10 gallon tank- Ram cichlids?

[FMB]

Hey guys! Kinda new to the forum but I was looking for some advise. I have absolutely fallen in love with Ram Cichlids, and upon doing some research I have found that many people say they are suitable for a 10 gallon tank. I'm looking at probably getting just one, maybe two. The thing is, I'm a little worried about how finicky people say they are. My tank has been running for a good week without fish, and will be running for another week before I visit the pet store.

I'm just wondering what kind of condition my tank should be in if I decide to bring one home, and what kind of maintenance I need to be doing should I chose to stock my tank with Cichlids.

10 gallon tank, small cave and a few plants. No water tests done yet (just added conditioner today).

 

[twoodrough]

Rams are my favorite, too! You will need more than two weeks before getting some. I got some right when I first started and killed em because I didn't know any better. It took me a year and a half to try again. I have had one for about 5 months now and love him to pieces.

You need to learn how to keep nitrates low before getting one. Sounds easy, but you have to find a system that works for you. I have finally settled on feeding every other day and every third feeding (6 days) do a 50% water change. It took me a while to figure that out.

Good luck!

 

[Freakgecko91]

The first thing is that ram cichlid describes 2 different species: microgeophagus ramirezi and altispinosa. Ramirezi is the "German blue ram" and are indeed very sensitive. They can be difficult in even an established tank, let alone a brand new set up. This is not because of the species, but rather the captive breeding. They have been mass breed and inbreed in fish farms in asia, weakening the species breeding stock commonly available here in the US.
The other is altispinosa, or the Bolivian ram. Bolivians, while a bit more subtly colored, are much hardier, however, they get a bit larger than the German blues, and I personally feel that a 10 gallon is too small.

I'm my personal opinion, there are 2 cichlid species commonly available that will do well in a 10 gallon and that is neolamprologus multifasciatus or n. brevis. These are tanganyikan shell dwellers from Africa. They literally live, sleep, and breed in snail shells. They are very prolific and prefer to live in colonies. A 10 gallon can actually house about 5 adults. The multies are the world's smallest known cichlid, never reaching 2". I have a small (4) breeding group and love them. I currently have about 12 fry spread out between 3 females and they are so much fun to observe

 

[FMB]

Thank you both for the advice! I think that maybe the shell dwelling cichlids would be better for me, the only thing Im worried about with those is the fact that I have a gravel substrate that I JUST added to. I really don't want to buy a whole new thing of sand. Is it completely necessary to have a sand bottom?

 

[Freakgecko91]

Unfortunately, yeah. Mine dig like CRAZY! they constantly are rearranging the tank lol I just use play sand from home depot (most prefer pool filter sand, but play sand has worked well for me) and it's like $4 for a 50 lb bag

 

[FMB]

Play sand sounds PERFECT thank you any other tips or tricks on keeping these cichlids? I'm extremely excited!

 

[Freakgecko91]

Just to make sure you know, they do best in a species only tank, mine won't even allow ghost shrimp to live near them lol So as long as you are prepared for that, then it's pretty straight forward Escargot or mexican turbo snail shells work best (you can buy the escargot shells off of amazon). Try to provide at least 2-3 shells per adult, if not more. I also have texas holey rock in my tank to help define territories, plus it helps buffer the pH as the like the water hard and alkaline. They are a great species, both brevis and multifasciatus They're shy at first, but they get used to you after a little while and stop darting into their shells whenever you walk near the tank lol My 3 year old niece is even able to watch them now, glass tapping and all lol

 

[Borderlesscott]

I wouldn't recommend Rams for a 10g, mainly down to water quality issues. You will have a constant battle to ensure levels are kept perfect, Rams are not very forgiving to any raised level and in a 10g things can go wrong very quickly. A pair in a 10g and you will have issues with aggression, with two males or a male/female.

 

[twoodrough]

Make sure to wash your sand really well. I rinse mine about 8 times in a bucket till you can see the settled sand clearly. I switched to sand about 6 weeks ago and am just getting the hang of cleaning it. But I like the look of it.

FYI I have a 10 gallon tank (right now, just bought a 20) and have had no problems with water quality. It can be done. LIght stock, light feeding, and regular water changes do the trick.