Best Tank Mates For German Blue Rams - 20 Gal?

[Tippytrampoline]

In my personal experience, while my zebra danios never gave any other species in my tank any trouble, I had two males and two females (randomly picked) and the dominant male harassed the submissive male, to the point where he wouldn't let it school or eat, and he eventually died. He then herded the females so aggressively that they stressed to the point of not eating, and they eventually died as well. I'm not sure if that was just a fluke or what, but it may be something to consider, that long term just two danios might not work out unless you can perhaps be sure they're both female? That'd probably be an okay estimation. But done quote me on that, because since my last experience, I've avoided danios, and stuck to more passive barbs and tetras.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Hmm okay, I will have to think about that. Maybe I will just start with those ten and see how it goes. I still think it would be cool to have a betta though

 

[Tippytrampoline]

Hmm okay, I will have to think about that. Maybe I will just start with those ten and see how it goes. I still think it would be cool to have a betta though

Dude I had a betta in the tank with a pair of gbr's and some cherry barbs, and he was the cutest thing. He gave chase once in a while to the other fish, but for the most part he didn't bother anyone, and he was hardly bothered by anyone else. It is totally worth the shot, just be prepared to remove him to another tank in case any aggression breaks out. Bettas have incredibly diverse personalities, and I always try to include them in my community aquariums because they just add a little extra

 

[Scottyhorse]

Dude I had a betta in the tank with a pair of gbr's and some cherry barbs, and he was the cutest thing. He gave chase once in a while to the other fish, but for the most part he didn't bother anyone, and he was hardly bothered by anyone else. It is totally worth the shot, just be prepared to remove him to another tank in case any aggression breaks out. Bettas have incredibly diverse personalities, and I always try to include them in my community aquariums because they just add a little extra

Yeah I think it would be be pretty sweet. I saw somebody on here who kept a betta with a bunch of discus. That was pretty! I have a 2 gal tank that I could always move him/her into if I need to. I was thinking about getting a 5 gal tank for a betta so maybe if I put the betta in the 20 gal and it works out I can get a dwarf puffer

So many fish!

 

[Christopherlh84]

I have four angles, two blue rams, four flag cichlids, a platy, two guppies, danio, African dwarf frog,Cory and three plecos in the same tank. I have no problems tank has been running for 5 months now. Also my rams and angles and flags spawn frequently with no problems. They are in a 40 breeder with sand and rocks with caves. You can put angles with rams.

Also Bettas can go with rams. I work at a lfs and we keep are blue rams with are guppies and we also keep a betta in there to show people you can keep Bettas with other fish.

 

[Lardeelion]

I'd like to toss in my two cents and add that, yes, a betta can work in a community setting, but not every betta can. I have two bettas; one lived happily in my 55 community while his tank cycled. He's sweet and passive and if anything, he's the one to be picked on. He now lives happily with pygmy corys and I watch him gently nose them and follow them. He's never flared at anything. My other betta is a brawler. He's done some damage to other fish tails and if he were in my community tank he'd flare himself into exhaustion and probably die of stress. It would be a miserable existence for him.

So if you are going to add a betta, you may need to assess his personality and have your backup tank ready. I personally wouldn't put one with rams; bettas aren't fast swimmers and might not be able to get out of the way of a territorial fish.

If you love bettas, a little tank on your kitchen counter is great to watch while you're making your coffee and toast.

 

[Christopherlh84]

The key to rams are to have two and they will leave everything else along. They will keep busy with each other. Also rams like to stay at the bottom of the tank where your Bettas stay close to the top they should have very little interaction with each other.

 

[Lardeelion]

My betta - the gentle one - was obviously a free thinker because he spent considerable time down in what would be ram territory. Under logs, hanging out on rocks, meandering around the substrate, etc. If I'd had spawning rams, he'd have been toast. Most bettas indeed hang out up top, but you never know what personality is hiding in that little plastic cup at the store. If there's a backup plan in place, a tank the OP has mentioned, then go for it. My point is merely that it may or may not be a good fit and to be on the lookout for conflict.

 

[Christopherlh84]

All that in 40 breeder!!!! Wow!

Well a 40 breeder has a big footprint so you have more substrate to hold bacteria. You can stock a breeder tank with more than you can your standard tank due to that. Also I have a fluval 306 canister filter rated to 80 gals so I have double the filtration on it.

 

[phishfriend]

Well a 40 breeder has a big footprint so you have more substrate to hold bacteria. You can stock a breeder tank with more than you can your standard tank due to that. Also I have a fluval 306 canister filter rated to 80 gals so I have double the filtration on it.

