for a while not i have really wanted a pair of ram cichlids, but i know nothing about them. i read the species profile but it didnt explain much and from my experience doesn't bat a hundred. I would just like to know everything there is to know about these fish including minimun tank size for 2, tankmates, food/food regiment, how to keep the tank, what kind of filtration it need. any help will be appreciated.
ram cichlid newb
- Thread starter crazyman1234
- Start date
I dont know much my self
but heres a little info.
www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1084
but heres a little info.www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1084
guess it also depends on the type of ram you have too. Here's another helpful link
http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a031.php
http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a031.php
I've just bought a pair myself. Unfortunately it's a case of blind leading the blind as I've no real knowledge on them.
All I know: They stay quite small (3 inches) and they are quite slow swimmers. They stay around the mid/bottom of the tank and like planted areas.
My pair tend to stick together in the tank, they're rarely apart. At the moment I just feed them my normal food. Which is TetraPrima because it sinks well for the mid/bottom feeders. Certainly if I bought them a special food the other fish would eat most of it.
They like small bits of food as they have small mouths. If larger food is fed they will break it up first and cause a mess, so keep a bottom eater with them to clean up.
All I know: They stay quite small (3 inches) and they are quite slow swimmers. They stay around the mid/bottom of the tank and like planted areas.
My pair tend to stick together in the tank, they're rarely apart. At the moment I just feed them my normal food. Which is TetraPrima because it sinks well for the mid/bottom feeders. Certainly if I bought them a special food the other fish would eat most of it.
They like small bits of food as they have small mouths. If larger food is fed they will break it up first and cause a mess, so keep a bottom eater with them to clean up.
I agree that a couple of cory cats go a long way with bolivian rams, I my rams for a about a week before I got the corys and I can really see a huge difference
Some rams can be touchy towards water conditions... mainly those bought in pet stores (most of which are asian bred) need soft acidic water or many of them waste away. If you can, try to get european bred rams (locally bred rams are also another excellent option), they tend to be hardier and used to most of the pH's found in tap water. I would check your pH and your hardness.
It would be best to get a m/f pair, same sex pairs may litterally kill each other. A 10g, IME is the minimum tank size although larger is better, especially for more tank mate options.
Rams aren't always "peaceful", for the most part they stick to themselves in their own territory but may defend it fiercly. Breeding pairs can be royal terrors as they defend their eggs/fry. Since they are active daytime bottom dwellers, I personally would avoid cories (unless you have a good size tank, say one with a larger footprint than a 20g long) to begin with as they share the same space and the cories really can't get away from them as they aren't really good at hiding. Kuhli loaches and oto cats are probably better choices as both species are not seen as large of a threat (kuhli loaches hide under decor or plants during the day and otos don't move much and are mostly active at night).
Most smaller tetras, such as glowlights or cardinals make good tank mates as well. I would avoid neons as they should not be kept in water warmer than about 78F while rams really should be kept in water of 82F-86F.
If you can't get anything but pet store bought rams and your pH/hardness is quite a ways from 'ideal', I would take an hour or more to slowly acclimate them to your water (take about a half a cup of water and dump it into their bag every 5-10 minutes once water temperatures have become close or equal to each other).
HTH
Puma
It would be best to get a m/f pair, same sex pairs may litterally kill each other. A 10g, IME is the minimum tank size although larger is better, especially for more tank mate options.
Rams aren't always "peaceful", for the most part they stick to themselves in their own territory but may defend it fiercly. Breeding pairs can be royal terrors as they defend their eggs/fry. Since they are active daytime bottom dwellers, I personally would avoid cories (unless you have a good size tank, say one with a larger footprint than a 20g long) to begin with as they share the same space and the cories really can't get away from them as they aren't really good at hiding. Kuhli loaches and oto cats are probably better choices as both species are not seen as large of a threat (kuhli loaches hide under decor or plants during the day and otos don't move much and are mostly active at night).
Most smaller tetras, such as glowlights or cardinals make good tank mates as well. I would avoid neons as they should not be kept in water warmer than about 78F while rams really should be kept in water of 82F-86F.
If you can't get anything but pet store bought rams and your pH/hardness is quite a ways from 'ideal', I would take an hour or more to slowly acclimate them to your water (take about a half a cup of water and dump it into their bag every 5-10 minutes once water temperatures have become close or equal to each other).
HTH
Puma
I have two Bolivian Rams and one German Blue Ram in my 20 gal community tank with Corys, Platys, Guppies, Gouramis, Clown Loaches, and some Cardinal Tetras.
They all seem to be getting along very well. No fighting or chasing, etc. I've never done anything special for water conditions. pH is about 6.9, kH 4.5.
I would suggest going with the Bolivians first, since the German Blues are much more delicate and harder to keep.
They all seem to be getting along very well. No fighting or chasing, etc. I've never done anything special for water conditions. pH is about 6.9, kH 4.5.
I would suggest going with the Bolivians first, since the German Blues are much more delicate and harder to keep.