German Blue Ram Questions

[Braden8558]

Hello,

So currently I have a 10 gallon planted tank with a female German blue ram and I was wondering if I could have a male in here as well and if the 10 gallon is alright then what would I need to get them breeding? Also could I have like 4 amano shrimp in there and a small school of small fish like chili rasboras, galaxy rasboras (celestial pearl danios), or ember tetras. I have asked on other forums but I have gotten some people saying that it is fine and others saying it might not be big enough for a pair of rams alone possibly, and I would like your opinion.

Also my female ram has lost a lot of her colour since I got her, but I am pretty sure that the water is fine and that she is not sick, so would a male brighten her colors up?

Here is a profile of the tank with a picture so you can see if it is adequate...

Braden8558 10 Gallon - Your Tanks

Thanks for the help in advance everyone!
Braden

 

[madams102]

Hello your German Blue Rams are fine for a ten gallon tank. I do not think that i would add anything else though except a male. The size tank you have will make it difficult to have anything else in there with the rams. the rams get almost three inches per fish and they are very sensative with their water conditions. You may be a able to add a small group of fish but i would not recommend it. I would maybe try to graduate to at least a 20 gallon tank if you wish to keep other things with the rams. Remember the rams are hardy but a little sensative they require prestine water conditions the following water parameters should be duplicated.

78-85 deg F
PH 6-7.5
Hardness 6-14 dGH

 

[Rivercats]

I've kept rams for years and do not recommend using a 10g for a pair. Rams can get very aggressive and just because you add a male and female does not mean they will accept each other and spawn. Males can and will often kill unwanted females. Another thing to consider is if there is aggression between the pair there is very little room for the victim to retreat and hide. I know people keep them in 10g tanks but personally I don't recommend it.

 

[Braden8558]

Thanks for the opinions. I would like to do it, but does anybody else have some opinions? I thought I might get more responses!

Thanks, Braden

 

[DavidAl]

I think you want to read that you can keep them together, but you won't read it from me. Even if you had a proven pair, the female will not always be ripe with roe, and that's when you'll see issues as the male will chase the female endlessly. Only one ram in a 10g.

David

 

[bshenanagins]

Rivercats is right, the minimum to breed should be 20 gallons. Also, you can't guarantee you'll get a pair just by adding one male and it's a common and unfortunate misconception. GBR's are as picky as us when it comes to a mate, except a lack of a match in this case can result in extensive harassment and death. Your GBR is most likely uncomfortable due to a lack of hiding spots or an imbalance in your water. Unless you have an API test you will never know what your params are. Also, I've noticed that rams are most happy with temperatures over 80 and preferably between 83-85. Don't be ignorant and try to make it work, you will only hurt your fish. Not saying you will be, but we all have our own mindset and we've all fallen victim to it at some point down the road.

 

[t4runnr]

I've kept rams for years and do not recommend using a 10g for a pair. Rams can get very aggressive and just because you add a male and female does not mean they will accept each other and spawn. Males can and will often kill unwanted females. Another thing to consider is if there is aggression between the pair there is very little room for the victim to retreat and hide. I know people keep them in 10g tanks but personally I don't recommend it.

+1. I kept a Bolivian ram and a pair of bn plecos in a 20 and I thought that wasn't enough room. I couldn't imagine housing more than one in a 10.

I'm glad I got my 55 going to put the Bolivian and my ebgr in. Definitely livelier fish with all the room.

 

[Apesfate]

Currently have 2 rams in a 5 gal.

An electric blue, a yellow balloon
And a couple of snails.
Should be ok in 10.
Just keep the water good and watch their behaviour. If they start to go pale and lose the red from their eyes then they are suffering a little and you should do a 10-20% wc.
Have a few large (4 litre)bottles of water handy and be prepared to do those pwcs often. Like once every week or so.

 

[azmodan]

Two rams really deserve at least a 20 gal long if you intend on keeping them together for the long term. They'll survive in smaller but if you want to see natural behavior and their best colors give them the room that they need.

 

[vespasianus]

Hell I have a 20 high I'm about to set up and I've been dying to get a pair of GBR's for it but yesterday when I looked at my empty tank from above something tells me "not enough space". So I think if you keep second guessing yourself, don't do it.

 

[bshenanagins]

Currently have 2 rams in a 5 gal.

An electric blue, a yellow balloon
And a couple of snails.
Should be ok in 10.
Just keep the water good and watch their behaviour. If they start to go pale and lose the red from their eyes then they are suffering a little and you should do a 10-20% wc.
Have a few large (4 litre)bottles of water handy and be prepared to do those pwcs often. Like once every week or so.

Dude that's way too small, they may seem happy but they really need more space than that.

 

[Apesfate]

Dude that's way too small, they may seem happy but they really need more space than that.

They need more room, for what? It's a long tank.
They zip around in there alright.
They may need larger tanks due to how sensitive to poor water conditions and I am aware of that.
And I have a free supply of ultrasonic filtered, purified water, that's what the bottles are for.
I keep two 4 litre( about a gallon) bottles if it on hand they equate to 25% water changes each time. I refill them when I go shopping..
Vacuum the tank a little each time I have to siphon water out and I switch the air pump one once a day for about an hour to stir up any sediment for the filter to pick up.
I also have some extra stone things in the Hang on the back filter, which is rated at about 20 gallons..
Also there are snails and some cool little worms that take care it any excess food and maybe some if the waste.
I cycled the tank for 2 months before putting fish in there and started the cycle with a little urea.. My own special blend.
They have been fine in there for a few months now.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

I'm planning to put 2 German rams in a 25 gallon long aquarium with some bleeding heart tetras and some cory cats. Would that be okay? Also I was wondering if I could only keep males, I'd rather not have fry...

 

[Rivercats]

You should only keep one male especially in that tank. Honestly if you get a male and female there is no guarantee they will even pair up and if they do the chance of you getting live fry that live are very slim. Especially if you put tetras in the tank. Any fry would get picked off one by one.

 

[Braden8558]

I still have not decided exactly what I am going to go with yet. I get such mixed feeling on this haha! Anways though, I may be able to get a 29 gallon aquarium in the near future and replace it with the 10 gallon !! Then I would have more options as towards what I could stock the tank with and just more space. My biggest tank is a 15 gallon right now, so hopefully this should work out!

Thanks for the replies
Braden

 

[ddodad]

I have to agree 10 is way too small I have a pair or GBRs and Bolivians (both proven pairs) in my 70 gallon community tank and I feel that I'm pushing the size with 2 pairs in a 70

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

You should only keep one male especially in that tank. Honestly if you get a male and female there is no guarantee they will even pair up and if they do the chance of you getting live fry that live are very slim. Especially if you put tetras in the tank. Any fry would get picked off one by one.

Alrighty, so just one male then?

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Alrighty, so just one male then?

...was that reply to me?

 

[Rivercats]

Yes, just one male in a tank that small.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Yes, just one male in a tank that small.

Alrighty thanks!