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	Sexing Rams
inkodinkomalinko Fish Guru Posts: 2441 Kudos: 833 Registered: 18-Jan-2003	Ah, heres the situation. I go to the LFS and see a tank labeled "TRUE GERMAN RAMS!!" 2/$18. Looking in, they look spectacular, all was flawless, none was sick or injured. I wanted to pick up four, but problem is, I couldnt sex them!! So, should I just get any four and hope theres a pair, or is there a easier way to sex them? All of them looked exactly the same, super red bellies and the fins were all about the same.. These buds are going in a 55 gallon with 2 penguin 330's.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	It can be tricky to sex German rams, but I will try to help you. Males are usually larger, and have a 'spike' on the front ray of their dorsal fin. Also, females have reddish/pink pelvic areas, whereas males do not. In addition, the blotch on the side of male rams is solid black, while females have shiny blue spotting in that area. Male: Female: [/font][/font] And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
inkodinkomalinko Fish Guru Posts: 2441 Kudos: 833 Registered: 18-Jan-2003	Awesome, got it figured out now Thanks a bunch. I was thinking the males had red bellies, so when I looked into the tank, I got a bit confused as why the "females" had spikes and the "males" didnt..
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
Silverlight Enthusiast Posts: 212 Kudos: 396 Votes: 43 Registered: 04-Jul-2004	Personally, I'd get four or even six anyway. Being the right sex isn't a guarantee of compatibility for pairing.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
inkodinkomalinko Fish Guru Posts: 2441 Kudos: 833 Registered: 18-Jan-2003	I might go for the smaller ones, these are $18 for two, while smaller ones are half the price and a little smaller only. I will either get two pairs of the large or 6 of the small.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
Theresa_M Moderator Queen of Zoom Posts: 3649 Kudos: 4280 Votes: 790 Registered: 04-Jan-2004	Unless you want them to breed I wouldn't worry about it too much. I had four males in my 29g without any problems. Occasionally two of them would do a 'stare-down' sort of thing but it never got worse than that, not even chasing. Personally I'd go with six, but that's just me Good luck, they're wonderful fish. edit: that's a good price by the way, at least compared yo my area ~~~~[/font] Last edited by Theresa_M at 02-Nov-2004 06:03 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03
jack999 Hobbyist Posts: 117 Kudos: 397 Votes: 29 Registered: 20-Feb-2004	I would get the small ones as they grow pretty quickly. As far as sexing them, is it true that the males dorsel is pointed at the back and the females more rounded? I have two in a 29 and they both have elongated front rays on the dorsel fin. Neither one has a really defined black spot so it's difficult to tell by that.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:03


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