new to rams need advice please !

[ctenopoma]

I was bored a few days ago and saw that I had an empty 20g , an extra heater and filter so I set it up.
I used pool filter sand as a substrate and seeded the tank with sand from an established tank.
I now have a balloon molly in there to help speed along the cycle (I know it's kinda cruel)
I kinda went off on a tangent there .....

anyways I discovered rams when trying to find an interesting fish to keep.
I am going to leave the tank for a few months to make sure the tank is established enough.
I read they like soft slightly acidic water so I put large peices of driftwood I had in and the tannins have turned the water brown (do they like tannin stained water?) currently I have christmas moss attatched to the driftwood and jungle val in the tank.
I was thinking the oversized val would make a great place for them to hide.
I was wondering if my stocking idea seemed okay?:
6 neon tetras
2 rams male and female
1 oto algae eater or a small amount of ghost shrimp.

and possibly the molly if it is still alive

I heard they are very fragile and I can't really replace them on the budget of a 16 yr old so I really want to make sure they survive , anything you can tell me about their care from your experiences would be appreciated
thanks ctenopoma

 

[rainbowfishpc]

Try Bolivians, they are the least fragile I think. But they are also the least colrful.

 

[ctenopoma]

I think they may grow to big for 20 gal though

 

[killerfish]

All ram cichlids will get aroun 2''-3'' so they will be fine in a 20 gallon

Sounds like you have a good tank set up for them Gold rams tend to be pretty fragile but german blue and bolivian rams are both some what hardy If you get healthy rams i wouldn't worrie about them droping dead on you

 

[wfex4]

they should be fine in that tank and work well with those fish.

just keep up with you water changes, temp around 80F, tannins are fine, pH below 7 preferable and they dont like a lot of water movement.

i would go with german blues just for thier coloration. i havent found them to be overly sensitive with thier water parameters.

good luck and post pics when you get them.

 

[woofy]

rams imo are pretty tough, ive had them survive ich even when being frosted multiple times, just watch the pair carefully as ive known that some maes are picky on there partners.

 

[Lupin]

If you can get blue rams from your local breeders, you'll have lesser issues keeping them.

 

[WildCAught]

Bolivian Rams are great. I've kept them with the worst of them and they've always done fine (my experience only). They are hardy little fish. I have no experience with the others although I've been tempted to get them. A 20gal is plenty for a group of rams. Mine were always squabbling with each other.
They should do great with the setup you have in mind.

 

[peathenster]

I was told to avoid Asian imports (especially from Singapore) because they are 1. juiced up; 2. picky about water and 3. hard to breed. Not sure if it's true but the two pairs of GBRs I got from a local breeder are GREAT. Pretty, active, hardy, and both spawned on the third day in my tank.

So - get them from a breeder if you can...