# Ramirezi's



## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

My King!











Am I proud of him? Yes indeed!


Thanks for looking.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Pretty! Look a lot like the Rams I just got. How do you tell the males and females apart? Do you know?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

2la listed the gender differences here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2992


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Heres a link to alot of NFO on the rams, http://hjem.get2net.dk/Best_of_the_Web/blue rams.html

the male is usually a larger fish than the female, and the female has a darker tummy..usually
once you get to know them, you can just look at one usually and tell the sex.
do you have a couple of pictures of yours? I would love to see them


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I think I know what you meant by being able to tell just by looking at them. Tula put it best by describing the male's body as having top and bottom edges more close to parallel and the female's body as being more of a "tennis racket" shape with a sliped forehead. 

Here are the pics I posted in my 20g Tank Journal...
The Male...








and the female...









She's young, so I don't see much of a pink belly, but like it was mentioned - that is an unreliable indicator since the Male has an ever-so-slight pink tinge to his belly as well. And she doesn't have much of a black spot to look for blue speckles overlaying yet. It really comes down to body shape.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

I love rams they rock...

but umm, your male actually looks like a female from that one pic and the other is a cross between a bolivian and a blonde

I also have a pair of "Blonde Veil Rams" their body's are round..lol they kind of funny looking but still cool fish.

There is also long finned rams I have seen, haven't owed any.. very nice fishies indeed.

Have you seen any signs of mating with your rams? any at all?


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Not haveing rams I can't say for sure, but fish in which males and females look very alike are quite often easier sexed from above...


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Well if they're both female, then I might name them Ellen Degeneris and Anne Heche, because they've dug a pit in the front corner and are dancing about it, hehe.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> Heres a link to alot of NFO on the rams, http://hjem.get2net.dk/Best_of_the_Web/blue rams.html


Do you know who authored this article?


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

lol no, I did a search for ramz when I got mine, thats one of the links I came across and just book marked it.
informative. it helped


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

...man them rams are pretty too !

If I cant find any Apisto's.... hehe :wink: 

Now I know you guys got some shrimp in the tank with these right ?


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

I do not have shrimp at this time, all I can find around here are Ghost Shrimp. but I do want some 8)


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

They get along fine with ghost shrimps. I mean they are about the same size... Not sure about Amano shrimps etc.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> lol no, I did a search for ramz when I got mine, thats one of the links I came across and just book marked it.
> informative. it helped


Darn. Okay, thanks...This person is using an image of mine without asking for permission first. But I found his e-mail address...


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I don't have shrimp with mine, just an _Ancistrus_ Pleco.
Knock 'em out, Tula! How dare they use your pictures without permission! haha


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

You should be somewhat flattered 2la  but sad they/he/she didn't give you credit.

I found a Red Sternella pleco to go in mine a couple weeks ago,, he's badass..hehe

I found a pic of him http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/redtail_sternella_pleco.jpg

cost me $35 :shock: but I took him anyway.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

GulfCoastAquarian said:


> I don't have shrimp with mine, just an _Ancistrus_ Pleco.
> Knock 'em out, Tula! How dare they use your pictures without permission! haha


 :wink: 

The guy was actually very nice about it and should be adding a credit to me soon. But _he_ got it from someone else, so I have a little more work to do...


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

That Redtail Sternella Pleco is cool! Expensive, but you're lucky to have rare fish like that available at all!

Ah, so this guy was somewhat innocent since he got "permission" from someone else who didn't, LOL


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

That will teach you for having such beautiful photos tula ! I look at them frequently , some of the best I have seen ! :wink: And Sam really likes 'em too I hear... LOL


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Thanks very kindly, Buck.  Depending on how studying goes I'm hoping to have the pics updated by the end of the month. I hope you'll continue to visit and enjoy them.

Sam is no longer allowed to browse.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Try taking them a little bit out of focus! That will take care of your problem.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

LOL!


