How to reduce male GBR aggression?

[Adman87]

Hi all. I setup a 37gal aquarium for a pair of GBRs (German Blue Rams) a two months ago. After adding the pair of GBRs they spawned almost immediately. None of the fry lived (or hatched for that matter) but the tank hasnt been the same since. The male GBR is extremely aggressive toward the female, constantly chasing her around. I dont think he is nipping, but it is obviously bothering her since she is skittish and her color has decreased. I just added the male back to the tank after a 1 week time out in a 10 gal I setup for him (and rearranged the 37gal), and they were lovely-dovey for about 5 hours and now he is back to chasing her around. The tank is heavily planted (although the female doesnt seem to care for my hiding spots) and there are 6 Rummy Nose tankmates. Other than that the water conditions are all optimal (I think), Very soft, 0A, 0Nit, 0-5ppm Nitrate.

I suspect he really wants to spawn again as he is showing incredible color. She must not be into it, although she does have a pretty pink belly. As this is my first pair of GBRs is this normal? What are the signs I need to be looking out for before I remove him again from the tank? Do target fish work, if so what kind (South American preferably)? Do I have the right dither fish??

Thanks a ton for the help, if I can provide any more info or pics please let me know. Cheers!

 

[Avatar]

Some individuals just play rough

Could be you need that more rams to diffuse/re-direct the attention - he might not be so mean if he's got some competition/options for his energy/attentions. It's not like 37 gallons isn't plenty of room...

 

[Adman87]

Are you thinking another male or another breeding pair? It would be cool to see a territory dispute but I don't want a bloodbath on my hands, especially at 15 bucks a pop!


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[Avatar]

Yes

Any number of any gender - a "blood-bath" is unlikely in any case, as rams are generally all about bluster rather than actual combat, the occasional lip-lock not withstanding. Was going to offer you an extra that I have but see that you're in Minnesota. Anyway, the idea is to change the dynamic in the tank - any number of ways to do this involving any number of species/landscape options/etc. - no way to see what might work until something does, but often times any move is better than no move, and not just in aquariums...

Luck.

 

[Adman87]

Hey thanks, that's really good advice. I was also thinking that they are mostly just bluster when observing them (they are amazing fish to watch behave). Do you have any insite into when the line is crossed and action needs to be taken? Will a bullied GBR be ok untill all the color is gone? Perhaps they are ok untill their fins start getting ragged? Are there any good cues like that? For all I know this might be a warm up to spawning.


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[Avatar]

Doesn't sound like spawning

Spawning's a bit more "coy" and reciprocating. Unhealthy follows unhappy pretty fast in fish, no hard rules but you don't wan't to wait until someone is in tatters before interceding. Might give the male another time out, get her fat and sassy again, reconfigure the tank/inhabitants and see what happens.

Have no "insight" to speak of - just intuition/trial and error same as you.

We have a resident Ram guru - perhaps he'll weigh in at some point.

 

[leisure_man]

Ram's typical territorial size is less than 1 ft^2. This can be reduced by providing obstacles such as rock, wood, plant to block the LOS and create 'natural' boundary. Since it is a 37gal tank, you have enough footprint for two pairs to interact with each other without causing any issue. The problem is getting a good pair is not as simple as putting a male and female together. They tend to 'choose' from a larger group to form a pair. Otherwise, the pair may not be compatible and will cause problem down the line.

If the objective is not to breed them, then you can get an odd number like 3. The extra fish if it is a male, would hold his own territory. If it is a female, then the male will 'visit' both of them separately and spawn with them. In this case, the 2 females will have sub-territories while the male oversee the entire tank. Sort of like a Ménage à trois. In a nutshell, their behavior will adjust to the situation they are in.

 

[Adman87]

Great info, thank you. I think another pair might be interesting. My setup is alittle lopsided and asymmetrical. Does this look like it would hold 2 pairs?


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[leisure_man]

Symmetry is not important, I can see two pairs in that tank. If you provide some flowing plants or allow more taller plants in the back will also let some of them to hide in the upper part of the tank away from the breeders.

As you should know, breeding them is the easy part, raising the fry is what separate the men from the boys....so to speak.