FishyNV Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I have a pair of German Blue Rams. 90% of the time they get along great but every few weeks the male starts acting aggressively toward the female. He chases her, nips at her fins, etc. She is super stressed out and pale when this happens. The first time we moved him to the quarantine tank for about two weeks and then when we moved him back he was fine for another month and a half. This time he was over there for a week or so, moved him back and he was fine for a few days and then started being aggressive again. Here is what I am wondering. Instead of trying to get another pair and hoping my current pair will match up with them, is it possible to have multiple females to one male? I have tried searching for this "harem" setup and cannot find any good advice. I would rather not have to permanently separate these two, or risk more aggressive behavior if I add more females or pairs. These are my first rams and I just want them to be happy! Hoping I could add maybe 2-3 more females and he will end up liking one of them and leaving the rest alone? Is that possible? Also, a bit of background. Started with a pair that seemed to be getting along in the LFS. The female didn't make it, so got a new female. Then the original male passed as well. So we got a new male that in the LFS seemed to be chill and nice to the others in the tank. Get him home and he is fine with the existing female for like two months, then starts this aggression mess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowells Fish Lab Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 I currently have 2 harem groups just like what you're describing, each having one male and 4-5 females. One group is in a space about the size of a 10 gallon and the other in a space a bit larger than that. Both have been stable for 6 months or so. In that arrangement all of the aggression has been between the females. Males stay pretty calm. No single female has completely undamaged fins, but none so much that it worries me. It produces regular spawns so I'm happy with it. The only downside to me has been that if I don't pull the eggs the same night they're laid, there is a strong chance they'll be gone by morning. The uninvolved females swarm the spawning site and snipe them a few at a time until they're all gone. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) @FishyNV I'll speculate a bit here. But the best thing for us to be most helpful would be to see photos and videos of your tank, the Rams, what this looks like. Do not worry about getting discouraging feedback on this forum. We're here to literally CARE for one another. I have been keeping and breeding Rams for a few years, and made certain observations concerning them that in part concur with others and at other times diverge. It's good to hear a variety of opinions too so no one tries too hard to bend your ear in one direction or another. I agree with @Lowells Fish Lab that Rams do not (as sometimes described) exclusively pair off for life with one partner. Males are opportunistic, and will breed with any female once she's ready. Herein lies the issue: Is your female mature but not past her prime? Is she healthy? Is she nourished properly, eating a variety of quality foods? Is her environment and water condition conducive for spawning? Is she cleared of any infections or parasites? IF your female is otherwise in excellent condition, and if her aquarium is properly prepared for spawning, then she will develop roe, and will be ready to spawn -- sometimes as frequently as every 2 weeks, but at _least_ once every month. To achieve this, I try to do the following: (1) I keep an amply planted tank, and one where the nitrogen cycle is in excellent condition. (2) I also water-change once per week, 25-50% (3) I keep the temperature warm -- at least 80-degrees Fahrenheit, but preferably warmer -- up to 85-degrees F. (4) I feed a variety of quality foods. I prefer live foods (baby brine shrimp, black worms) and frozen foods (spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, daphnia, and limited amount of blood worms). Some dry foods I prefer include Xtreme, Bug Bites and Omega One brands. You want your female to be fortified with proper vitamins so that she will produce roe. Take care, however, not to pollute your tank by overfeeding. (5) I arrange my tank with structural divisions so that females can find some rest if an aggressive male is bothering her during a time when she is not ready to spawn. Remember that Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) are largely bottom-dwellers that like to pick at the substrate. It is good to arrange wood, plants, stones, etc. from the substrate up so that there are some distinctly separated off portions of the aquarium for isolation. While this isn't absolutely essential -- many breeders like just a bare tank with some terracotta pieces -- I have found that a "busy" lower 1/3 of your tank's hardscape and flora does help Rams out. (6) I have found that Rams will spawn just fine in tanks with other fish, and do not need to be in an isolated tank. Many breeders prefer a smaller tank for a single pair -- that can work out great. But my most consistent spawns come in tanks of 20 gal. long, 40 breeder, or 55 gal. where there are lots of other fish. I always pull my eggs. Rams are highly social, and have a heap of fun in a "Ram-Packed" tank. Here's some Ram videos just showing different set ups for Ram's my son and I have kept over the last several years... Breeding Pair in a 20 long... Colony set up in a 55 gal, Opal Rams spawning... Golden Ram pair in a 29 gal tank... Golden-Blue Opal Rams in crowded 55 gal community tank... Golden Ram Fry grow-out tank (20 gal tall) with solo Discus photo-bombing... Rams spawning in a crowded 55 gal recently... Edited April 13, 2022 by Fish Folk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyNV Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 @Lowells Fish Lab thank you! This gives me hope! @Fish Folkthank you so much for the videos and tips. I'm so thrilled to see your ram community tank. Everything I've seen says pairs, pairs, pairs. They are currently in a well cycled established aquarium. It's been running about two years or so, the rams have been in it for just a frlew months. We got her in maybe Nov, and then him in Jan, so they are both still juveniles. They are well fed a variety of food, pellets, brine shrimp and blood worms and have a pleco, and a handful of nano fish as tank mates. I just separated them because he was harassing her endlessly, but I'll share some pics and videos from the last time he was picking on her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyNV Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 I have a video, I can't figure out how to post it 🤦♀️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) @FishyNV Lovely tank! I really enjoy the balance there. I was just on another post, discussing tannins. Have you ever considered adding a bunch of tannins to see if that might calm them? Or help get her in "the mood?" Your tank now... Might turn into something like this (but much better-looking than my guess here)... Edited April 13, 2022 by Fish Folk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyNV Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 I have not thought of that, but definitely worth a try! I think I have some almond leaves, I will look for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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