Blue Rams Questions

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Cheapeeper

Cheapeeper

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
50
Location
Elk River, Minnesota
I'm very inerested in the Blue Rams for my 10 gallon well established
tank. But I have a few questions before I get these pretty little
fish. I'm hoping here I can get some answers because everything
online just gives me more questions.
Can I keep 2 Rams in a 10 gallon?
can I have like 3 small corydoras with them safely?
Can I feed them New Spectrum Cichlid foods like I have for my Black
Convicts?
Will they be happy with plastic plants?
The landlord refuses to put salt in the water softener, will they be
ok with regular tap water with Dechlor added? It's not hard water but
not softened water.
Do they have to have drift wood? Or will they be happy with a flat
rock placed on top of 2 pieces of petrified wood?
As far as corydoras go, I have regular white and blue gravel as
subtrate with the shiney marble decoration thing's, is this ok
subtrate for them?
Anything else I might have missed that anyone might know or have
answers about Blue rams is also very appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who replies,
Sharon in Minnesota
 
I'm very inerested in the Blue Rams for my 10 gallon well established
tank. But I have a few questions before I get these pretty little
fish. I'm hoping here I can get some answers because everything
online just gives me more questions.
Can I keep 2 Rams in a 10 gallon?
can I have like 3 small corydoras with them safely?
Can I feed them New Spectrum Cichlid foods like I have for my Black
Convicts?
Will they be happy with plastic plants?
The landlord refuses to put salt in the water softener, will they be
ok with regular tap water with Dechlor added? It's not hard water but
not softened water.
Do they have to have drift wood? Or will they be happy with a flat
rock placed on top of 2 pieces of petrified wood?
As far as corydoras go, I have regular white and blue gravel as
subtrate with the shiney marble decoration thing's, is this ok
subtrate for them?
Anything else I might have missed that anyone might know or have
answers about Blue rams is also very appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who replies,
Sharon in Minnesota
 
i don't know a whole lot about the blue rams as i have never kept them. The only advice I can offer is that i know they are extremely sensitive to water conditions. In a 10 gallon tank it may be difficult to keep those conditions stable. You should google the preferred habitat and water chemistry of mikrogeophagus ramirezi (latin name) if you are serious about keeping them.

good luck...they sure are pretty fish
 
i have a gbr and everything i have read suggested atleast a 20g. i know length wise my gbr is the most active swimmer i have.

as for your other questions i have 3 corys and my grb and cories get along great. they swim together all the time.
dont worry about hard or soft water. unless your trying to breed them it wont be an issue.
fake plants would be ok althou i think they do better(more color) with live plants. atleast from all the ones i have seen.
im not sure on the food. i feed mine regular flakes but it love algee wafers. dont ask me why.
i dont know about the drift wood answer. i doubt it matters as long as it has spots to hide in(fake plants, pots anything) when it wants to i dont think it matters.

i dont know a ton about gbr's, im just going off of my experiance with the one i have.
 
Cheapeeper said:
I'm very inerested in the Blue Rams for my 10 gallon well established
tank. But I have a few questions before I get these pretty little
fish. I'm hoping here I can get some answers because everything
online just gives me more questions.
Can I keep 2 Rams in a 10 gallon?
can I have like 3 small corydoras with them safely?
Can I feed them New Spectrum Cichlid foods like I have for my Black
Convicts?
Will they be happy with plastic plants?
The landlord refuses to put salt in the water softener, will they be
ok with regular tap water with Dechlor added? It's not hard water but
not softened water.
Do they have to have drift wood? Or will they be happy with a flat
rock placed on top of 2 pieces of petrified wood?
As far as corydoras go, I have regular white and blue gravel as
subtrate with the shiney marble decoration thing's, is this ok
subtrate for them?
Anything else I might have missed that anyone might know or have
answers about Blue rams is also very appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who replies,
Sharon in Minnesota
Click to expand...

If you get GBR's you will need to buy them in multiples of 2 and you should buy them in sexed pairs, meaning one male and one female. A 10g tank is large enough to support one multiple of 2 but since you have fish in there already you won't be able to safely keep them in the same tank. Corys are ideal tankmates for rams but not together in the same 10g tank as it's too small. A 10g is fine for a pair of GBR's and that's what I used for my breeding setups.

I fed mine NLS Cichlid Formula (1mm sinking pellets) and they were the right size. I have a feeling your convicts are getting large pellets which would be okay for the rams if they can fit them in their mouths. You may have to break apart the food if it is too large for them.

Do not use water that has been "softened" by salts in any aquarium. You will need to use tap water and/or purified water in ratios and also dechlorinator if you have city water.

That substrate isn't really ideal for corys but it is okay. Ideally, you would have sand since corys have barbels and would like to sift for the sand for food. You don't need driftwood in the tank for corys nor for GBR's but I'm sure it would be appreciated by them and you if you had some in the tank. Live plants or fake, it makes little difference to them. Live plants can be beneficial for removing nitrates from the water and they also have the benefit of not damaging the fish if they rub into them. Some of the plastic plants can be damagind to fish as they are sometimes "sharp".

diogenes said:
i don't know a whole lot about the blue rams as i have never kept them. The only advice I can offer is that i know they are extremely sensitive to water conditions. In a 10 gallon tank it may be difficult to keep those conditions stable. You should google the preferred habitat and water chemistry of mikrogeophagus ramirezi (latin name) if you are serious about keeping them.

good luck...they sure are pretty fish
Click to expand...

