Male Left, Female Right.
Males have 2 long rays at the start of thier dorsal fin. Females have a pink stomach.
Males have 2 long rays at the start of thier dorsal fin. Females have a pink stomach.
German Blue Ram Breeding "Journal"
- Thread starter Dread
- Start date
rob page;1084522; said:
Yep, like Mystix said. Also, females have a slightly pink belly, the puncuate blue scales in the black spot, the rounder shape, and the more rounded anal and dorsal fins which do not extend at all past the caudal peduncle.
Males have more pointed fins which extend a bit past the caudal peduncle, and no blue speckles inside their lateral blotch.
I'll get a full tank shot, soon. But keep in mind it's not pretty!
So.. something kind of odd this morning. I flipped on my light, and dosed my fertilizers for my plants like I usually do (EI Method). In the front right corner and there's a pit dug. I've always heard Blue Rams are Monogamous substrate spawners, usually using a flat service like a slate rock, similiar to Discus or Angelfish. But it seems they're digging a pit. The male is picking up peices of Flourite and moving them. So maybe I can see how alot of people believe conflicting things about Blue Rams. I've heard Monogamous Substrate Spawners (which is what I believe), I've also heard they're Polygamous harem breeders, and numerous other things. I snapped some pictures of the pit, but they're not too great. I hope you can make out the depression, and notice the size difference between the two!
Pit:
Size difference. Last night, before I noticed a pit. I don't think it's in this picture, which leads me to believe the male dug it at night when the lights went off.
The female's breeding tube is protruding quite a bit, and her stomache has become much more rose-colored, and much more noticeable. I'm unsure if this is due to the frequent small feedings, or a sign of her eagerness to breed. I've not seen any courtship behaviour which leads me to think the former.
Pit:
Size difference. Last night, before I noticed a pit. I don't think it's in this picture, which leads me to believe the male dug it at night when the lights went off.
The female's breeding tube is protruding quite a bit, and her stomache has become much more rose-colored, and much more noticeable. I'm unsure if this is due to the frequent small feedings, or a sign of her eagerness to breed. I've not seen any courtship behaviour which leads me to think the former.
Well.. it appears the FEMALE was the one digging, and the male is just kinda moving stuff.. He's been moving random peices of flourite all over the tank. Not in any order. He'll move one peice from the left to the right, from the front to the back.. corner to corner.. I think I have an OCD Blue Ram.
The female is digging and moving things, but she's trying to form a pit. It's kinda cute seeing her try to wriggle in it like a fish would sand to make it move, only to see nothing happen. She has to shovel it with her mouth one peice at a time because she's so tiny. =P her breeding tube is EXTREMELY poked out now, so I'm starting to wonder if maybe these guys are easier than Convicts for me?
The female is digging and moving things, but she's trying to form a pit. It's kinda cute seeing her try to wriggle in it like a fish would sand to make it move, only to see nothing happen. She has to shovel it with her mouth one peice at a time because she's so tiny. =P her breeding tube is EXTREMELY poked out now, so I'm starting to wonder if maybe these guys are easier than Convicts for me?
Wow! As expected, eggs have been laid. I documented the entire process, as I just happened to be listening to music and watching my fish at the time. I have to say, this was one of the most fascinating things I've ever watched. I could easily see the female deposit eggs and then the male flutter over them to fertilize them, then the female would swoop in again to drop more eggs, and the male would mimick her path in totality to get as many eggs as possible. It seems Blue Rams spawn more readily than Convicts for me! Wild caught, none the less.. I'm quite impressed with myself. =P I'm not expecting these to live, as Rams are notorious for eating their first batch, but after the first spawn, it's generally true that the pair will lay eggs like clockwork afterwards, each time gaining experience. However, if these do survive, I will be surprised, as well as excited and happy. 
So, here's some pictures from the spawning process, and VIDEOS as well at the bottom!
Female Dropping Eggs Video
More Egg Dropping, Male Coming to Fertilize Video
Male Fertilizing the Eggs Video
They're hosted on Sendspace, so you have to look at the bottom of the page for the file download link. The eggs are extremely hard to get a picture of, so I'll do my best soon, and I'll definately post pictures if there's wrigglers, or let you know what happens next!
So, here's some pictures from the spawning process, and VIDEOS as well at the bottom!
Female Dropping Eggs Video
More Egg Dropping, Male Coming to Fertilize Video
Male Fertilizing the Eggs Video
They're hosted on Sendspace, so you have to look at the bottom of the page for the file download link.
The eggs are extremely hard to get a picture of, so I'll do my best soon, and I'll definately post pictures if there's wrigglers, or let you know what happens next!
Excellent colours on the male. Its quite rare to actually watch them up close without them being disrupted. This is a really great thread Dread.
