Sexing Rams?

[guppiegirlie]

Ok so after the absolute disaster with the killiefish and taking them into my lfs he said when I was ready I could pop in and choose some "replacement" fish.

So after a few days making sure my little fellas were all well and good I popped back in and what were there staring back at me, almost screaming my name! But some absolutely beautiful german blue rams.

How could I not?!

So yeah I now have four of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen in my life. (My dad keeps bolivian rams, and I always admired those till I seen the german blues! )

Now I seem to be getting mixed answers when I'm researching how to tell male from female.

From what I've gathered the females black spot, the blue shines through, well this ia definitely the case with at least two, who I'm almost certain are female. But the other two I'm having a bit of trouble over! Now they all have black stripes on their pelvic fins but the other twos black spots are definitely black, no blue shining through. One also has a nice pink belly, and ao I've read this would indicate it's a female but this one also has a very definite black spot! I'm ao confused! Also they are still young, approx 6-8 months old (they were bred by my lfs) so will it be easier to tell them apart as they mature?

I'm having trouble uploading photos but as soon as I figure it out I will get some up for you all to have a look too!

 

[guppiegirlie]

And before anybody points it out, I have done my research this time and yes I know it's been said they can be difficult to keep.

I've had them just over a week now and they are settling in really well, actually if I'm honest a lot better than I expected.

They're swimming about lovely, eating well and showing off their wonderful personalities!

Such a change from my usual guppies and platies. But I will absolutely be keeping an eye on them

 

[guppiegirlie]

http/imgur.com/a/iGCJX

Please tell me the link works!

 

[betta fish]

They are very beautiful, I would like to get some too at some point but with angels and kribs I think I will have to wait unless I can get another tank 

I am thinking you have at least one male if not two, the fish with the heart shaped black spot looks male going by the body shape being longer and slimmer and I am thinking the one with the small spot may be male too but there are two females there at least.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

The 2nd and third rays of the dorsal fin are longer in males. Females will get reddish orange bellies especially when they are ready to breed.

 

[guppiegirlie]

They are very beautiful, I would like to get some too at some point

Thank you I think so too!

Females will get reddish orange bellies especially when they are ready to breed.

Do males not get pinkish bellies too? I have one with an obvious pink tummy but it's black spot on its side is very black, no blue showing through. I thought that was a distinguishing feature of the male its black spot!

But to be honest I don't mind either way, I didn't buy them for breeding, I bought them aa they are just so beautiful!

Thank you both for your help

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

Sexing cichlids is not always an exact science especially in larger groups and even more so in younger fish. Coloration and markings is sometimes one of those grey areas. I've seen apparent females suddenly start showing their male traits when the alpha male is removed.
 
I didn't thoroughly analyze your photos but you definitely have a mix.
 
Blue rams are quite popular and I've heard that a lot of the ones on the market are multiple generations from their wild relatives. This can eliminate a lot of the "rules of thumb" methods for sexing.

 

[CSnyder00]

Fins are not the way to sex German Blues. I need good shots of the black dots on their body to determine sex. They must be CLEAR shots of the blue spotting on the black dots. Also would need the opposite side of the black only one so that I can get a look. I can sex them if you get me those pics. From glancing shots it looks like two males.

 

[guppiegirlie]

Two for sure are females as their dots, the blue obviously shines through, it's the other two I'm unsure of.
 
I will try again tomorrow to get some better photos of their dots

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

Fins are not the way to sex German Blues.

 
Maybe not "the" way but it is "a" way that works. Like any other method, even yours, there are exceptions as I've already stated. There is nothing like a well trained eye to see beyond those exceptions, though.

 

[CSnyder00]

True. It also helps to have kept them and have a first hand account on several batches how to sex. I've found by keeping them that the most reliable is the spots. I had a female Electric yellow lab that had spots on her anal fin like a male. It's not always 100%. But if I have good shots of the black spot, I could give you a 90% accurate educated guess.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

The problem with relying on subtle differences in coloration is that there are a lot of factors that can affect it. Too many to mention here. My experience is quite broad in the cichlid realm and goes across many other types of fish. Given a group of fish I can usually pick out a male and a female, if present and they are old enough and sexually dimorphic. BTW, I have a pair of Blue Rams that I picked.
 
IME, it's usually easier to pick a male. "Females" can be a male in disguise.

 

[Munroco]

http/s435.photobucket.com/user/Javalad/media/ramspawn.mp4.html
 
Male and female here, unfortunately they chose the stone that was the worst for filming, hence the bad focus. This was last week, the eggs hatched and they ate the fry.

 

[guppiegirlie]

Ok so here is my "male" ram, lovely black spot, no blue showing over it but also pink belly and black stripe on pelvic fins!!

http/imgur.com/gallery/JdWoX

 

[guppiegirlie]

Second "male" this one has a loveheart shaped spot on one side this is the one I am totally unsure of

http/imgur.com/gallery/VLejJ
"Female"

http/imgur.com/a/vEdgD
Second "female'

This one is the smallest of all the rams

http/imgur.com/gallery/d9IuO