Choosing a german ram: male or female

[valleygirl]

I'm totally stumped. Lol!

I'm curious to know if my ram is a boy or girl. I've asked around in some fish groups and got mixed answers. Some people think it's a male because it doesn't have a pink belly, and its dorsal spines are a bit taller.

But then I talked to someone who breeds them and they're convinced it's a female. They said the blue shining through the black is a giveaway, and the lack of pink belly is because there's no male in the tank to trigger the color change.

She also pointed out what she thinks is an egg tube, which apparently confirms it's a female. Not that it really matters, but I'm curious to know.

What do you guys think?

[muddywave]

That's a gorgeous ram, love the pics.

[limer]

The coloration and body proportions of your ram suggest it's a male. However, I'd like to respectfully disagree with the assessment of the "breeding tube" - it appears more like a prolapse to me.

[valleygirl]

The coloration and body proportions of your ram suggest it's a male. However, I'd like to respectfully disagree with the assessment of the "breeding tube" - it appears more like a prolapse to me.

That's what I initially thought too, but it's completely back to normal now. The fish is still super active, which is great to see.

[Tigger]

I'm totally stumped. Lol!

I'm curious to know if my ram is a boy or girl. I've asked around in some fish groups and got mixed answers. Some people think it's a male because it doesn't have a pink belly, and its dorsal spines are a bit taller.

But then I talked to someone who breeds them and they're convinced it's a female. They said the blue shining through the black is a giveaway, and the lack of pink belly is because there's no male in the tank to trigger the color change.

She also pointed out what she thinks is an egg tube, which apparently confirms it's a female. Not that it really matters, but I'm curious to know.

What do you guys think?

I'm with the majority on this one, I think it's a female.