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

> Sam is no longer allowed to browse.


Browse or Borrow ?









Ya cant blame a guy for good taste... I wish you lived closer, I would love to have you photo my tank and see how its done... the hardest thing I have ever tried to photograph was an aquarium ! :evil: 
Dang... if I aint shakin its the wrong light, if I got the right light the dang fish moves, if the fish dont move I am shakin ! Just cant get it , out of 50 photo's I am lucky if I like one... 

Just awesome photos Tula, one picture is worth a thousand words ... roud:


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## Bronx19 (Dec 29, 2003)

Ive seen the pics that guy has on many sites.


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## adder (Sep 25, 2004)

Gotta love those Rams :fish:


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## Leipo (Jan 28, 2004)

I have my Ram(s) in a tank with Amano's, Red-Tails and Bumblebee shrimp and so far no cassualties roud: 
The shrimp and Ram(s) are in the tank for over a year now.


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## pphx459 (Jun 25, 2004)

What kind of water conditions do you guys have for the rams?


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## adder (Sep 25, 2004)

I use peat to create a pH of app. 7,0, KH 4,0, TDS around 90. TDS has been a very important influence in being able to breed the little buggers.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Just wanted to post some updated pics. I definitely think I have two guys here. Anyone disagree? They actually get along pretty well. I'm sure that would change if I introduced a female. If anyone has a female that they'd like to trade for either one of these males, I am game! That is, of course, assuming I am right about both of these being males.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Those are definitly two males you have, males have a orangish belly, females have a pinkish underbelly..

Female









Male and Female









The rest of the pics are some of my males, I don't really have any more good shots of the females, I will have to work on those, I just love how the males will blacken up hehe,
3 males and one female in this tank.. they rock!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Here's one of my breeding pair. They are still pretty young (<1year), but still make a hundred babies every two weeks . I think the sex difference is pretty obvious in the photo.


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## pphx459 (Jun 25, 2004)

Man you guys have some really colorful rams! My rams do not have all those black spots on them..


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## geffrocks86 (Sep 24, 2004)

Hello! I've never started my own planted tank, but I love checking this forum out regularly. But I do have a few rams to share. I got these guys from Fairy Lake Discus in S.F. Let me know what you think!


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Beautiful. Those males in the first picture looks like they're strutting their stuff for that female (how many pairs do you have in there?).

Saw some of those last time that I was over at Fairy Lake as well.


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## geffrocks86 (Sep 24, 2004)

i have two pairs...i had a 55 gal that I wanted to fill with Rams, but they were so expensive, I only picked up two pairs. I figure I'll just breed them myself. 

As far as the fry, well they died off because I had to go out of town for a weekend. But another female is ready to lay again, so I'll try to raise this next batch.

The member's tanks on this forum are great! I'll dive into a planted tank one day, I know it. But for now I'll just sit and admire all of yours!! roud:


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Yup, those fish are very nice. I'd pick up a pair, but there's a German ram breeding lady around in the south bay that I'm probably gonna go check out.


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

I am so jealous of all the rams you guys have. I have 2 rams and very sad that they aren't spawning any who, i've been conditioning for weeks and still no luck.


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## justinh (Oct 31, 2004)

What kind of water parameters do you have? I know rams like soft low ph water. I imagine your water is ram friendly. Very nice pics! roud:


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

pH is around 7.0 , temp. 80, ammonia 0. 

I saw a suspicious movement from my male earlier today which was a spawning sign, but no eggs yet.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

Wö£fëñxXx: those are some very dark rams! i'm really impressed. do you know anything about their lineage?

Oqsy


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Thanks Ogsy, Sorry I do not know :icon_frow 
For what it is worth though, every Ram I have owned looks/ed this way, I think water params has had alot to do with that, soft water with a low ph
here's a shot I took the other night of a couple roud:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Raise some of those fry, would ya !?

Then PM me .