I have a 40b running. I know the foot print well. The foot print doesn't determine the stock. It the volume. Your filtration isn't determined by the the tank size rate either. It's done by the gph. So, your 306 is rated at 303 gph which means you filtering tank volume 7.6 times an hour. That aside. Your tank is over stocked to say the least. The depth of a 40b is ill suited for angels especial when they reach adult size. Fish stores often over stock tanks because of lack of room versus wide selection. Not to be mean but you work at a fish store?!!

 

[Wy Renegade]

Lets please keep our attention on the question at hand, appropriate stocking advice for the size of tank in question with German Blue rams, not a debate about each other's tanks and stocking. If you want to discuss other tanks, make a seperate thread.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Thanks Wy.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Thanks Wy.

No problem. You may want to check out Rummy-nose tetras. From what I've read they are from the same geological area as the GBR and have similar water quality requirements. The key seems to be to find healthy specimens to start with, as they have a reputation for being somewhat hard to keep.

 

[Scottyhorse]

I'd like to toss in my two cents and add that, yes, a betta can work in a community setting, but not every betta can. I have two bettas; one lived happily in my 55 community while his tank cycled. He's sweet and passive and if anything, he's the one to be picked on. He now lives happily with pygmy corys and I watch him gently nose them and follow them. He's never flared at anything. My other betta is a brawler. He's done some damage to other fish tails and if he were in my community tank he'd flare himself into exhaustion and probably die of stress. It would be a miserable existence for him.

So if you are going to add a betta, you may need to assess his personality and have your backup tank ready. I personally wouldn't put one with rams; bettas aren't fast swimmers and might not be able to get out of the way of a territorial fish.

If you love bettas, a little tank on your kitchen counter is great to watch while you're making your coffee and toast.

I was even thinking of getting a female betta or some sort of wild type betta, because I have read that they are more passive, but it would be a score if I got a male betta that would get along with everybody else.

My mom wants me to keep all my fish tanks and other pets downstairs in my room or on my desk ( I am homeschooled) She already gives me the eye roll when I talk about getting this 20 gal tank. And they aren't even that big!

 

[Scottyhorse]

No problem. You may want to check out Rummy-nose tetras. From what I've read they are from the same geological area as the GBR and have similar water quality requirements. The key seems to be to find healthy specimens to start with, as they have a reputation for being somewhat hard to keep.

I'll look into them. The only thing is, since I am a beginner aquarist, I don't want to have too many hard to keep fish in one tank. That is why I was thinking of a betta for my last fish because they are hard to kill!! Hahaha
I know German Blue Rams are harder to keep, but I just don't really like the look of bolivian rams. They aren't as pretty.
And I am up to a good challenge

 

[Wy Renegade]

The key to rams are to have two and they will leave everything else along. They will keep busy with each other. Also rams like to stay at the bottom of the tank where your Bettas stay close to the top they should have very little interaction with each other.

This may or may not be true; I've read several accounts of pairs becoming aggressive towards tank mates or each other, and it appears to be related to the availability of hiding spots. It would appear there may be a little more to it then just getting a pair .

 

[Wy Renegade]

I'll look into them. The only thing is, since I am a beginner aquarist, I don't want to have too many hard to keep fish in one tank. That is why I was thinking of a betta for my last fish because they are hard to kill!! Hahaha
I know German Blue Rams are harder to keep, but I just don't really like the look of bolivian rams. They aren't as pretty.
And I am up to a good challenge

I totally understand and would agree that is most likely a good call on your part. While bettas are pretty tough little fish, I would be concerned about the likelyhood of the betta being the aggressor, especially if you go for a male. Bettas are sometimes know to be aggressive to other brightly color fish with flowing fins, just something else to consider.

 

[aaronjohn20]

To the op, bettas can work but depends on their temperment. I think if I had a 40g b, id do a pair of each ram (gbr, golden, bolivian). They'd have their own tank. Do you have any pics yet?

 

[Scottyhorse]

I totally understand and would agree that is most likely a good call on your part. While bettas are pretty tough little fish, I would be concerned about the likelyhood of the betta being the aggressor, especially if you go for a male. Bettas are sometimes know to be aggressive to other brightly color fish with flowing fins, just something else to consider.

That's why I was considering a wild type Betta or a female Betta. Would those be a better option? I guess it all depends on the betta itself, too. If it doesn't work out I could put him/her in my 2 gal shrimp tank until I could get a 5 gal.

 

[phishfriend]

Sry Scotty, I wasn't trying to hijack your thread. Just felt you were getting incorrect info. So again I apologize.

I also agree with aaron on the three pairs. That is what I'm shooting for in my 40b. If you decide to go that route. I would advise as I was to either get mated pairs or get a Grp and let them pair before putting then in the main tank. I'v been told if you put singles of say golden and German blue's in the tank they could choose each other as mates. So you could end up with a gold mated to a German blue.