The German Blue Ram (Microgeophagus ramirezi) is a beautiful fish for sure but tends to pose a few problems for new hobbyists. The first issue is finding quality fish, many strains are weak, however this is difficult if not impossible to tell from observing a tank full or brightly colored fish swimming around happily in a LFS tank. Many of these fish are farm raised Asian breed fish feed hormones to accelerate maturation and enhance color. Unfortunately these fish, while seemingly healthy start to fade before too long and ultimately crash & die within weeks leaving hobbyist discouraged. As stated before starting with good quality stock is 90% of the battle. A local breeder or ordering from a reputable source is your best bet here. The other issue is temperature, these fish require warm water IMO no lower than 84 degrees F with 86 being about perfect. This temperature requirement also affects the suitable tank mates that are compatible with the GBR. As far as cichlids go Discus are about perfect with Angelfish second at the lower end of the acceptable temperature range. I admit not knowing much about the various Apistogramma sp. I would defer to someone with knowledge of their compatibility. The perfect tetra IMO is the Cardinal or Rummy Nose. The third consideration is clean water, I have always had the best luck using a well established, aged tank Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates below 10 ppm the lower the better. Making general tank maintenance very important, weekly water changes, vacuuming and filter maintenance key to increasing the chances of long term success. I am in no way trying to discourage you from keeping this fish, Im trying to point out several key areas to help improve your chances for success and overall enjoyment.
A good alternative would be the Bolivian Ram (Microgeophagus altispinosa) they are generally more forgiving and hardier. They dont require as high a temperature and get a little bigger then the GBR you could do a group of 6 in a 50 gallon tank they mostly stay towards the bottom acting like dwarf earth eaters. A nice school of smaller tetras to fill the middle, some Hatchet fish to fill the upper layer of the tank, six or seven Ottos for algae duty and a few Amano shrimp would be a nice set up. I hope at least some of this information is helpful to you. GL.
