Getting 2 pairs of rams...

[Mippymuppett]

Hello,

I want to get 2 pairs of rams and would love to have:

1 German Gold
1 Electric Blue
1 GBR
1 Angel Ram

We have an amazing LFS that has all of these. Being that they are the same species just bred for different color variations, is there anything wrong with getting 1 of each? I'm not looking to breed.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[coralbandit]

I personally would immediately discount the "angel/balloon "ram.
Next I would strongly recommend picking just one color variant and trying to get a pair if possible.
Just me,others have and do mix the different colors.
What size is the tank?

 

[Mippymuppett]

90 gallons and no fish yet. I just completed fishless cycling and water parameters are excellent. It's been a looong month of waiting!!! I want to do a South American tank.

 

[Mippymuppett]

oh, btw...it's heavily planted.

 

[coralbandit]

Whatever rams you get they often do better in a "seasoned " tank.
This is not to say they can't do well in a fresh new cycled tank, just how many approach these guys.
With proper scaping you should be able to get 2 pair in there no problem IMO.

 

[Mebbid]

I personally would immediately discount the "angel/balloon "ram.
Next I would strongly recommend picking just one color variant and trying to get a pair if possible.
Just me,others have and do mix the different colors.
What size is the tank?

I agree with Coralbandit. Multiple pairs of rams rarely end in success. Getting a single mated pair will give you much higher chance of success.

 

[PNWaquarist]

90 gallons and no fish yet. I just completed fishless cycling and water parameters are excellent. It's been a looong month of waiting!!! I want to do a South American tank.

Rams will likely suffer in freshly-cycled tanks with relatively small BB colonies. Six months of occupation with other fish after cycling is the recommended minimum for rams. I added mine to a four-month-old tank without problems, but that'd be the bare minimum I'd recommend. Start out with some tetras instead. And get species that can handle 80-86 F (e.g., Cardinals instead of Neons).

Rams are sensitive fish and I would only recommend getting a pair of the German Blue type from a breeder or wild-caught wild-type from an exceptionally good LFS. Those that you find in the average LFS are purchased from breeders in Asia that inbreed them and pump them full of hormones so that they show color at an earlier age. These fish do not last long. The frou-frou electric blue, gold, and balloon rams come from shallow gene pools and are even more difficult to keep alive.

Rams can be rewarding fish if you do your homework, get good stock, feed them a balanced diet, keep the water between 80-86 F, and keep your nitrate below 15 or so ppm. Good luck.

 

[Mippymuppett]

Thank you so much everyone for all your input. I think I will follow your advise and wait 4-6 months on the rams and get one pair.

 

[Brookster123]

Get your shoaling mid water species firstly.. plant the tank, let it balance out and than get "a pair" of one type,.preferably gbr, the morphs are usually garbage.. well mostly actually.. bandit knows his stuff, I'm just outspoken..

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