Rams as first fish after cycle?

[bosk1]

My cycling woes are still ongoing, but once I am eventually done, I have a question:

I saw some good rams at my lfs that were just gorgeous fish. I hadn't really thought about getting any, but these were so pretty it will be hard to resist them. I know that rams in general are somewhat delicate. Does that mean it is a bad idea for them to be the first to introduce after my tank has cycled? I have no problem introducing sturdier fish in the beginning and being patient and putting the rams in later. I just don't know how common they are, and am worried about them being all gone once I am ready.

Also, I know they are generally peaceful. But are there issues with aggression if you have more than a pair? If I do change my intended stocking scheme to go with rams, I might consider a pair of golds, and a pair of the traditionally-colored rams. I have not read one way or the other whether this would be an issue.

 

[Lance M.]

I wouldn't put rams in there until after the tank is fully fully cycled. I'd just put some tetras in there like white clouds as it seems that nothing can kill them

Patience is the key to fish keeping.

 

[bosk1]

Sorry if this wasn't clear: I do not plan to add any fish until fully cycled. I am doing a fishless cycle. So my first question is: once the cycle is complete, is it okay to add a pair or two of rams as the first fish after the cycle, or should I go with a hardier species initially to make sure the water conditions are perfect.

 

[Meredith]

I have no problem introducing sturdier fish in the beginning and being patient and putting the rams in later.

That is what I would do. I think they will have a better chance of survival if they introduce into an established tank. Even if the ones you see are sold, your lfs can probably order more when you are ready.

 

[Jchillin]

I'd go even further and suggest that waiting until the tank is fully matured (after a month after the cycle is complete) is even better. Rams are very picky about water quality.

 

[bosk1]

Sounds like good, sound advice. That's what my gut told me after reading some articles and posts about them, but it's always good to bounce ideas off of others who have experience.

Any thoughts on the second issue (ie. whether having more than one pair poses any problems)?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I haven't witnessed aggression between Rams in my tank and I have 6. It is also a 55 gal tank.

 

[bosk1]

What other fish do you have in the 55?

 

[Jchillin]

While we wait for FF to respond, I currently have 4 German Blues as tankmates with a mated pair of angels, 6 serpae tetras, 3 lamp eyed tetras, 5 BN pleco babies, 3 corydoras julii, 5 Bolivian Rams and one huge sailfin pleco in a 75 gal.

No aggression (other than the Angels protecting their territory) between them...even during feedings.

 

[severum mama]

I would agree that you should add the hardiest fish when the tank has cycled, and then wait for the rams until the tank has matured. I haven't had much success with blue rams even in mature tanks, so I think that adding them first might bring some disappointing results. You should easily be able to keep 4 like JC does, or maybe even 6 like FF. They prefer a planted tank (real or fake plants) with lots of hiding places, and they will mostly stick to the bottom half of the tank.

If you don't mind me making a suggestion about your stocking plan- I noticed that you want to keep clown loaches. Many people here agree that 55 gallons is too small for clown loaches, as they can grow to over a foot long. 8O Have you thought about keeping yo yo loaches instead? They are just as entertaining, but in a smaller package. I love mine! JMO

 

[bosk1]

If you don't mind me making a suggestion about your stocking plan- I noticed that you want to keep clown loaches. Many people here agree that 55 gallons is too small for clown loaches, as they can grow to over a foot long. 8O Have you thought about keeping yo yo loaches instead? They are just as entertaining, but in a smaller package. I love mine! JMO

Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated. After all, if I don't like the suggestion, I don't have to follow it, right?

I have actually thought about yo-yo, but am undecided. I have not seen any around here. I am not overly worried about them outgrowing the tank because I plan to buy them small, which will give me some time before they get too big. Once size starts to become an issue, I can move up to a larger tank. And failing that, while parting with any of my fish voluntarily would not be my first choice, I know a couple of lfs's that would take them. Capitol Aquarium has a huge tank with some full-grown loaches in it, if all else fails. I really like the coloring and the temperment of the clown loaches, so I'm still leaning that direction. But as I said, I am open to yo-yos if my lfs can get them at a reasonable price once I am ready. Hopefully, they will have some in stock so I can observe them before making a decision.

Thanks for the suggestion.


edit: regarding the rams and my tank setup, I have all fake plants, but it is fairly well planted, and there are lots of pretty good hiding places. The rams are a belated thought. See my sig. for my original intended stocking plan. I am still leaning toward the original plan, but am just exploring the options since it is very easy to change plans at this point with no fish in the tank. I tried to design the tank with the thought that the gouramis should be able to get away from each other if one of the males becomes too territorial, and so that the bottom dwellers could hide away and feel secure and not too stressed if the gouramis do start chasing each other. So I have lots of tall plants, some of which reach all the way to the surface and have branches that float along the top to create boundaries up there. And I also have a few little caves down at the bottom of the tank where loaches and/or rams would like to hang out.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

In the 55 gal tank I have 6 Hi-Fin Serpae Tetras, 6 True Rummynose Tetras, 5 Panda Cories, 6 Rams, 1 BN Pleco, and 2 Bamboo shrimp. They all get along perfectly fine. I haven't had a single Ram loss yet. I waited about a month and a half after the cycle before adding them to the tank though.

 

[severum mama]

I waited about 3 months before adding 2 blue rams and 2 gold rams to a 55 gallon. The blue rams both died within 2 days, and one of the gold rams died a few weeks later. The other gold ram is still alive. FF and JC, I'm glad you've had much better experiences with them than I have. I wonder sometimes about the supplier that my LFS orders from. bosk1- I would still recommend these fish to you because they are both beautiful and very interesting to watch. You should be able to keep them with gouramis with no issues, and if you get some I hope they come from a better supplier than mine did.

 

[bosk1]

bosk1- I would still recommend these fish to you because they are both beautiful and very interesting to watch. You should be able to keep them with gouramis with no issues, and if you get some I hope they come from a better supplier than mine did.

From my research, I am not worried about them being incompatible with the gouramis. For me, it is an "either/or" question simply because six gouramis and 4-5 clown loaches will come close to my bioload limit in a 55 gal. as it is. I really want the loaches (although, as posted above, I may be persuaded to go with yo-yos), so I only really get options if I scrap the idea of the gouramis. What I may end up doing is not getting the blue and gold gouramis to make room for some other fish, but keeping the pearls. This idea may be especially attractive if I can find some redline sharks (my new favorite fish) at a decent price.