Actually, Microgeophagus ramirezi is the latin name, not that it matters much. It was initially named with a "C" and then by an error in translation a "K" was replaced and that notation has been used ever since. The "true" name is spelled with a "C" though, as given by it's discoverer/namer.

harmy4993 said:
i have a gbr and everything i have read suggested atleast a 20g. i know length wise my gbr is the most active swimmer i have.

as for your other questions i have 3 corys and my grb and cories get along great. they swim together all the time.
dont worry about hard or soft water. unless your trying to breed them it wont be an issue.
fake plants would be ok althou i think they do better(more color) with live plants. atleast from all the ones i have seen.
im not sure on the food. i feed mine regular flakes but it love algee wafers. dont ask me why.
i dont know about the drift wood answer. i doubt it matters as long as it has spots to hide in(fake plants, pots anything) when it wants to i dont think it matters.

i dont know a ton about gbr's, im just going off of my experiance with the one i have.
Click to expand...
 
Well I dont have fish in the 10 gallon right now. The Black Convict I do have is going someplace else so the tank will not have anything in it at all after today. That's all i would have in the 10 gallon is 1 pair of Rams if i get them. Everyone else says 10 gallons wont work for just 2. So I'm undecided. UGH!!
 
Cheapeeper said:
Well I dont have fish in the 10 gallon right now. The Black Convict I do have is going someplace else so the tank will not have anything in it at all after today. That's all i would have in the 10 gallon is 1 pair of Rams if i get them. Everyone else says 10 gallons wont work for just 2. So I'm undecided. UGH!!
Click to expand...


For breeding purposes, I don't see anything is wrong with a pair in a 10g. I kept the pair I had in a 10g. My male died of an internal parasite though, so I kicked the female into my 20(tall) to make room for other fish
 
bs6749 said:
Actually, Microgeophagus ramirezi is the latin name, not that it matters much. It was initially named with a "C" and then by an error in translation a "K" was replaced and that notation has been used ever since. The "true" name is spelled with a "C" though, as given by it's discoverer/namer.
Click to expand...

well like you said not that it matters much, and wikipedia is an extremely specious source, but since you did call me out on it :

Mikrogeophagus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fishes from this genus [mikrogeophagus] are sometimes recorded as Papiliochromis or Microgeophagus though these genera should be regarded as a junior synonyms. (Kullander, 2003)
 
diogenes said:
well like you said not that it matters much, and wikipedia is an extremely specious source, but since you did call me out on it :

Mikrogeophagus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fishes from this genus [mikrogeophagus] are sometimes recorded as Papiliochromis or Microgeophagus though these genera should be regarded as a junior synonyms. (Kullander, 2003)
Click to expand...

You are still incorrect. Since you called me out on it: Microgeophagus ramirezi (just one of many)

FWIW, Kullander wanted it to be Mikrogeophagus instead of Microgeophagus but he lost out. No wonder why he considers the true genus name (Microgeophaugus) to be a "junior synonym" as referenced in wikipedia while the rest of the world (except those in Europe that can't get the spelling correct) recognizes the true name. FWIW, wikipedia is a good source of general information but when it comes to specifics it's worthless. I remember reading about the naming system and how it was actually spelled with a "c" instead of a "k" but I forget which book so multiple internet sources will have to suffice. Just google search "myers and harry 1947 microgeophagus ramirezi"
 
OMG what does this have to do with if I can keep these fish in a 10 gallon or not? Post your fight over the scientific name somewhere else. It has nothing to do with the questions I asked.
 
Wikipedia is not really a good source for anything, it's the first thing you are told in college. get from reliable sources please.
 
Ever seen the episode of "The Office" where Michael is talking about how much he loves wikipedia and goes on to say how "great" it is because "anyone can post anything on there" LOL.

 
Cheapeeper said:
Wikipedia is not really a good source for anything, it's the first thing you are told in college. get from reliable sources please.
Click to expand...


which is why I said it's an extremely specious source in my post. The truth is I was too lazy to find a better source because as you pointed out it has nothing to do with your post, and if the cryptozoologists can't agree on the name, then how are we ever going to.
 
You don't take it well when you are wrong do you? Please go find a tissue and dry your eyes.
 
I have a breeding pair in a 10g with a clump of java fern in the corner.
As long as there is a place the female can hide it works fine
 
ok now someone can answer my questions and give me some input that I can use for the Blue Rams questions please, and thank you very much to those who started out answering my questions you were helpful. Now I would like more input as to if I really can put them in a 10 gallon with corydoras. Thank You.
No more debates on Wikipedia as we all know it is NOT a reliable source, moving on now.
I have have heard yes and no to a 10 gallon somone please give me a reliable answer.
Do I HAVE to change to sand for the corydoras.?
If sand which kind is best? Will it send my tank back into cycle?

Please no more goofiness about Wikipedia or old TV shows. I need answers to my actual questions.

Thanks Sharon in Minnesota
 
I have cories in my 29g tank that has quite large gravel, and they seem to do just fine. All of their barbels are perfectly in tact.

Most people use pool filter sand which can be found at any local pool and spa supply center. Its fairly cheap. Other options are the 3M color quarts(I think its called) line and the caribsea line.
 
Cheapeeper said:
Can I keep 2 Rams in a 10 gallon?
can I have like 3 small corydoras with them safely?
Will they be happy with plastic plants?
The landlord refuses to put salt in the water softener, will they be
ok with regular tap water with Dechlor added? It's not hard water but
not softened water.
Do they have to have drift wood? Or will they be happy with a flat
rock placed on top of 2 pieces of petrified wood?
As far as corydoras go, I have regular white and blue gravel as
subtrate with the shiney marble decoration thing's, is this ok
subtrate for them?
Anything else I might have missed that anyone might know or have
answers about Blue rams is also very appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who replies,
Sharon in Minnesota
Click to expand...
yes yes yes and yes everything you asked here is fine. you dont need DW but you can get some if you want. yes to everything not sure about food though
 
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