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

You got it bro :wink:


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## raykwonx (Feb 26, 2004)

Wö£fëñxXx: very nice pics too.


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## jeffboyarrdee (Aug 25, 2004)

heY I RECENTLY got 2 german rams from fairy lake in SF also!


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Thank you Ray, I noticed in a thread somehwre you had some also...Sweet, One of my Fav's!!


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

great shot... what's your lighting? (sorry if you've posted somewhere else and I missed it) tonight i started my first serious attempt at breeding rams... starting a new thread about it tonight.

Oqsy


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

192watt Aqualight CF about 13hrs, then most of the photo's are done with a single 30w PowerGlo on for around 4 hrs...
Good luck on your Ram breeding endeavor, mine breed all the time, but I am to lazy to make room for them to do so full term. (tank mates) I will check out your new thread, I should remove all tank mates so they would complete the process.


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Hmmm, speechless! I would've considered Rams, but my water is way too hard, high ph. Your photo's always look so sharp too, would make a great background for the PC. Can I borrow your pic as my wallpaper sometime?

ETA: I hope you don't mind I set that pic as my background (It's so relaxing). I'll take it off if I don't have your permission :wink: )


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

You can still try rams in waters w/pH > 7, especially German bred ones.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

wetgreenthumb said:


> Hmmm, speechless! I would've considered Rams, but my water is way too hard, high ph. Your photo's always look so sharp too, would make a great background for the PC. Can I borrow your pic as my wallpaper sometime?
> 
> ETA: I hope you don't mind I set that pic as my background (It's so relaxing). I'll take it off if I don't have your permission :wink: )


lol, You are more than welcome to use the picture! I'm flatter'd roud:


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Here is my dominant Male.... He's working with a clutch of eggs at the moment..


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## Gomer (Aug 14, 2003)

way cool!

What do you do when you have the fry?...I mean...if you just leave then in your tank, does your tank just start populating like crazy if you don't remove them, or do they control their own population? 

..thinkign of getting some for my new 40G


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Nice picture, Gareth! roud:


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Ibn said:


> You can still try rams in waters w/pH > 7, especially German bred ones.


The more I see this fish the more I want a pair. I'v got to find out more. Like what kind of tank mates are acceptable, etc. I'm in love with these......


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

You would love them, I have about 8 right now, got a pair in my 46 nursing some eggs as I speak, I took all the other fish out hoping and waiting, been 2 days and they still fanning the eggs 
This is my King!
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=68083&postcount=30


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> You would love them, I have about 8 right now, got a pair in my 46 nursing some eggs as I speak, I took all the other fish out hoping and waiting, been 2 days and they still fanning the eggs
> This is my King!
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=68083&postcount=30


 :icon_eek: Whew, breathless....that's it! I want those. I read that link you posted that had the really good info, and it said that Ram's can live with Gourami's and Angels. I have 2 Blue Spot Gourami's in my 55, but I know Ram's would love it if I keep the PH down. I might have to trade the Gourami's in though. Do you normally have all 8 in one tank, or in separate tanks?


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

You can keep them with most any fish except african's.
You're ph should be fine for them plus you inject C02 so that helps lower ph also.
No I have 4 in the 46, 3 in the 55, and 1 on QT right now, she is old  2+years
2 of the 4 I keep in the 46 are in my 20g got a pair on eggs right now, so it was split up time! finger's xxxed


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> I have about 8 right now, got a pair in my 46 nursing some eggs as I speak.


Good luck, Craig! I'll take 4 when they are weened . Very tenuous in the first week. If you can get em to eat within the first 3 days, you'll be home free. FYI, decapsulated eggs are too large - ya gotta hatch em.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Thanks Ted, I will let nature take it's corse and see what happens.. they/mostly He still faning the eggs.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Man, I've been lusting after some rams ever since I first saw the pix of them. I've never seen them in any of the LFS's around here though  so I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to order them. Probably from OddBallFish.com. I've been watching Aquabid but haven't seen any crop up since they came back online. What would the best grouping be for a 55? One pair? 2 Pairs? A trio and let the male take his pick? (then what do you do with the "extra" female???)


