German Blue Rams & Cockatoo Cichlids

[sharmz30]

Hi everyone,

I really love German blue rams and Cockatoo Cichlids. I am thinking about getting 1 German Blue ram and 2 cockatoo cichlids for my new 20 gallon tank.

My question is, has anyone ever kept both of these dwarf cichlids together? How do they get along? The LFS said as long as they are dwarf cichlids, I can keep them in my community tank with no problem - but just wanted any advice/opinions.

I also have a few other community-type fish in there at the moment.
Thanks

 

[bettaowner]

Rams and other dwarf cichlids do not mix.

 

[Sharkbait54]

I have a electric blue ram and a cockatoo cichlid in my tank they flare at eachother but never fight or chase.

 

[sharmz30]

I have a electric blue ram and a cockatoo cichlid in my tank they flare at eachother but never fight or chase.

How big is your tank?
Thanks again.

 

[librarygirl]

I don't think a 20 gal is large enough for all of those.

 

[Sharkbait54]

I have a 28g euro bow.

 

[sharmz30]

I have a 28g euro bow.

What is your stock ratio of the cockatoo and german blue? Do you have just one of each? And what other fish do you keep around with them?
Thanks

 

[Sharkbait54]

One of each im fixing to add a male apisto.

Stock is one of each plus

6xVon Rio tetras
1xFlame guorami
6xMarble Hatchets
4xKhuli Loaches
2xsnails

 

[jpchin]

i have an all male tank. it's 45 gals. i have 7 dwarf gouramis, 10 serape tetras, a blue apisto, german ram, xray tetras, bumblebee cat fish and a flag cichlid. they all get along just fine. no fighting. if you take females out of the equation they really don't have a reason to fight. this has been my experience. i've had them all together for the past 2 years.

 

[sharmz30]

alright great, thanks a lot! is it easy to sex the rams or apistos?

 

[Sharkbait54]

Apisto males are Larger and alot more colorful.

 

[sharmz30]

thanks!

 

[jpchin]

the fish store i go to separates the males and females. of course they could make a mistake but they haven't done it yet to me. tell them you want a male. i decided on all males for my tank because in most fish species the male has the most vibrant colors. also i didn't want to mess with fry and all that stuff. i really don't have any interest in breeding fish.

 

[sharmz30]

yea im not interested in breeding either, plus i heard the cockatoos become quite aggressive when they are breeding. i'll definitely ask my lfs but a lot of times it feels i know more about fish than them lol. are the german blue rams harder to sex especially when they're young?

 

[kjacks]

Accordin to live aquaria u need a minium of 30gals for the cockatoo ..and it should b long as they prefer open swimming areas.

 

[jpchin]

Dwarf Cichlid Questions Answered

German Blue Ram

here are a few sites with some good information on dwarf cichlids and blue rams. it shows pics of the male and female ram. it is a bit harder to sex when they are young but the main things are that females have a pink belly and the black spot on their side shows little blue flecks in it. the male 's black spot is solid. read the article and it will give you other things to look for. i think you will love the rams but you must be dedicated to frequent water changes. i change out 25% of my water every third day. here's some pics of my rams.

 

[sharmz30]

that's great information and your ram look great!

thanks a lot

 

[Russelmartin55]

Were is your pet store

 

[jpchin]

Were is your pet store

my local pet store is "That fish place/That pet place" in lancaster, pa. they also have a great web site and they do ship just about everything they sell. the site is Web Page Under Construction)

 

[jpchin]

i don't know why the site is coming up as "under construction." if you google that fish place lancaster, pa you can get on their site.