# German Blue Ram Aggression



## Hrethra (Oct 26, 2011)

Hi, I bought two German blues two days ago for my 29g tank. I got a female, and a male. The female is a little bigger than the male, they are approximately 1.2" or so. My male is picking on the female, and she's getting a little worn and stressed. I know I have two fairly good sized pictus cat fish in there, a red tailed shark- i have quarantined him temporarily, he likes messing with the other fish. I also have a docile little bumblebee cat fish. I'm not worried about that little guy though. He keeps to himself. Could they be encouraging the uneasiness of my male?

Is there anyway to keep down their aggression? And would it be wise if I moved the pair to a 12g?


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## rocketdude1234 (Apr 8, 2010)

My first question would be are you sure that you have 1 male and 1 female? I have 1 male with two females and he will bug them, but two males will likely be more aggressive towards one another.

In my opinion, you'd be pushing it with a 12g. My three are in a 36g with 13 neons and 5 otos and they will still chase one another (giving each other some good nips).

My suggestion would be to make sure you have 1 male and 1 female. Post some pics and everyone can chime in : ). I might also consider adding a 2nd female so that he might create a harem. It will also distribute the harrassment. Finally, I would ensure that there are barriers in the tank to ensure that if they do decide to chase, there is cover for the runner to hide in.


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

Another thing is that just because you have a male and a female does not mean they are a pair. Although these really are not harem breeding fish, it is a good idea to start with multiple fish so that a proper pair can form out of them, and then the rest would be removed before they can be harmed by the pair. 

Anyway if harassment continues the female will get I'll and die from the stress even if she is not injured directly. If the male is relentless she or he must be separated. Moving two fish that are not getting along both to an even smaller tank is going to make it worse. Move just one of them to the 12g.

be careful, pictus are not the greatest choice for this type of tank - something small and peaceful like Cory cats are a much better alternative.


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## Hrethra (Oct 26, 2011)

Thank you both so very much for the advice!! I'm removing the pictus catfish soon, although I'm not so sure about the red tailed shark. I bought a few more females and put them in there(All they had left were two girls at the store). The male is picking on them too just like with the other female.( I can tell the genders apart very easily when they aren't stressed.) I also put plants in my tank, since I really only have what are, if I can remember, cave rocks. Would it help if I added a flowerpot? I've also heard that having schools of small fish help calm them down?


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

Having other fish in the tank will likely not help too much - a Ram will focus his attention on the females and ignore unrelated species. That said, i is worth a shot, at best cichlids can be considered unpredictable. Having lots of plants for hiding, losing sight of other fish, and general security is very imporant though. Welcome to the world of juggling cichlid aggression lol.


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## Hrethra (Oct 26, 2011)

Thankfully enough, the male finally found a female he liked. they are still a little edgy, but they follow each other around when they are picking at the rocks. Maybe cleaning, I think, they keep clearing off certain areas. I think they might be looking for a place for the eggs. If they do lay, I'm just letting nature take its course, since I don't have all the necessary things for raising the fry myself. 

I'm considering on getting the so-called, "dither" fish, anyway.


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

> I'm considering on getting the so-called, "dither" fish, anyway.


In my experience these guys do great with other fish, and there is no reason not to add a school of something to liven things up.


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## Pookie Bear (Sep 2, 2010)

I have two male GBRs in my 40 breeder, and they chase each other and fight. Just make sure you have enough plants in the tank because they love to hide and have their own place. Good luck!


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## Jadenlea (Sep 15, 2011)

My GBR loves the glofish. When they get very active, he gets very active. 
He also is in love with my female beta.. he treats her like a GBR female. It is super interesting to watch. They are inseparable. If she does disappear as female betas sometimes do, he searches the tank pacing back and forth searching for her. Mostly though, they spend their time sitting together infront of a cave in the corner of the tank.

He is by far my most interesting fish!!!


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## ghotifish (Feb 16, 2009)

Our Blue Ram ate all our shrimp, so now he lives in the display tank at the LFS!


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## Byakuya (Oct 26, 2011)

ghotifish said:


> Our Blue Ram ate all our shrimp, so now he lives in the display tank at the LFS!


lol, good fight Blue Ram.

Well what I have read about them (thinking of getting a pair myself). They are really a nature dependent fish. So you could have just got an aggressive nature male. My friend has a pair and he says they are very friendly.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have a male and female and the male is very aggressive to the female. I had another female for a short time in the tank and it was not aggressive to her but still was aggressive to the other female so it didn't help.

It's been about a year and though nothing has changed, they both seem healthy. The female kind of knows when to come out and they chase around. I have had other fish that didn't pair and the male bullied the female to death. He seems to let her eat just enough to get some food, then goes after her. He lets her come out and but after a few minutes, chases her back into the plants. 

Ironically, they hide together in the same place with no aggression.


Anyway, both are healthy and it's been a long time. I do wish they paired but it doesn't seem to be as bad as other fish I have had that didn't pair.


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## Hrethra (Oct 26, 2011)

Good News- They bred, and they formed a pair(I think).

Bad News- The babies were eaten over night and now the male is picking on the female again...

I have a new school of harlequins in there, and I've removed all threatening catfish( Turns out I had to remove the bumble bee in the end anyway). I rearranged my rocks, cleaned out my filters, and have temporarily quarantined my male so the female can figure out all the nice hiding spots she now has. I hope these new factors change some things... 

I had considered changing out my male for a less dominating one(Lucky me- was inexperienced enough to have picked out the alpha because he was pretty xD) and a few more females, but they have yet to get a shipment at my LFS.


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## astrosag (Sep 3, 2010)

I've got two bubble rams and I really was naive when I got them - didn't sex them (not sure its even that possible while in the LFS). They to seem to tussle here and there (I'm thinking they're both males) but its really all a show. They just charge at each other flaring their bottom fin and that's it - no contact. 

My only advice is that GBRs, in my limited experience, are territorial. Split them apart, different sides of the tank by promoting some nice hiding places.


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