My first GERMAN BLUE RAM

[Shane l]

Hey everyone ive been reading tons of articles on gbr's and how to care for them so when my lfs had some i bought a male. So here he is


My question is this in all the reading ive done it says that they are really hard to pair but if i get another one if they dont pair will they just leave each other alone and all is well

[PockX]

They could be..or the male might case the female around to death from stress. It might be lucky and pair too..or both could just be friends lol.

[Shane l]

Do you recon its worth risking?

[PockX]

It's up to you..could always see how it goes and then if it doesn't, take it back?

[Shane l]

Possibly. I knw gbr are very fragile to eleviate stress should i add salt if so how much

[jessicafish]

very pretty!! I want to get one but I don't have a big enought tank yet, maybe I'll get one for my birthday!

[bshenanagins]

No do not add salt that won't do anything but probably kill them. Until they establish themselves you can't really experiment anything. I think 1M-2/3F ratio is best. One and one is not a good idea because the odds against pairing are high and the male will just chase the female until she dies.

[jhawk__]

Originally Posted by bshenanagins

No do not add salt that won't do anything but probably kill them. Until they establish themselves you can't really experiment anything. I think 1M-2/3F ratio is best. One and one is not a good idea because the odds against pairing are high and the male will just chase the female until she dies.

From what I've read and from personal experience with GBR's, you could get 2-3 females but want to remove the others once the male picks one because the paired couple will constantly chase the loners.

[bshenanagins]

Originally Posted by warrior13

From what I've read and from personal experience with GBR's, you could get 2-3 females but want to remove the others once the male picks one because the paired couple will constantly chase the loners.

You are correct, thanks for the extrapolation. Pairs become lethal to other rams.

[Shane l]

Thanx for the replies all. He is doing really well and his colors are awesome il add some more pics

And im getting a new 75 on the weekend if i pit him in there will i be able to add some more or will the same still apply

[bshenanagins]

Wow he really is beautiful, nice ram.

[KPhilly]

Awesome looking fish!

[plantedtankman]

I am planning to get a Ram in the future. I have heard many different opinions on this fish too. Which one of these options do you guys think will work?

Get 1 Male Ram
Get 1 Male Ram and 1 Female Ram
Get 1 Female Ram
Get 1 Male Ram and 2 Female Rams
Get 1 Male Ram and 3 Female Rams
Get 2 Female Rams
None of the above

I have had a Ram once and it died very quickly, but this was a very long time ago. I had one male and he harassed my Platies. So are any of the options above good?

[Ozy]

I tried this - however the male paired with one of the females. The other two were attacked relentlessly. The pair wouldn’t allow them to eat or sleep! I had to put them in another tank.

[Shane l]

They sound like crazy jealous fish lol

[TheCommunityCichlid]

If you can rehome the extra females the get multiple females for your male then get rid of the others ASAP. Or take a chance with one female. IME the usually pair up anyways. I've only had one female not pair with a male

[plantedtankman]

I think I'll get a male and female pair. This is probably the best Cichlid besides Angelfish and other Rams to put into my community tank.

[TheCommunityCichlid]

Well there is the entire apistogramma genus that would work

[plantedtankman]

Hmmm I've never heard of them before. Are they South American?

[TheCommunityCichlid]

Yep south american dwarfs