# My Bolivian Ram Sexing



## neo83 (Sep 27, 2010)

Hi

When i got my bolivian ram 3 months ago and up until now, i was of the impression that it's a male. I was planning to get a female for him and have been reading a bit more on the sexing to make sure of his sex. I understand they are a difficult fish to determine the sex. I have been following this Bolivian Rams Club.

Please could you take a look at my ram's pictures at Picasa Web Albums - Praveen - Bolivian Ram and confirm whether it's a male or a female? 

May I please ask you to explain why you think it's a male or a female?

Thanks


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

That site is certainly thorough. But it is not an easy task in immature fish; when mature the extended filaments on the male's caudal fin is very obvious compared to the female's (provided fish are roughly the same age/size). And when ready to spawn, the thickness of the ovipositor is a sure sign.

In our profile of this species, there is a photo of a pair that clearly illustrates the caudal fin differences, but I see the fish have their ventral fins pulled back so the ovipositor on each is not visible. But that was noted in your linked photos.

Looking at your fish photos, I think you have a female. The ovipositor is not visible, but the other characteristics mentioned in that link suggest this. I have a pair in my 115g, but aside from the caudal fin and ovipositor I doubt I could distinguish them. I've had the male for over two years, the female for about 6 months. It took the male several months to develop the finnage.

Byron.


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## burnsbabe (Jul 15, 2010)

I also have a pair of these guys in my 55g. I am only really sure that I have a male and a female because I can compare the two. Without knowing how old yours is (although it looks like a similar size to mine) I'd say that you probably have a female, but with the caveat that if those fin extensions appear in the next few months then I'd be wrong.

I can't get a good look at the sex organs in your photos. Bad angles, blur. Not your fault.

Anyway, my point is, both of my bolivians looked like yours when I got them. I'm only sure I have one of both because the female pretty much still looks like that while the male has added a lot more color and some serious fin extension. He's also the more aggressive of the two. It's possible yours is still too young to tell.

Depending on the size of your tank, you could get several more of similar age and wait until a pair forms. Just an option. But only if you have a 75g tank or so.


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## neo83 (Sep 27, 2010)

Thanks byron and burnsbabe. According to the sexing guide on the website i posted, i also came to the same conclusion that it more likely a female. However, i also posted this on another forum with a poll and got 7 votes for it being a male and only 1 for female. I'm pretty stumped currently. Unfortunately i have only a 33gallon tank and have other fish in there and so cant get 4 or 5 to identify a pair. 

I tried in vain to get a more closeup of the ovipositer, but i'll try and get a reasonable photo if i can. I'm currently away on work and will try and post tomorrow night. Can you spot the ovipositer at all in pics 15 and 17 from the album, if you could check again please? I'll still try and get a better picture.

Thanks


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

neo83 said:


> Thanks byron and burnsbabe. According to the sexing guide on the website i posted, i also came to the same conclusion that it more likely a female. However, i also posted this on another forum with a poll and got 7 votes for it being a male and only 1 for female. I'm pretty stumped currently. Unfortunately i have only a 33gallon tank and have other fish in there and so cant get 4 or 5 to identify a pair.
> 
> I tried in vain to get a more closeup of the ovipositer, but i'll try and get a reasonable photo if i can. I'm currently away on work and will try and post tomorrow night. Can you spot the ovipositer at all in pics 15 and 17 from the album, if you could check again please? I'll still try and get a better picture.
> 
> Thanks


The pics are just not clear enough, plus we don't know the age of the fish. I agree with burnsbabe that this appears now to be a female but could turn out to be a male in time. It wasn't until my first Bolivian was several months old, past a year I think, that it was quite obviously a male. And the ovipositor is often not too evident except when they are ready to spawn.


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## burnsbabe (Jul 15, 2010)

Byron's right. Like I said. Only by comparing the two I have and noticing obvious differences am I sure I have one of each.

If it helps, the sex organs on the male tend to come to more of a point, pointing generally toward the tail fin while the the female's ovipositor is a tad larger and more blunt. I've noticed this difference between my two. It's just hard to get a good enough look in your photos to tell.

Patience grasshopper.


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