Help Sexing Bolivian Rams And Other Fish Pics

[ChilliPepper]

I took my Gouramis back and got 2 Bolivian Rams today - could any of the experts tell me whether I have a male and female please? Pretty sure I do as they are both slightly different body shapes, though still quite small so harder to tell. They have slightly different head shapes, the 'male' is bigger and his has extended fins on his tail.

My 'male' has claimed the area under the bogwood as his own (well he's let the female phantom go under there too) and chases the 'female' away. She looks quite rejected bless her.
Also got 2 more Columbian Red Fins and a female Black Phantom to go with my two males. She was the only female they had so will have to track down two more girls a.s.a.p as I think she's fed up of the males showing off

Tank shot

Male Ram?

Female Ram?

One of the new Columbians

Group shot - they've had lots of fun shoaling together

I'm boiling another bit of bogwood to add in a couple of days so there's another area to hide in.

Water is a bit cloudy as the Gouramis caused quite a stir when I was catching them. Quite a bit of uprooting happened

 

[jwddboy]

Notoriously very hard to tell at such a young age.
However... I think you have two males based on the dorsal fin shapes.

 

[ChilliPepper]

The dorsal fin... Is that the one on the back?

 

[jwddboy]

thats the one.

 

[Sarette]

I have 3 Bolivian Rams, no idea what sex they are, they all look the same to me

 

[Davo86]

are those photos of the fish right after they have been added to the tank? cause they look quite stressed to me
I would also guess that you have 2 males

 

[ChilliPepper]

are those photos of the fish right after they have been added to the tank? cause they look quite stressed to me
I would also guess that you have 2 males

Yep, they had been in there a couple of hours I suppose.

Well time will tell if I have two males or male and female I guess.

Would it be the end of the world if I do have two males as long as there's enough room for different territories?

They seem happier now, just given them all some bloodworm and they were tucking in. Sticking together now too.

 

[sarah86]

looks like 2 males to me too, dont know how they'll get along, i have 2 males and 1 female (on advice from the shop which i now know is wrong), the males fight but no one gets injured and the female has chosen her mate all though she doesnt seem to like him sometimes either lol

 

[ChilliPepper]

My bigger one has coloured up really well now. Was hard to get a clear pic as camera wouldn't focus but you get the idea.

 

[kribensis12]

Its still hard to tell. I think they are both males.

 

[Pleccy]

Rams are very hard to sex, even once they mature, and the only surefire way of telling is if they start to show spawning behaviour. However I agree with the above, I also think they are both males.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Would two males be OK in my tank?

 

[strangeworld2002]

Hard to say really. They may be Ok if they are about the same size and if they were added at the same time. However just like any fish they like to take up territories and my dominant male ram always chased the other male away when he came near which also included feeding times. Eventually the weaker one died probably of starvation as he was too scared to go after any food

If they are of similiar size then you will probably be ok but if one is larger than the other and appears more colorful/dominant like mine did you could have problems.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Well one is slightly larger and more colourful than the other, though both ate the bloodworms I gave them quite happily together.

I really like them, maybe I should get two females?

Has anyone got any photos of a definite male and female Boliv so I know what to look for?

Thanks.

 

[Ficious]

i believe you have two males.

i too picked up two males (only cause the guy dropped the only female) and there are some territory issues but nothing to worry me. the dominant one is colorful and the other would appear as female...but has the pointed dorsal.