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

RoseHawke said:


> Man, I've been lusting after some rams ever since I first saw the pix of them. I've never seen them in any of the LFS's around here though  so I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to order them. Probably from OddBallFish.com. I've been watching Aquabid but haven't seen any crop up since they came back online. What would the best grouping be for a 55? One pair? 2 Pairs? A trio and let the male take his pick? (then what do you do with the "extra" female???)


Cindy, I saw that you can order these from Dr. Fosters & Smith too, but I'm not sure if they ship pairs. I was wondering the same thing about getting three. I am going to look around the LFS this weekend and see if I can find some now that I can tell the sex of them.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

The only thing is I would be a bit concerned about the quality of the fish from DrsF&S as opposed to Oddballfish. I believe I remember OBF saying on their site that theirs are award-winning fish. My suspicions are that there would be a difference like that between a hobbiest-bred half-moon betta and what one finds in the cups at chain pet stores. 

Here's a fascinating read though on Blue Rams, just working my way through it now: German Blue Rams. From that sounds like I've got almost perfect water parameters :icon_bigg anyway.


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

RoseHawke said:


> Here's a fascinating read though on Blue Rams, just working my way through it now: German Blue Rams. From that sounds like I've got almost perfect water parameters :icon_bigg anyway.


I agree - we want quality Rams... I was reading that very link yesterday, and I think my tank would work, but I would add some peat for and additional benefit. I just wouldn't expect them to breed with my parameters. I am thinking about ordering them, I've never ordered fish online...hee hee. That would be a first for me but no-one at my house would be surprised when they showed up!!


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Yah. I keep my Ph on my water at 6.5, the TDS (according to last Water Authority rpt) ranges 56-146 ppm, total hardness is 51-72. I've been adding sodium bicarbonate to get my KH up to 4-4.5, I may decrease that somewhat if I get the rams. I want to wait 'til we've got some steady spring temps (another month or so) before I seriously think about ordering. My Brother-in-law the rift lake cichlid nut travels a good bit in the Chattanooga area and surrounding states and probably knows every good fish store within a 300 mile radius. I've just e-mailed them to see if he knows of any in the area. 

The only thing I'm worried about is that my flag fish might be a problem. I think both, the Rams and the flag-fish prefer the bottom, but hopefully the tank is big enough for each to stake out a territory and leave the others alone.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

RoseHawke said:


> The only thing I'm worried about is that my flag fish might be a problem.


I've had this combo work and not work. Completely depended on the fish :icon_roll . 

On the + side, your water params are identical to mine, and my rams spawn like crazy. You'll be golden when you finally get a pair roud: .


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Found some!










I got a wild hair today and decided I wanted to hit a couple of local shops, and the one just down the road actually had these in! The pic is a bit misleading, the male is actually only about 2/3 the size of the female. At least hoping I have the sexing right, the one is obviously a female, the other I'm _pretty_ sure is a male, he was about the only one in the tank at the store. I spent about 3 hours dripping water into their packet before introducing them into my tank as my Ph is quite a bit different. Hope they do okay. We'll see :icon_mrgr .


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Congrats!

Looks like you got the sexing right to me. That female appears gravid (or maybe just full); either way, she looks sexually mature. The male probably has a bit of growing to do before she'll take him seriously.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Actually most of the females in the LFS tank were gravid. That's how I was sure they were females . This male has been chasing the female. Not constantly, but a good bit of the time. At least he was. They've now discovered that they can hide in the plants so I haven't seen much of them for the last half hour. Do the males tend to be aggressive with the females? How do you tell if a pair isn't compatible? I can see I'm going to have to do some more reading. This is the first pair of any type of cichlids (except for the obligatory angels when I was a kid of course) that I've ever had.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Woohooo, Congrats on your find...
That's great! roud:
They are contagious, I have been allergic to not having them for years..lol


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Wheweeee! I likes them!! Now I'm jealous....but I have it on high authority that one of my LFS's has them in stock. It's a little drive so I'm waiting til Saturday to find out! Congrats on those beauties!!!


