What gender are my German blue rams?

Hey. I just recently got these two young rams. I tried to look up the difference between male and female and I have an idea, but certain thing are throwing me off. The darker one (I think it is a male) is darker, it has a longer dorsal fin in the front, the bottoms of its pelvic fins are darker, but it has "gems" on its dark spot. The lighter one (assuming is female) has a shorter dorsal fin, its anal fin is not very dark at all, it does not have as many black spots or colors, and its main dark spot is not very visible, so I'm unsure if there are "gems". I attached pictures, but I'm not sure if they are good enough for you to see.
I asked my local fish store for a male and female, and tried to help pick them out, but I'm still not sure if that's what I picked. Of course, I will keep them whatever the outcome because it's not that serious to me.
Let me know if you need more pictures. Thank you so much for your help!
I

females get a pink belly

Thank you, I have I to look out for any changes in color

The first photo is a male, and the second photo is a female. You can tell as the male has an extended dorsal ray and is slighter in the body

If you put a picture on the back of the tank (on the outside), it will make the fish feel more secure and they will colour up better.

itiwhetu said:

The first photo is a male, and the second photo is a female. You can tell as the male has an extended dorsal ray and is slighter in the body

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itiwhetu said:

The first photo is a male, and the second photo is a female. You can tell as the male has an extended dorsal ray and is slighter in the body

Click to expand...

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you helped me. Have a great day!

Colin_T said:

If you put a picture on the back of the tank (on the outside), it will make the fish feel more secure and they will colour up better.

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Okay, thanks for the tip! Should it be a picture like the ones of river scenes, or will black card stock work?

This is a photo of my cichlid tank. It will give you an idea of what you can do to make your fish feel secure. I don't use a back ground but rely on the rocks and wood to make them happy

itiwhetu said:

This is a photo of my cichlid tank. It will give you an idea of what you can do to make your fish feel secure. I don't use a back ground but rely on the rocks and wood to make them happy

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Oh that's great! I'm still in the process of scaping the tank and have actually have been soaking some drift wood outside and planning on getting more rocks and plants. Your tank is great inspiration for me with all of the caves you have created which I'm sure they love. Your tank looks great and thank you.

Colin_T said:

If you put a picture on the back of the tank (on the outside), it will make the fish feel more secure and they will colour up better.

Click to expand...

Mjmj02 said:

Okay, thanks for the tip! Should it be a picture like the ones of river scenes, or will black card stock work?

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It doesn't make any difference, it's just whatever you prefer. Dark backgrounds show up fish better than light ones so try for a green, blue or black. If you ever plan on getting black fish, get a blue or green backing.

You can buy plastic pictures that go on the back of aquariums from the pet shop or online, or you can use coloured card, plastic bin liner, newspaper, whatever you like. The main thing is to have something on the back glass so the fish feel like that have a solid wall behind them and aren't going to be attacked from that side.

Colin_T said:

It doesn't make any difference, it's just whatever you prefer. Dark backgrounds show up fish better than light ones so try for a green, blue or black. If you ever plan on getting black fish, get a blue or green backing.

You can buy plastic pictures that go on the back of aquariums from the pet shop or online, or you can use coloured card, plastic bin liner, newspaper, whatever you like. The main thing is to have something on the back glass so the fish feel like that have a solid wall behind them and aren't going to be attacked from that side.

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Thank you! I never really understood the reason for putting covers on the back of the tank until now. I will definately be looking into some sheets of cardstock now.

Mjmj02 said:

Thank you, I have I to look out for any changes in color

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I'm new to German Blue Rams myself, and what I've learned is that there will be endless changes in color. They get more color when comfortable, less when stressed. They coloring changes can be extreme and only take a second or two in some cases. When I feed my rams, their colors change before my eyes.

I've been told that the pink belly on a female will only be apparent if the male accepts her as his mate.

Here's an example of mine color changing. I think I have two males, with one dominant. When the second male colors up during feeding time, they can challenge one another. They are the same fish in both pictures; I only have two rams.



On another subject, I've recently observed that even the black solid patch on the side of a male can become less black, and let the blue show through, even on the dominant male if it's stressed or presumably if it lost its dominant position.

ITViking said:

I've been told that the pink belly on a female will only be apparent if the male accepts her as his mate.

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Female blue rams that are mature, healthy and in good condition will show a pink belly regardless of if there is a male present.

Colin_T said:

Female blue rams that are mature, healthy and in good condition will show a pink belly regardless of if there is a male present.

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That's good to know, but I'm learning that their color changes are extremely complex and given to change in very specific situations. So are you saying they can (or will?) have a pink belly even if they are in a tank with a male but not paired with the male? Or are you just saying that if a male is not present, they can still have a pink belly?

ITViking said:

I'm new to German Blue Rams myself, and what I've learned is that there will be endless changes in color. They get more color when comfortable, less when stressed. They coloring changes can be extreme and only take a second or two in some cases. When I feed my rams, their colors change before my eyes.

I've been told that the pink belly on a female will only be apparent if the male accepts her as his mate.

Here's an example of mine color changing. I think I have two males, with one dominant. When the second male colors up during feeding time, they can challenge one another. They are the same fish in both pictures; I only have two rams.

View attachment 123403 View attachment 123404

On another subject, I've recently observed that even the black solid patch on the side of a male can become less black, and let the blue show through, even on the dominant male if it's stressed or presumably if it lost its dominant position.

Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for the pictures they are so beautiful! Mine are not even an inch yet, so I am so excited for them to grow more and start coloring up. Even now though, since I started feeding frozen brine shrimp they have been coloring up way more and becoming more confident I guess in my tank. One of them came with a small bite in the tail, and in only three days it has healed so well and I think its because of how much protein they are getting. I have a question. Do either of your males have blue scales on their black circle spot?