German or Bolivian rams?

[Vossy121]

Hello there, I've had these two rams for about 5 months and I've noticed one of the two ( you will see in the pictures) has a very different colour and pattern to the other. I was wonder if somebody can sex or tell me what species they are!!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[StandbySetting]

They're both blue rams, it looks like you have a male and female (top) too.

 

[Vossy121]

Thank you!!! I was reading somewhere and it said that since the female has red on her stomach she's ready to breed? She does sit on the bottom of the the tank a lot!!

 

[Vossy121]

And I was wondering if I add more GBR will they become more active?

 

[Vossy121]

I think she may be pregnant? Can anyone elaborate? I don't have any flat surfaces for her to lay any eggs on

 

[StandbySetting]

Most female have pink bellies - it's one of the easiest ways to sex them.

 

[hobby5]

I also think you have a pair. Laying on the ground is not a good sign though. This should only happen for sleeping during the night. But this can also be a form of hiding if the male doesn't like her too much and is harasing her. How is the interaction between both?

What are your water parameters? Hardness?

 

[Vossy121]

The female is getting a lot fatter though,

She's been lying on the ground for as long as I can remember, the two rams hang around each other fine, no harassment for what I can see

Sorry but I don't know what my water parameters are? I don't have a kit

 

[TekFish]

Most of the time your water supplier will have a website where you can find the usual levels for your tap water. It's probably a little different to what's in your tank, but it should be close enough.

 

[Vossy121]

This is all I can find out about water parameters but it's state wide, we life out in the country so our chlorine levels will be higher, I don't really understand hardness, there is a free water test in a petstock (CFS) so next time I go into town I'll have my water checked

 

[TekFish]

If your total hardness is around 200ppm, like that sheet would suggest, then that means your water is "moderately hard". I think it's somewhere around 12°dGH but I'm not too sure. This means your water is probably acceptable to most species of fish you'd find in an LFS. However if you were looking to get something wild, you'd probably have to grab some rainwater or RO water, which has either little or no hardness at all, and mix it with the tap water.

 

[Vossy121]

Is it normal for the female when pregnant to be struggling to swim? She's kinda curling up and sitting on top of the filter

 

[StandbySetting]

Sounds like the fish could be ill, you need to find out your water parameters.

Blue Rams are notoriously fussy fish, not only that they demand quite high water quality low in TDS and nitrate and also higher water temperatures than most other species.

 

[Vossy121]

I'll send in some pictures soon, the male seems better than ever!! He's more active and colourful than he's ever been