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Well, I am a new momma too: here are the new Rams....this is just a couple of pic but I put more in my photo album journal if you want to see them. They don't show their true colors as I'd hoped, but I hope to get more pics tomorrow. 



[URL=http://www.imageshack.us]


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

when do they start showing mature colors? mine are about the size of a neon tetra, so half the size of yours...

looking great roud: 
in a few days, they will look good as new


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

All right! Congratulations roud: ! Mine still aren't showing much interest in the foods I supply, but I didn't even think about flake 'cause everything else spits it out (not chewing it up, just spit it out and leave it like "yeecchhh") and I've tried several different kinds. I guess I need to try some more. I need something for the molly I moved to a 5 gallon quarantine "bucket" :tongue: (hey, it works) anyway. It kept having issues with an ongoing columnaris (also known as "black molly disease." I wonder why?) infection which would only show up after I dosed the tank with ferts. Go figger. It must be allergic :icon_roll . In the 55 the mollies were living on scum and algae, but with a bubbling sponge filter, no light and no plants, there's none available for the one in the bucket of course. The trick's going to be finding something that is acceptable to both Rams and Mollies.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Cindy, 

For what it's worth, all the new rams I have ever gotten spit food for a week or so... All foods except Frozen Bloodworms, that it. Those have been my magic bullet. So, if you're going to buy a buffet, I recommend putting them on the menu.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

I guess that means another trip to PetSmart in the next day or so then (my fish source LFS doesn't keep any such thing --- small shop.) How do you feed them if I may ask? I've never fed frozen fish food before and I've not been able to find any real instructions on the best technique for doing so.


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

The store I got mine from had been feeding them flake so they were used to it. They haven't eaten as heartily as the other fish, but if a piece of flake comes near them they go for it. They've been eating a lot of the bottom or at least picking up sand and spitting it out. I have some freeze dried blood worms but they only float on top. Not sure I should feed them that. We'll see!


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

i have had great success in getting them to eat freeze dried bloodworms, as long as they were presoaked so the rams could easily get them. They are the magic bullet :icon_bigg


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms and brine, and every once in a while a treat of freeze dried krill broken into pieces... it takes them a few minutes to tear into it, but once they get a taste for it, they'll try to devour it whole the next time its offered. i also give mine small pieces of hikari bottom feeder tabs every few days to maybe once every couple of weeks, depending of how often I think about it. they will fight off other fish in the tank for their share of this as well.

Oqsy


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

RoseHawke said:


> Mine still aren't showing much interest in the foods I supply, but I didn't even think about flake 'cause everything else spits it out (not chewing it up, just spit it out and leave it like "yeecchhh") and I've tried several different kinds.


Rams, being chilids, possess pharyngeal teeth so it is normal for the to spit out food in the process of eating. I am yet to meet a ram that would not take flake.


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

all cichlids have these teeth, right? Angels do the same thing


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Woohoo, its a Ram craze!!!! I love it! roud:


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Well, yes, but first they have to put it *in* their mouths before they spit it out :tongue: . I have observed my fish doing the spit it out, take it in, spit it out, take it in bit, where they're getting it in smaller pieces to swallow. And I've also seen them take it in, spit it out, and swim off to try another piece only to do the same thing. I believe they were telling me in no uncertain terms that they weren't happy with the variety. I think it was Wardley that was the worst received (reading the ingredients I'm not surprised, I might as well throw some cornmeal in there,) but they've also done it with Omega One (that was an expensive experiment.) 

