> How does one tell the difference between a "good" wanamensis and a "bad"
> one? I always try to find out the supplier of the fish I buy but that
> doesn't mean much.
The absolute BEST way to make sure the fish are of good quality is to find
out who the breeder is and where he/she got their broodstock. Then, if you
can, trace the line back to a reliable (read: amazingly fussy) RML member.
My wanamensis came from Kevin Hosmer, and Gary Lange told me that yes, these
were very good fish. I trust that Gary knows what he is talking about here,
so I am satisfied that they are good.
My M. herbertaxelrodi came from Jim Lawson, whom Peter said the original
fish can be traced back to Gary's stock. Again, as I trust that Gary gets
good fish, I am ok that these are fish I want to keep and work with.
You should do the same with your Ramus.
> My LFS has some G ramuensis in stock. They are about 1 to 1.5 inches. I
am
> not able to sex them. They seem to be all the same sex. Does anyone know
> how to sex young ramuensis? Also, Harro states in his Aqualog book that
> they are rare in the hobby. Does this still hold true? Should I be
> skeptical? Do you think I should buy them?
Ramuensis sex out in typical rainbow fashion, the best method being to use
the length/shape of the 1st dorsal to deliniate them. Also, at 1.5", they
should be showing the sexual characteristics of their appropriate genders in
that the males should be starting to "hump up" (females stay quite slender
and streamlined), and the males should also be starting to show color.
Female ramuensis show a bit less of the black spotting and do NOT get color.
My ramus also tended to be skewed towards more males than females, but
general hobbyists tend to want schools of "the pretty ones" anyway, so it
isn't a big problem to sell the LFS all males. Just leave your # for them to
call you if they get someone interested in buying both sexes. They will
breed quite young and quite profusely if you've got healthy fish, BTW.
Yes, they are "rare" in the hobby... outside of the RSG of course. ;-) As
with the wanams, be very picky about where the stock has come from if you
wish to do more than just maintain a nice school for display. Once you get
some names associated with the line's history, you can always ask RML
members for their 2-cents' worth... it's not like we aren't eager to give it
anyway! ;-)
Hope this helps,
Julie <><