eating as much as all the rest.

 

[ct-death]

My blue ram is 'King of the Tank'! He even will chase the Angels on occasion if they get near his favorite resting spot.

My 2 Rams often dance (head-to-tail) or, well, ram each other over territory. As for chasing, my male chases the female all over creation sometimes... It's almost always either over food or she goes to his side of the tank.

The dorsal fins are a sign or display. When just swimming about they are down, when at rest or near another fish they flare up, and when "dancing" with each other they fan them up and down and more color is in the dorsal fin (red, black and brown).

The colors really darken and light blues come out sharply when then do this dancing. Blue sparkles along their bodies, red hues, strips, etc. Even their fin edges get a dark red color!

FWIW, not all m/f pairs will mate and I feel that I will need to either get more Rams or replace one in hopes of getting a mating couple or they will simply continue to express aggresison.

BTW - The female does give it back to the male on occasion, but he seldom wanders to her side...it's always the female swimming around the tank that leads to this behavior.

 

[Star_Rider]

I hope the rams pair up soon or resolve their issues soon. I feel bad for the female not eating as much as all the rest.

make sure she gets food..drop in food in one location then drop some more in another..the male can only be in one place at a time.