Don't know how they're doing this morning yet, the lights aren't supposed to come on for another hour+. Male was still messing with her yesterday evening although not to the extent he has been. I think I might try putting another pair in the tank, although this tank is definitely reaching maximum capicity. Personally I'm looking forward to Summer so I can move Dreamsicle (the sarassa comet) out as I *need* that tank!

Ram Craze indeed! I've hardly had them a couple of days though and I love them; I'd like to set up a tank just for breeding (she says not even knowing if these two are going to survive and thrive,) ... let's see, I can run electric to the utility room and that's got a concrete floor ... hmmmm .... :icon_mrgr


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

RoseHawke said:


> Ram Craze indeed! I've hardly had them a couple of days though and I love them;


I am the same way....these babies are getting so beautiful. They came out in front last night for the first time. I had to take all the Gourami's out and now they are very active. I love em too.....


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

The only problem is that it's hard to find good quality Rams. In good quality, I mean great finnage, good color, and good parenting. Tom(from San Diego) has some of the best Rams I've ever seen!


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Yah, I know these are "pet shop" rams, so I suspect that I'll still be ordering a couple in future.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Every Ram I've ever owned, has prefered frozen brine shrimp over anything,
Wardley, you can forget, every fish I have owned hates that stuff..
they will eat TetraMin flake's, if they are hungry, but throw some frozen brine in the tank and they will munch....


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Cindy,

It's not unusual for the male the chase around a female in the early stages of their "relationship". If he wanted to hurt her, he would be tearing fins. I've had male/male battles that nearly resulted in death. If they want to do damage, they will - fins, eyes, scales are all fair game in a battle.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

i recently lost a male in just such a battle... i had moved two of my three females to a seperate tank to fatten them up for breeding, and by doing so, I left 2 males fighting for 1 female in the community tank... oops. the male I was planning to use for breeding was mortally wounded by the larger, but less attractive male before I'd even realized that they were fighting. Apparently the female left in the tank noticed, because she was colored up like a streetcorner floozie and flaunting her stuff for the surviving male. I should have just moved all 5 fish into the breeder at the same time and let them sort it out. Surprisingly, without any males present, the females got along fine. On a positive note, I got a much prettier and larger male at the lfs a couple of days after the fight. He's almost as big as a full grown bolivian, and the most colorful blue ram i've ever seen. Nice red edge along the dorsal and pectorals, and loads of blue, purple, black, and yellow. If my camera were any good in my bright community tank I'd take a few pictures, but they all end up overexposed and unrealistic.

Oqsy


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## Silent Running (Sep 13, 2004)

Here's my male foraging for goodies...


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Well, he's gonna have his choice now 'cause I got 2 more females a little while ago :icon_roll . I've got them in a pitcher with a drip going now. As a side note the tank at the LFS that was _full _of rams two days ago was down to about 6-8! They're obviously popular!


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

Rams live in pairs, not harems. The male will end up breeding with one female, and the other one will be left out.


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## wetgreenthumb (Jan 6, 2005)

Here is the pair again they are really settling in now:


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Raul-7 said:


> Rams live in pairs, not harems. The male will end up breeding with one female, and the other one will be left out.


Such is my understanding. Hopefully though this will split his attention for a while until he settles down, then I guess I'll separate the other two out and either return them or give them to my sister.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

I never ceases to amaze me how many eggs come out of my little female :icon_conf . Must be the blood worms roud:


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

daaaaaaaaaammn! that is a lot! how big is she?
good luck with the babies... are you gonna raise them again?


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

nice spawn! great photo, too... 

i just realized that I've probably never said "ramirezi" out loud...

is it ramirez - ee?
or rami-rezee?
or maybe even a long 'i' at the end? making latin names from peoples' names sounds almost silly to me... unless you've got a cool last name, I guess... i've always found the multiple "axelrodi" species to be kind of cool sounding. oh well. any nomenclature buffs reading this thread? 

