Paired rams not wanting to hang out anymore.

[Rodrams]

Hey guys. Can paired Rams all of the sudden not like each other anymore ? I mean. They been together in a community tank for about 8 months and inseparable. Always together around the tank. I’ve seen them laying eggs on rocks numerous times (eggs disappears after a couple days. I think other fish or male are eating them which I’m ok with). However starting a couple days ago the male decided that the female isn’t a friend anymore and just chased her all day. It’s a planted tank so she can hide and stuff. Doesn’t look like he’s hurting her. But I wonder if this behavior will stop or if I should separate the two. Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[GaryE]

Watch them. Pair bonds can break if the breeding cycles get out of sync. If one is ready and the other isn't, then they 'break up'. If they get back into sync, good. But they are like birds if one partner's weakening - they are not caregiving creatures.

 

[Rodrams]

Gotcha. That’s what I thought. Would you recommend waiting out a few days and see how things go or should I save the female and maybe separate her ? As of now she swims away and the male loses interest for a while. Then the chasing starts again. Thank you!

 

[Byron]

A video of the fish would help a lot. There are obvious signs in the behaviour of this species, The Bolivian Ram is the same. With both species, the must select their mate; if it is just a male and female put together, they may or may not bond. But this can turn into a battle if one of them decides he/she has had enough. With my Bolivians that spawned four times, they were acting odd throughout, and this usually leads to a divorce, with one of them dead. Again, a video would tell us whether or not you should separate them.