i want some rams with color!!!

[LMOUTHBASS]

Hi guys I am planning on getting some rams but i need to figure some stuff out 1st -
which can you reccomend to me for color and overall enjoyment to have? i saw some pics of german blue one n i am leaning towards them - have been browsing websites to try to order some most places are saying they are getting wild ones in soon that will be very nice looking (if you have any links where i can get some pls share! thnx) i've seen bolivian ones in my lfs that are nice but not as colorfull as i was hoping for


next Q i was reading somewhere that they hate catfish - i have a 55 g tank with pictus cat , clown loaches (i know their not cats ha) and albino cories - will they be ok with these companions?



i'm gonna have to have these shipped to me i think so i want to check with the experts before i sink money into them !
thanks guys
LMB

[NatakuTseng]

I keep one of my pairs with Pygmy cories, only about an inch, and they never bother them. If you can either get a wild strain, or ones from europe, both are more colorful and hardier than the asian bred rams. They should be alright with what you have in the tank now.

[AthagaMor]

heh, it was probably me that said they don't like catfish. I've been seriously lookin' at the rams too. I can't recall where the article was (I'm sure you will bump into it as you search though - found it on the first day I started looking for them, so it isn't buried too deep in the Internet). It said something to the effect that since rams tend to be peaceful "cichlids" (still territorial), bottom/mid dwellers, and they sometimes lay eggs on the bottom/in the gravel catfish can be a nusaince. It also said that they have 'natural conflict' (or something to that effect) with catfish. The article frowned on most catfish as tankmates, though it suggested that small-sized corys should be okay. Got me...

As far as color, from what I'm found, basically you have three choices: German blue, German gold, and bolivian. I prefer the GBR A LOT!.

I've come across a couple articles that said that the GBRs are slightly more hardy than the other two as well. <shrug>

Also, almost every article says that they often die upon introduction to the new tank. ***Apparently they don't like water fluxuation much***. It was suggested that you leave the bag in the water for 20 mins, then slowly start adding tank water to the bag little by little, and then you should net them into the tank. I would assume this applies the q-tanks too. <shrug>

Be careful about tank/water specifications you find too. I have found some that suggested 5.0-6.5 pH and had others say only slightly acidic (the later was confirmed here). I'd right down this info from multiple sources and then go with the majority... should be safer.

Hope this helps.

[SnakeIce]

you could try aclimating your new rams the way Angelsplus.com recomends aclimating fish that you recieve from them.

it uses air pump hose, a valve- to control the rate of water flow, and time spent slowly dripping water from your tank to the container the new fish are in.

link to angelsplus's instructions (http://www.angelsplus.com/instructions.htm)

[NatakuTseng]

ahh yes that way.... its kinda a pain though, but works good. It should also be mentioned that the Bolivan's are a completely different species than the German Blues or Golds, the German blues are Microgeophagus ramirez, while the Bolivans are Microgeophagus altispinosus. They are also larger and hardier than the ramirez, who stay usually no larger than 2.5-3inches, while the Bolivians get to be 4inches.