Joseph C wants to know:
im goin to the petstore tomorow to buy rams and i want to know how to tell the difference. They are only 1 inch in size right now and i dont know how i can tell male from female. What are the difference and can i tell even if their only 1 inch in size?
im goin to the petstore tomorow to buy rams and i want to know how to tell the difference. They are only 1 inch in size right now and i dont know how i can tell male from female. What are the difference and can i tell even if their only 1 inch in size?
July 13th, 2009 at 9:44 am
ok here is the answer.
Males- Have extremely abundant colors they tend to have a hint of blue, red and green at that size, they have a grey body (just like the females) but it is a little brighter, if you will. They tend to be a little more active in the tank in the meaning of who is the dominant and who is not of the males in the tank.
Females- Colors are paler than the males. Their colors are, if you will a little lighter almost as if a they have a coat of grey covering them. they tend not to be the most active in the tank. They conserve energy while the males “fight it out”. The females tend to be a lot more docile. then the males a little more “laid back”.
The thing is rams are called “Ram Fish” for a reason they tend to butt heads with other males for dominance so my tip to you if you only intend on buying a 20gallon tank for example buy one male and 2 females. 40gallon 2 males(caution have hiding places for the females and lese dominant male) and the 4 females.
on the other hand i have kept and bred Rams for a little while and they are quiet the addition to my fish collection. I think they are one of the best cichlids(in my opinion) so go out there and choose your fish and good luck my friend!
-Ryan
July 13th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
It is difficult to differentiate between the sexes of juvenile rams. Since you will go to the petstore and select, then the best way may be to select by size.
Observe all the fish in the display tank, the smaller ones are usually the females while the larger ones are the males. Size differences may be a bit subtle though. Another thing, you may also noticed some fish squabblings with fins flared, these are usually the males.
You may also noticed some dominant fish. These are more colorful and chases the other fishes away. These are usually males.
Look closely. You may observe a few fish with a hint of pink or red on the belly. These are females.
Look at the first ray of the dorsal fin of the fish. Males may show slight elongation of this fin compared to females. The rays are black and will be noticeable when the males flare them.
When you cannot decide…buy more fish. The more fish you buy, the better your chances of getting a pair or two.
Rams are known scientifically as Apistogramma ramirezi. They are named in honor of their collector, Manuel Vicente Ramirez from Caracas, Venezuela. They were once popularly known as Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlid. But because of the long name, aquarists shortened it to just “ram.” Now, they are also known as the blue ram, butterfly ram, German blue ram, etc.