German Rams, please tell me all I need to know!

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sheyene29

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 9, 2008
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British Columbia
I've been really wanting a cichlid, I don't know why but every species of fish that I'm drawn to at pet stores has always been some kind of Cichlid or other. So as usual I set about researching before I bought and to my dismay I found that the tank I have (30g) was much too small for most species.

Undeterred I kept researching and I think I finally found a little guy that will be compatible with my little tank!! Yay, and I think they are beautiful as well.

Oh, It's the German Ram that I've discovered. So can you please fill me in all I need to know.

I know they need a PH of around 7.0, but how do you get your PH down? or rather what kind of product.

How often do they eat? What do they like to eat?

What is their life span?? One site said only 2 years, is that correct? Or can they live longer if well taken care of.

How many can I put in my 30g, and what species would be compatible?

I don't want to buy an adult that may only have one year to live, so I guess I need to find juveniles?

Any and all info that you fish guru's can think of, please fill me in!
 
Name: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi ( Ram, German )
Size: 5 cm
Min' tank size: 20 gallons
Temerament: Peaceful
pH: 6.5
Temp: 27°C
Color: Blue, Orange, Red, Yellow
Diet: Omnivore and will accept pellets, bloodworms, tubifex worm, brine shrimp or mysis along with wafers which they will pick at. Best feed with sinking pellets
Origin: Colombia, Venezuela
Setup and tank mates: A planted community tank with plenty of hiding spots is best. This species can be kept with tetra, danios, livebearers, gourami, angels, loaches and most other peaceful community fish species.
Breeding: Once paired after courting they will generally clean off a rock at the spawning point. Some will lay on the rock some just lay in the substrate. Rams are not the best parents and removed fry generally have a lower mortality rate.Soft pH changes and a slight cooling of water temperature will often cause a pair to spawn. Best to start with 6 of so in a community tank to get a successful pairing.Peat will also encourage spawning.
 
Make sure you don't mix them with more aggressive feeding fish. I have 2 with black skirt tetras and the tetras make feeding them a pain in the ass. They're not the most accurate surface flake feeders, so I recommend a small sinking pellet like NLS small fish pellets. Mine also love shrimp pellets and algae wafers for some reason. :screwy: They tend to get a bit aggressive too, with a lot of chasing and fin nipping.
 
sheyene29;2647490; said:
I know they need a PH of around 7.0, but how do you get your PH down? or rather what kind of product. a stable PH is more important than rqching the target of 7. your going to cause many more problems than is needed trying to adjust PH using chemicals

How often do they eat? What do they like to eat? same as any other fish. 2-3 times daily, and as much as they will eat within a few minutes without any leftovers in the tank. any high quality pellet like hikari or NLS with added treats of black or blood worms, plankton etc.....

What is their life span?? One site said only 2 years, is that correct? Or can they live longer if well taken care of. yes, it seems rams have a much shorter life span, even in ideal conditions than most other fish. i would say 2-3 years or so is about right from what ive seen and read

How many can I put in my 30g, and what species would be compatible? ideally, 4 in my opinion, with a few bottom feeders such as dwarf pleco's (clowns are my favorite) or cory cats, with good filtration and steady water changes since rams can be sensitive to water quality

I don't want to buy an adult that may only have one year to live, so I guess I need to find juveniles? i may be wrong, as i dont keep rams on a constant basis, but i believe the short life spans is just something that comes along with keeping such a nice looking fish. if you cna find juvi's, go for it. otherwise, just enjoy them while their there, and replace when needed.
Click to expand...
hope this helps some :)
 
i like to keep them with cardinal tetras. they both like their water about the same temp, i kept mine at about 82 deg. for bottom dwellers go with cory cats a couple should do. so 4 rams 10-12 cardinal tetras and a couple cories, add some plants and enjoy.
 
Thanks guys for your help. One more question (for now), are they hard to find? Will a fish store usually special order them in? How hard is it to have them mailed to your home?
 
My LFS has them most times and there is a couple of site i know of that sell them all the time .
 
most local shops should be able to order them without a problem for you. Rams are fairly common fish.

if your looking for real nice quality rams, you could try some of the vendors here on MFK. i wouldent doubt a few of them could get some extremely nice looking rams for you. and the prices from most vendors here seem just as good, if not better than any LFS and our vendors more than likely have much better looking, healthier fish :D
 
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