well it happened... MTS... a few questions on a new tank setup and ram cichlids

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So I set up an 8 gallon tank about 4-5 months ago now, its going quite well, thanks to alot of help from my wife who came on here since I was almost ready to give up, so big thanks to her, and you guys in here for helping her/us, we are battling an ich outbreak right now, but I believe its starting to get under control with the heat treatment, in the process we managed to catch MTS :D and are looking at a 33 gallon long tank (36"L x 12"W x 18"H I assume this is a long?)

Basically we already have a nice community tank in the 8 gallon with some low light live plants, driftwood, 6 neons and an otto, its really quite attractive, but I think we want something different for the next one, and the german blue rams caught my eye as they are beautiful fish, and I have read have some great personalities as well, exactly what we were looking for. If anyone can help me with some of the questions below, or direct me towards a site that specialized in ram cichlids I would appreciate it.

-Do all rams get along if I wanted to mix german blue rams with other types of ram cichlids?

-do they have more of a personality than other fish? my neons are kinda boring! my otto is entertaining though

-In a 33 gallon, I was thinking I could get away with 8 or so? Or are they messy fish?

-I have read they like alot of plants, but this setup will have extremely weak lighting, will they be happy in an aquarium with heavy rockwork instead?

-Will a penguin 200 gph filter create too much current for them?

-are they compatible with invertabrates/algae eaters to control any algae I may get?
 
these are some good questions as i have been wondering about the rams myself, hopefully some of the more knowledgeable people on the site will tune in and give some good info
 
-You can mix GBRs, Bolivian Rams, Gold Rams etc...

-They do have more personality. They are cichlids after all. They will learn to recognize you, get excited when you come home etc...

-A 33 gallon long is not large enough to house 8 IMO. As mentioned above, they are cichlids and therefore territorial. They become more territorial if they pair off I think. I would start with maybe 4.

They don't "need" plants. They will be fine in a mostly rockwork aquarium. Just make sure to provide plenty of hiding places, nooks and cranny's. This will help with aggression as well as making them feel safe.

A penguin 200 shouldn't create too much flow but if you feel it is, you could inhibit it a bit by putting a sponge on the intake.

They are compatible with algae eaters and inverts in my experience. I have kept a couple shrimp with them as well as oto's.

These are just my opinions and are by no means facts. I hope this helps.
 
Well, if you have MTS you might as well save yourself some time and grief by getting a MUCH bigger tank. Like a 55 at least. Though when the bug really bit me I wasn't happy until I got a 90 gal and then I would still look at it thinking, I should have gotten the 6ft tank. :) sigh...roll eyes....it's just never enough I am afraid.... :)
I love the idea of the rams, I think 4 in a 33 will be nice and you will like it, try getting a larger female to male ratio if possible to help reduce agression. Sometimes if you can grow them out together they will get along better as adults too. I had heard all kinds of horror stories about angels and I got 6 of them hoping to get a pair eventually....agression started 18 months later when they were full grown, but they would really just flash at each other, no violence. :) So I kept all 6 until I had to move across the country. SO you just never know. Sometimes you just have to try what you want, watch it and if there is a problem, take back the trouble maker. :)
 
-You can mix GBRs, Bolivian Rams, Gold Rams etc...

-They do have more personality. They are cichlids after all. They will learn to recognize you, get excited when you come home etc...

-A 33 gallon long is not large enough to house 8 IMO. As mentioned above, they are cichlids and therefore territorial. They become more territorial if they pair off I think. I would start with maybe 4.

They don't "need" plants. They will be fine in a mostly rockwork aquarium. Just make sure to provide plenty of hiding places, nooks and cranny's. This will help with aggression as well as making them feel safe.

A penguin 200 shouldn't create too much flow but if you feel it is, you could inhibit it a bit by putting a sponge on the intake.

They are compatible with algae eaters and inverts in my experience. I have kept a couple shrimp with them as well as oto's.

These are just my opinions and are by no means facts. I hope this helps.

I agree completely. You could also look at some of the less common apistos. They all have great personalities IMO. Good luck and beware... MTS is incurable. :)
 
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