Oqsy


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## spurs (Feb 17, 2005)

I will soon hopefully be getting a pair of my own Rams. But I'm not sure if I should get Blue Rams or Bolivian Rams. I have heard that the Bolivian Rams are less delicate than the Blue Rams, is this true? I think the Bolivian Rams grow a little bit larger than the Blue Rams. The Blue Rams have more colour than the Bolivian Rams but I don't want to spend something like £3.25 on a pair of fish just for them to die the next day because my water isn't right. Which one should I choose?

This is the Tank they'll be going in after I've chosen out of the Blue Rams and the Bolivian Rams:








The already made cave for the pair:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Spurs, I understand your enthuiasm for these great little fish roud: . A couple things to consider before you buy. I can't speak for Bolivians, having never owned them, but Germans can be a little over the top for a beginner. 

Blue rams need soft water. You'll always hear a report from someone saying they kept them in rock hard water without any problems. But, having been one of these people , I can tell you that they are NOT happy. The grow slowly, die early, and never show their optimal color (or colour, as you Brits say). So, what is "soft"? I recommend a KH and GH value (degrees) between 2 and 8. Any softer and you'll have to worry about a pH crash. Additionally, rams will fail within days if you stock them in a new tank. The water needs to be aged, and a bit of algae (on the rocks) or plant matter will go a long way as well. The cave was a good idea. I think your flash was on when you took the photo, so I can't tell how much shading it provides. Make sure that you offer some low light areas in the tank. At a glance, I would recommend a bit more structure in your tank...but that's just my experience.

Good luck. And btw, a few pounds for a pair of rams is a very good price.

Ted


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## spurs (Feb 17, 2005)

My tap water pH is 7.5 and my tank water is also pH 7.5.

The current rocks I have in their are 3 bits of slate and one bit of bogwood. I'm not sure what the plants names are called but when I go to get a pair og Rams (not sure which ones) I'll look at the names as I'm hoping to get the fish from the same place where I got my plants from.


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## spurs (Feb 17, 2005)

The water needs to be aged, and a bit of algae (on the rocks) or plant matter will go a long way as well. The cave was a good idea. I think your flash was on when you took the photo, so I can't tell how much shading it provides. Make sure that you offer some low light areas in the tank. 

Good luck. And btw, a few pounds for a pair of rams is a very good price.

Ted[/QUOTE]

Ted 
here is a picture of the cave without the flash on:









And on the plants there is some brown algae growing on them. The tank has been running for nearly two weeks. 
I have also got some little bubble groups around the edging of my tank. Could anyone please explain to me why I have? Is it because of the filter?


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Very nice photo Uni, good luck and keep us updated roud:


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## spurs (Feb 17, 2005)

I can't put any type of fish in my fish tank yet :icon_frow 
Because of this:
Ammonia: 0.50
Nitrate: 40ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
pH: 7.6


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

i have well hidden and well guarded eggs... from what i can tell most if not all are fertilized.

Oqsy


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Yeah spurs,

I thought 2 weeks wasn't enough time... Good thing you caught it though. Rams wouldn't last 24 hours in that water. 

Be patient


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## spurs (Feb 17, 2005)

Yeah I'll try. But how long will it last for? And I'm doin a test every morning to see id anything has gone down. And as soon as I saw the Nitrate colour I put in some Catfish Pellets and some more tropical flake food to help the bacteria a little more. Was this the right thing to do?


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## kunerd (Jul 19, 2005)

Any updates on all these great Rams???????????? :icon_bigg :icon_bigg


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Yeah, not such a great update in mine. I lost it to hole-in-the-head disease. Or at least that's what I think it was. He had a big hole in his head that just wouldn't stop growing.


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

here are the trio i used to have..dunno why they died...

 Rams


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## GraFFix (Feb 21, 2005)

Arrgh, I must say that I am envious. Ive gone through 3 pairs of beautiful rams in the past month and for a day or 2 they seem fine then it all goes downhill from there. 

water is perfect with a ph of 6.6 is that to low?


