Tell me everything about Ram cichlids

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Pyramid_Party

Pyramid_Party

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2008
4,916
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Monterey, CA
Hey guys,


So I am considering keeping Ram cichlids for the 1st time. But what I have been reading has been making me a little nervous. Hopefully you guys can answer some questions for me. And please, only people with 1st hand experience. I prefer not to have anyone telling me stuff they read off the internet.


Are they hard to take care of?

Can they survive in hard/alkaline water?

Can they breed in hard alkaline water, and can their babies survive?

If not, what would be a great way to lower PH and hardness? How about keeping it stable and water changes?


How many would you put in a 29 gallon? If they pair up, how many pairs?

What other fish can coexist with them? Would a group of 3-4 Otto's be alright and maybe a few small dither fish like tetras?


Are babies easy to get rid of? In other words, is there a decent demand for the fish?



Well that's all the questions I got for now folks. Feel free to fill me in more about them. Thanks for everything :)
 
Rams are simple to breed and take care of. Just add water. When ever I bred them i sold the babies for 5 bucks a piece making about 100-200$ a spawn. I have a trio in a 20l. With a bristle nose and a pair of red jewels. They all get along. You might want to remove what ever they spawn on to a different tank because they will eat the eggs.
 
They are super cool and will fit in a 10 gallon tank

SOURCE
 
When you say hard, alkaline water, what are the actual parameters? I think you mentioned in your other thread that your pH was over 8, which I don't think would be favorable. I've kept them in a pH in the mid 7s with no issues, but I've never kept any SA cichlid in a pH over 8 so I don't know about that.

I would only keep one established pair in a 29 gallon tank. You could raise out four in a tank that size, but once they pair off you'll want to remove the others.

These guys need clean, warm water. Keep them at 85F or so. Regular weekly water changes.

You'll probably need to remove the eggs unless you have a good pair. Mine always ate their eggs as soon as they were laid. Also, the fry are quite tiny, so keep that in mind when preparing foods for the fry.
 
My actual PH is in the 7.8 - 8.0 range. Not over 8. And the hardness is fairly hard at around 150 ppm. Yeah I got a spare 10 gallon planted tank for babies and a more bare 10 gallon for them too. The planted 10 gallon has tons of detritus worms in the water column. I am sure baby fish would have a feast. Other than that I have hikari first bites and brine shrimp eggs I can hatch for babies too.


Thanks for all the tips so far everyone. I could use all the help so keep them rolling. Thanks
 
They do prefer softer water. And their life expectancy is not very long but all in all good fish to have.
 
Pyramid_Party;4713843; said:
these are my opinions, based on a mix of research and experience ...

Are they hard to take care of? no, not hard ... my #1 piece of advice is to keep nitrates <10ppm ... always!

Can they survive in hard/alkaline water? yes ... but it may not be optimal ... optimal would be soft water and ph <7.0 ... and temps in the mid-80s

Can they breed in hard alkaline water, and can their babies survive? dont' know that one ... sorry

If not, what would be a great way to lower PH and hardness? How about keeping it stable and water changes? stability is usually more important ... supposedly, driftwood tannins will lower hardness, but I don't think it would do much to compete with your 150ppm ... acid buffers can lower Ph ...


How many would you put in a 29 gallon? If they pair up, how many pairs? I suppose you could do two pairs, but one pair would probably be better ... if you had a 30G long, I'd def. think two pair ...

What other fish can coexist with them? Would a group of 3-4 Otto's be alright and maybe a few small dither fish like tetras? ottos are a great choice, and/or maybe a small pleco ... that is what I have in my 15G ram tank right now, 3 ottos and an albino BN pleco

Are babies easy to get rid of? In other words, is there a decent demand for the fish? again, don't know ... but I would think you'd have a decent chance of selling them, or trading in at an LFS

hope that helps



Well that's all the questions I got for now folks. Feel free to fill me in more about them. Thanks for everything :)
Click to expand...

see above
 
Thanks guys. At this point keeping them in optimal water conditions is my only challenge. I am decidig on whether I should given it a shot to lower and maintain a softer PH just to keep and breed these fish. I do not know much about doing this though. I have been talking with a guy about RO units and almond leaves etc. Trying to learn what a water change routine might be. One problem is I worry about the health of my plants. The softer water and higher temps.
 
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