Help with rams

[dt4552]

I am getting ready to start a new 20-30 gallon tank and I am interested in keeping Rams. I dont know a whole lot about this fish and i have been trying to do some research on them. I was wondering if you guys could tell me how easily you can obtain them at fish shops. Ive heard they are non aggresive and good for community tanks i was wondering if it is safe to keep more than just a pair? What type of conditions, word is that they are sensitive to change? thanks for the help

[NatakuTseng]

Which kind? German Blue Rams or Bolivans?

[dt4552]

I would like to get german rams.

[wwildcats04]

I would say that when you are buying them, try and buy all of the ones you plan on having within a real short period of time, I bought two and they paired off and than a month or two later bought another and they almost killed it so I had to take it back. They say that they are a lot more peaceful than what they really are, but in the end they are still a cichlid so have caution. They're a great fish but like higher temps

[NatakuTseng]

One single pair in a tank that size. They can be nasty little buggers.

[flyfly]

what I think people are saying is that they can be nasty among themselves, yet really pose little (if no) threat to the rest of the fish, that is, as long as the other fish arent rams or apistos.

[NatakuTseng]

Thats not true, they can be pretty nasty toward other tank mates. I've had some that would non stop bother cories, farlowella, cardinals and the like. First thing is first that they are cichlids, and they do act like them. Most of the time they are pretty mellow, but there are a good portion of them out there that aren't.

[dt4552]

I got a pair on friday and they seem to be doing great, they dont seem to bother the other fish but they do seem to mess with each other a bit. I have one of the pair that seems to have claimed a territory and seems to guard it as if gaurding a nest. I was worried at first thinking it was sick, but it seems fine...just kind of reclusive among the plants. Which kind of sucks because it seems to have a little better coloring than the other but all around i definetely have no complaints with them thus far .

[pikwik]

My Rams are sometimes nasty to eachother, but never have shown any aggression towards other fish in my tank. :dance:

[dave76]

I have found that one of the males I had was really partial to one cory but hated the other and would chase it to no end, but would swim with the other cory all over the tank. At the time it was young and I was not sure of the sex so I got another male. This one was obviously a male and a good looking one at that so I tried them together and they fought untill they meshed out a pecking order then the bigger one(first one) started to beat on the better looking one so I separated them. Be careful not to get two males as a pair. He ignores my cardinals and glowlights, the other one seems to ignore an african dwarf frog and three snails. It all depends on the individual temperment of the fish.

[wwildcats04]

mine hate clown loaches but dont mind anything else (black ghost knife, congo tetras, sword tail, bala shark, rosy barb, silver dollars, otos)

[davesanchez]

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi or the Ram is a gorgeous little fish from the savannas of Colombia and Venezuela in the RIO Orinoco basin. We must keep in mind they inhabit very shallow waters which get very warm. 86 f plus! For keeping rams a planted tank is highly desirable. This affords these guys the security and cover they would have in nature. Little fish are always being hunted by big fish so plant cover really makes them feel more at home. Make sure you keep them at a temperature of 80 plus. They do best when feed hearty meaty foods like frozen bloodworms and other high quality frozen foods. Rams are peaceful I have had several pairs tend babies in a 65 gallon tank with no harm to the other inhabitants. Good tankmates are Tetras, Killies, Discus and other dwarf Cichlids from South America. I.e. apistogrammas, Bolivian Rams etc. Cory cats are also great tank mates. They are not sensitive to water changes at all but rather thrive when they get frequent water changes. Contrary to popular belief frequent water changes promote health and well being and vastly reduce any possibility of decease. In contrast infrequent water changes promote diseases as the water builds of toxic organic waste. If we have a planted tank and we do not over populate the tank the plants do a great job of cleansing the water and water changes are reduced because of the help of the plants. With all South American fish we want to provide very clean water free of organic build up. So be careful about over feeding and a have a schedule of regular water changes. Once a week is fine. Maybe once every two weeks if we have a nice planted tank, don’t over feed and mange the tank well.
There are many variations of Rams. We have the German Blue Rams, Gold Rams, Asian Rams and of course Wild Rams. The source of your rams is very important most pet shops offer Asian rams and these tend to not do well because of hormones the Asians use to color them up. The source of your rams is key to healthy rams as well. Best of luck