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

I have a proven pair of gold rams, they've been living with me for at least 8 months and still living strong. They've spawn so many times, for sale if anyone is interested.


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## Jung (Mar 16, 2005)

thought I'd share some pics of my 2 pairs of blue rams(my fav :fish: ):


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## Dood Lee (Jan 14, 2005)

That's really beautiful Jung. If you don't mind my asking, how did you get your rams to display such beautiful coloration? Special food? Mine don't have nearly as dark blacks as yours do.

Also, in that first pic, what kind of plant is that attached to the wood?


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## Jung (Mar 16, 2005)

Dood Lee said:


> That's really beautiful Jung. If you don't mind my asking, how did you get your rams to display such beautiful coloration? Special food? Mine don't have nearly as dark blacks as yours do.
> 
> Also, in that first pic, what kind of plant is that attached to the wood?


thanks, I do feed my fish a lot of live food (white worms and black worms), I think it's beneficial. 

The plant attached to the wood is just windelov (aka lace) java fern, a variation of regular java ferns.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

So that is where all those Cherrie's have gone....Haha


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Ohh, the carnage. Nice shot, Craig. Quite a dark spot on that male.


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

what..rams? 

 male


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> So that is where all those Cherrie's have gone....Haha


maybe thats where all my shrimp went too 
RAMS


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Nice pics by everyone, I really want a pair in my 55 but I really like my shrimp in there as well, are they thinning the stock or wiping it out? Descisions.... decisions


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

I have a pair of Rams with my Cherry's and the never attack them. The only time I've seen them eat shrimp is when the little juveniles start jumping off the moss 'tree' and try to reach the substrate. But great looking Rams!


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

My rams have picked at a dead one but never actually attack a shrimp. They probably pick off some of the juveniles also. Even my neons go after them if they get in the open so I'm not concerned about it.

Brian


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

unirdna said:


> Ohh, the carnage.


Ya, we must have someone here from PETA that has seen this, they knocked the little ram thread from 5 starz to 3..LOL :frown:


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

*Spend some time at Pirahafury *

Hehe. Last I checked PETA was PEOPLE for the ethical treatment of animals. Do you suppose they have extended their 'iron fist' to the rest of the animal kingdom? :hihi: It must be as depressing as it is confusing to someone who wishes nature to be something that it is not. I have an image in my head of someone protesting on the African Serengeti against a lion pride that is responsible for brutally killing hundreds of innocent zebras. 

But, I digress. It's a democracy folks - please vote, and drown out the cowardly tactics of the utopian kook. It's a great thread! Even if blue rams are among the most unscrupulous, blood-thirsty killers of the world. ROFL


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

unirdna said:


> Hehe. Last I checked PETA was PEOPLE for the ethical treatment of animals. Do you suppose they have extended their 'iron fist' to the rest of the animal kingdom? :hihi: It must be as depressing as it is confusing to someone who wishes nature to be something that it is not. I have an image in my head of someone protesting on the African Serengeti against a lion pride that is responsible for brutally killing hundreds of innocent zebras.
> 
> But, I digress. It's a democracy folks - please vote, and drown out the cowardly tactics of the utopian kook. It's a great thread! Even if blue rams are among the most unscrupulous, blood-thirsty killers of the world. ROFL


Don't get me started on PETA the are a freakish cult.
And to answer your question, yes they have moved into this arena. They say fish have feelings and shouldn't be "caged" They also managed to open my dog's kennel at a dog show to let her out so she can be free! (to me that is cruel) Luckily my dog is well-trained and she stayed in there with the door open for an hour waiting for me and didn't run in the street and get hit by a car like two others that day.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

Sorry to bring this back up, but here's a picture of my male Ram take two days ago. Picture quality is crap, he doesn't stop moving!


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Hello Raul,
Be sorry for nothing! welcome  
Nice looking Male, he looks like the cock of the walk...
Thanks for the photo


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