Ram cichlid Care

[harryggumb]

i have a newly planted 30g tank with DW and Rock. Ph is 6.0 Temperature is 78 F and currently stocked with 6 cardinal tetras. I was considering purchasing a Ram cichlid because they are gorgeous fish. I was curious as to how difficult they are to keep though because i have heard mixed results from online. If anyone has had any experience with them i would really appreciate it as im trying to find new tank mates for my cardinals one fish at a time

 

[coralbandit]

Most have come to agree that good stock is the biggest factor in GBR success.
If you LFS has good stock or you know of a good breeder then you could do well with these beauties.
Where in NY are you?

 

[Brookster123]

Order from yunite and you'll have the best chance.. unless you can source local bred stock.. a new tank is not optimal but if you're experienced with good stock it could work

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[harryggumb]

Most have come to agree that good stock is the biggest factor in GBR success.
If you LFS has good stock or you know of a good breeder then you could do well with these beauties.
Where in NY are you?

Not too sure how good their stock is so i don't think i'll be willing to chance it. Staten Island, New York

 

[harryggumb]

Order from yunite and you'll have the best chance.. unless you can source local bred stock.. a new tank is not optimal but if you're experienced with good stock it could work

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Might let the tank run for a little before i go out and get them but if i do decide I'll order from yunite. Do you think my setup is good? also would i be better getting 1 or a pair if i do?

 

[coralbandit]

Brook offers great advice.
Make sure your tank is mature .
The cards should be a good barometer for this as they can be touchy also.
Order a pair from Yunite !
A great not local breeder!
I got 10 from them and all arrived in great shape in the late fall(50 degrees).

 

[candymancan]

Rams in my experience are like Discus, they do better in higher temperatures and low nitrates, keep your nitrates low and temps higher and you should be fine..

 

[sinibotia]

I second what everyone else said- good stock is your best bet. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm a great fishkeeper- and yet I can't keep your standard bad-quality ram cichlids alive for more than a few months.

Yunite is great! If you want to go somewhere semi-local, Westport Aquarium in Connecticut is a fantastic shop where they hooked me up with some gorgeous F1 rams from a local breeder. I had that pair for 3 years and they laid eggs for me quite a few times.

Other than that, just have soft, warm water and keep your nitrates way down and you'll have great success!

 

[harryggumb]

I've always been very reluctant to order fish online because of the stress to the fish. Is this not as big of a deal?

 

[Brookster123]

I've always been very reluctant to order fish online because of the stress to the fish. Is this not as big of a deal?

If they're shipped properly it's all good. How do you think the petstore and lfs gets them??

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[sinibotia]

I've always been very reluctant to order fish online because of the stress to the fish. Is this not as big of a deal?

It all depends on how it's done. If you order from someone who is reputable you can be sure that they'll minimize stress to the fish and they should be ok through the whole process.

I used to never order fish, but since moving to central Maine I've had to to get anything really interesting because the selection is so awful. I've had great experiences and haven't lost a single fish (I've got 16 fish through the mail in the past year).

That said it's better if you can avoid it. Again, I recommend Westport Aquarium. It's fairly close to New York; it shouldn't be more than an hour from you, and the quality of their fish is 100% worth it. Call ahead and see if they're still in touch with the breeder they got my pair of rams from!

Another semi-local place I recommend is House of Fins in Greenwich CT. Their prices are psychotic (it IS greenwich) but their selection is maybe the best I've ever personally seen. I bet they either have or could get ahold of some fantastic rams for you.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I've always been very reluctant to order fish online because of the stress to the fish. Is this not as big of a deal?

I have a story about that. Back in December, I ordered a pair of rams from Yunite. It was just barely warm enough for them to ship. USPS was supposed to deliver the fish on either a Friday or Saturday, which would be 2-3 days shipping in a breathing bag with heat packs. Heat packs only work for 72 hours. They didn't deliver until Monday... and they left the box in my mailbox, rather than bringing it to my door. Upon opening the box, I was very surprised to see that the fish were still alive, as the heat packs were barely lukewarm and I could see a ton of waste in the breathing bag. I transferred the fish to a large Zip-lock bag and acclimated them. After an hour, the rams were literally trying to jump out of the bag, so I added them directly to my display tank (no quarantine). The female was spawning a week later and both are still healthy and happy in my community tank.

Good genetic stock can overcome a lot.

 

[harryggumb]

Great advice then. I'm glad everyone has positive stories about ordering fish. When I do order I will definitely go through yunite. I will probably add 2 GBR towards the end of my stocking when my tank is a couple of months established. For now any ideas on fish that will get along with then and my Cardinal tetras?

 

[PNWaquarist]

I'd go with some top-dwelling characins. Black Neon and Bloodfin Tetras are both pretty hardy. If you want something other than tetras, there's always pencilfish and hatchetfish.

You may also want to consider doubling your shoal of Cardinals. They look nicer in larger shoals and you may lose some along the way. (I've had way more problems with mine than my GBRs.)

 

[harryggumb]

I'd go with some top-dwelling characins. Black Neon and Bloodfin Tetras are both pretty hardy. If you want something other than tetras, there's always pencilfish and hatchetfish.

You may also want to consider doubling your shoal of Cardinals. They look nicer in larger shoals and you may lose some along the way. (I've had way more problems with mine than my GBRs.)

More difficult than the GBRs? That's very interesting. And yes I think I will be doubling them I just didn't want to overload as they were the first fish that I introduced into the tank. They've only been in the tank for 5 days but so far so good. All levels are good. Very aerated as I have two air wands running plus plants. Will be adding some more shortly if things stay how they are now. Ideally would like to add 2 GBRs, possibly a Cockatoo Apisto, and another 2 types of schooling fish but may just settle for a few different fish rather than schooling. Still not completely decided

 

[PNWaquarist]

Ideally would like to add 2 GBRs, possibly a Cockatoo Apisto

You don't want to mix dwarf cichlid species in a tank that size. Especially if your GBRs are a breeding pair.

If you want another exotic fish, consider one of the small plecos instead (Clown, Bulldog, Bristlenose, etc.).

 

[Brookster123]

You don't want to mix dwarf cichlid species in a tank that size. Especially if your GBRs are a breeding pair.

If you want another exotic fish, consider one of the small plecos instead (Clown, Bulldog, Bristlenose, etc.).

Or ever really, they do prefer different temps. Gbrs like it hot, cacs mid to upper 70's

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