German Blue Rams

[Lil'Fishy]

We are thining about getting one or two of these fish...... any advice or something we should know before buying?? Is care for them easy or hard? How will they be with the livebearers, pleco and loaches that we currently have? Any suggestions??

Thanks

 

[nfeagle5]

my cousin has 2 and he has to keep them in seperate tanks because all they were doing was fighting............and they are only small

 

[Menagerie]

I have two German Blue rams in a tank by themselves right now since they are in breeding colors. They were in with my tetras, loaches and other community fish in the 50 gal. I have no trouble with them in the community tank. I also have never had trouble with my bolivian rams in with the community or in with my Badis badis.

The males will show a richer/brighter color and have a slightly longer tip to the front of the dorsal fin. If the fish are mature, the female will have a slightly red/pink belly.

 

[Lil'Fishy]

thanks.. iam having truoble deciding, some say they do fine, other say they are a bit aggressive... Is a 37 gal enough space for them , are they best kept in pairs, or are they ok on their own? Sorry for all the questions :? Appreciate the responses

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

37 gallons is plenty of space for rams. I always kept mine in pairs, although you can also keep a male and a couple of females.

 

[trent]

Blue Ram (Papiliochromis ramirezi)
size: 5 cm
pH: 6.8
GH: 7
Temp: 27°C
"The Blue ram is indeed one of the most peaceful and beautiful cichlids of all. They are dwarf cichlids as they grow to 5cm. They comprise of many enchanting colours but since most are tank bred, lack these amazing colours. Even a gold strain of the ram has been developed. The most striking feature of the blue ram are its blue iridescent flecks and the black spot and vertical band it has. The males are more colorful than the females. Females are rounder with a pinkish abdominal area. As far as water is concerned - it has to be perfect or close to it. These fish have a bad reputation to die, they only live for 2 years or if your lucky, maybe 3 years. They must have clean and crystal clear water with an acidic pH and it also must be soft. Rams are very, very delicate so only the advanced aquarists are experienced enough to look after them well. Note that rams don't take to medications well and prefer to be in a species tank with driftwood and amazon sword plants."

 

[trent]

Blue Ram (Papiliochromis ramirezi)
size: 5 cm
pH: 6.8
GH: 7
Temp: 27°C
"The Blue ram is indeed one of the most peaceful and beautiful cichlids of all. They are dwarf cichlids as they grow to 5cm. They comprise of many enchanting colours but since most are tank bred, lack these amazing colours. Even a gold strain of the ram has been developed. The most striking feature of the blue ram are its blue iridescent flecks and the black spot and vertical band it has. The males are more colorful than the females. Females are rounder with a pinkish abdominal area. As far as water is concerned - it has to be perfect or close to it. These fish have a bad reputation to die, they only live for 2 years or if your lucky, maybe 3 years. They must have clean and crystal clear water with an acidic pH and it also must be soft. Rams are very, very delicate so only the advanced aquarists are experienced enough to look after them well. Note that rams don't take to medications well and prefer to be in a species tank with driftwood and amazon sword plants."

 

[Madame_X]

They are "aggressive" if you wanna call it that, but its nothing like normal cichlid aggression. I cannot believe they would kill each other, and they never bother the other fish.

Their "aggression" is mostly making faces at each other and pushing each other with their mouth, but they're not at all "nippy". My Bolivians quarrel constantly but their fins are perfect.

In my opinion, the quarrelling adds to their charm. Its actually quite amusing to watch.

 

[joedarat]

LiL'Fishy and I got Cockatoo Cichlids (Apistogramma cacatuoides as she mentioned in another post) instead of the blue rams, 1 male and 1 female, beautiful fish.. they really are nice addition to tank. soo peaceful .. hope to get some pics up soon.

 

[patryuji]

I have found Bolivians to be slightly more aggressive than Germans. I would think this may be related to the larger size of Bolivians (necessitating larger territories). Neither Ram comes close to being as aggressive as semi-aggressive loaches or plecos (like my yo-yos and rubber lip).

With my Bolivians they are tough enough to be in with my semi-aggressives and I have seen one defend itself quite well against a yo-yo loach and my rubber lip pleco but I never see them attack anything first.

 

[Newbneedshelp]

this has nothing to do with anything but i just noticed that German Blue Rams are very popular on this forum.....lol

 

[mitche8359]

LFS said blue rams had to be in groups, but that was a clear signal that the salespeople work on commission. I have a lone blue ram in my 55 with several other ciclids and he is doing just fine. Everything I've read about them say pairs work great but they can be kept solo.

 

[Psyhampster]

I'm now the VERY proud owner of a pair of German Blues!

 

[Melody]

I'm now the VERY proud owner of a pair of German Blues!

ARGH!!! Your so lucky!!!
(Melody's 10 gal tank is cycling for her Blue Rams as she types)

enjoy and I'll be waiting on the sidelines for mine!