Male ram aggression

[bretswan55]

I am kind of worried about my female german blue ram. The male is much bigger than her and he chases her a lot. It has been about a month since their first breeding and i know he is trying to send signals but it seems like she isnt interested and she is really stressed. What should i do? Can rams breed once and not breed again? The only other fish in the tank are 2 electric blue rams but they dont seem to bother anybody. The big male is just very mean.

[Spardas]

How big is this tank? Are there enough hiding space in the tank? What's your pH, hardness, and temp at?

[Byron]

The data Spardas asked for is important. But in the interim I will mention another issue. This species must select their own mates; they form what we term a bonded pair, and usually for life. If a male and female are just put together, they may or may not bond. If they don't, they may even spawn a few times, but eventually the male (usually) will make it very clear he does not want the female in his territory. And while the tank space and aquascape is important, the male may still kill the female. I had this occur in a 5-foot tank with Bolivian Rams. They spawned four times, then the female was hounded to death very quickly. I didn't understand the bonding issue then, and looking back now I can see that there were other signs of this in their interactive behaviours right from the start.

Byron.

[bretswan55]

How big is this tank? Are there enough hiding space in the tank? What's your pH, hardness, and temp at?

it is a 20 gallon long with temp at 79 degrees farenheit and many rocks, plants, and a hut. i dont know about the pH or hardness

[Spardas]

Byron made a good point. Are these naturally bonded pairs? I'd wouldn't want any other inhabitants in the tank either while they're trying to breed. It reduces the stress for both parties...

I suggest you get a pH and hardness liquid test kit soon.