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ram cichlid photo contest

5K views 50 replies 29 participants last post by  scoutsdoitbetter 
#1 ·
Everyone I'm thinking of getting some rams and want to know what healthy rams look like when they are not stressed from the fish store. The ones I will be able to get are probably bolivians so if you have those and could share a quick pic please do.
 
#4 ·
jtilley,

Getting rams will be a decision you will rarely regret. I find them the most interesting fish in my tank and actually that ive ever owned. They seem much more intelligent than most fish and also very sociable and personable. They are a pleasure to watch during courtship and a challenge to find sometimes when they are in a hiding mood. I have a pair that spawn regularly but I never choose to remove the eggs from getting eaten. I like to watch their lovers quarrels when the female isn't giving the male enough attention. Here is a pic of my GBR female. I know its blurry but she is very healthy, over 2" long now with lots of blue in her face, her belly is big and pink in the pic because she was about to drop eggs. Notice her dorsal fins are erect and her colors are bright and vivid. Bolivian rams should be bright colors with bright eyes and should be swimming towards the bottom, if they are at the surface its normally not a good sign unless feeding because these are mainly bottom/mid dwellers.

You cant always judge them at the LFS. I got her from Petsmart and once I took her home she went right to coloring up and eating like a pig.

 
#12 · (Edited)
Nice pics everyone, there are so many different colour morphs of rams, they are such an interesting fish to keep.



Here we go, my electric blue pair, I have them in a breeding tank, they have spawned about 6 times so far, but never with any success. Either they messed up, or I did, either way, they are way more difficult than any other fish I've attempted to breed. They are in a 46g bow, but I could definitely go smaller, like I'd say 20g, it's just this 46g tank is so established. Rams are awesome fish, I love the way they swim in a jerking fashion, then when they stop, their 'spikes' rise (dorsal fins), reminds me of a little mohawk. They seem to occupy the whole tank on their own, maybe a bit more at bottom strata, but I think they are mostly just picking off the cherry shrimplets. They are very inquisitive, will breed right in front of you and eat from my hands. I assume they would act differently in a community tank, but I love my little EB's!!!

Top left pic: The male
Top right pic: female
Bottom pic: The two together, they are almost always together.
 

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#8 ·
I feel comfortable keeping a mated pair of GBR in a 10g. 20g long for Bolivians.

The best pictures I have seen are in posts by Matt13 and on seriouslyfish com.

v3
 
#21 ·
Mine are still new and aren't showing much color yet. Still waiting for them to pair off.


Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
EBBR's

I know the 'Balloon' Ram is a spot of contention and controversy. I understand both sides. I'm personally undeterred by their shape. They're a perfect fit for my tank and my prize fish. I really like them a lot. They have such personality and bravado. As if they know how beautiful they are.

This guy is the alpha. He's got a legit mohawk dorsal fin. He will chase around the other guy all day. I get really upset that they don't 'pair-up', which leads further to my suspicion that my other EBBR is a male as well. If anyone could sex them, I'd really appreciate it.



I've been told that this is a female EBBR. Not as big of a dorsal fin. But I've had my suspicions that this is a male.


 
#28 ·
Just curious if everyone knows about the breeding of the EB rams... You guys and gals do know that you can't put a male and female EB ram together and expect EB ram babies right? It's just like the EB Jack Dempsey... Like I said, just curious. And for the record, I hate any "Balloon" version of any fish, in case anyone gave a crap lol.

Adam
 
#34 · (Edited)
What do you mean?...."You guys and gals do know that you can't put a male and female EB ram together and expect EB ram babies right?" I have a pair of EB's that I expected had already formed a pair at the LFS and they spawn every three weeks or so in my tank once I brought them home (starting about a week later), or do you mean random M/F? I am not familiar with EB Jack Dempsey breeding traits. Although, I they've never been successful at raising them, so pls enlighten me. Or do you mean I would get mixed fry, some EB some german rams?
 
#30 ·
I think it's pretty well known that you need to have a pair of Ram's before you introduce them to a tank. Unless you buy them as a pair, or raise them from juveniles, you probably won't end up with a pair.

The balloon trait is a purely aesthetic choice. I understand everyone's opinion on that preference. However, I'd like to defend the practice:

When selectively breeding for aesthetic features, multiple complications can arise. From weak genetic dispositions (susceptible to illness) to practical failure (messed up internal organs, inability to swim/eat). The blood parrot fish is often cited as an example of how horrible this sort of selective breeding can be.

However, the electric blue shimmer of your EBR's has been selectively bred to be that color. Most of the color variants in your fish tank are not the natural occurring color variants you'd find in 'the wild'. Most of us know this, and accept that there can be selective breeding which doesn't hinder of harm the animal. Most color morphs are the result of selective breeding.

Likewise, many people protest the breeding of Pugs and Mastiffs due to the genetic problems that arise from these breeds. These are examples in the canine family which have been selectively bred to the detriment of the animal. Few would argue, however, that a labrador, or golden retriever (or any other healthy dog) is in any immediate danger due to the selective breeding that occurred which resulted in those dogs. There is a large variety of color and size polymorphism that can occur in any particular species. This phenomenon is what results in the natural process of evolution (instead of us choosing our favorable genes, the impartial hand of nature decides).

This is a long winded reply simply to say that my Balloon's don't exhibit and health issues (living for 2 years so far with no problems) nor any practical problems, like being unable to swim properly. These are perfectly healthy fish, and I would encourage anyone from making the argument that it's not natural and therefor, not right, to have these fish, to look at their dog before they make that claim. Ostracizing those that have perfectly good fish which they love and care for makes those people defensive and feeling as though they need to write out long explanations on internet forums for why they love their fish.
 
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