FAQs on Dwarf Ram Cichlid Compatibility

FAQs on Dwarf Ram Cichlid Compatibility

Diff. Ram species not getting along 3/17/17
I have 2 male 1 female Bolivian Rams and a male German Blue ram in the same tank it seams the German Blue ram is being aggressive towards the Bolivian Rams any advice what to do
<I'd remove the Blue Ram to elsewhere. UNLESS you have enough room here, there will be only further trouble. Bob Fenner>

Bonded GBR pair not getting along so well 5/17/16
Hello crew,
<Jacob>
I've been dealing with an issue that I haven't been able to find described anywhere on the net, at least with the same sorts of details. I'm aware that it is not so uncommon for German Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) to get a bit nippy and territorial with each other, especially when a male is getting to know a female. My issue is a little bit different, though.
First, some background:
This is a 29 gallon aquarium, 30" long. Both GBR have been in the tank for roughly 8 months, they were around 3 months old when added. Tankmates include 7 Rummynose tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri), 10 Corydoras habrosus
(largest is just a hint over 1" SL), and a common Bristlenose Pleco (female, about 3.25" SL). They were all added to this tank within a week or so of each other. Tank is filtered by an Aquaclear 70 hang-on-back filter with Seachem Matrix bio-media and Seachem Purigen. There is an air-powered sponge filter as well as a just-in-case measure.
Tank is heavily planted, with an Amazon sword about half the width of the tank on one side that I keep trimmed as a means to keep it from taking over any further. There are several pieces of driftwood of various sizes as well as a Pleco cave (elongated clay pot-esque hidey-hole). There is a Vesuvius sword (Echinodorus angustifolia variant), Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and some patches of Christmas moss as well. In other words, there are a lot of
things to explore, broken sight lines, and hiding places.
Parameters are 79 degrees Fahrenheit, 6.2-6.5 pH, 0 ammonia/nitrite, and nitrates that vary from 0-15ppm (always zero without adding fertilizers).
GH 4 degrees, kH 1-3 depending on normal variance in my tap and time since water change. I do a 50% water change every week to avoid any nutrient
buildups from plant fertilizers.
<Mmm; I'd likely raise the temp. here to low 80's F.>
*Back to my problem: *The GBR pair spawned the day they were introduced 8 months ago.
<? At three mo.s of age?>
I had purchased the female at a local chain pet store and had planned to go to another to grab a male. Unfortunately, the other pet shop sold the male in the time between my scoping out the availability and picking it up. No matter, I bought my male from an online breeder who also taught me a thing or two about hormone injections in rams. I was prepared for my store-bought female to perhaps not be receptive to the more naturally-bred male, but to my surprise they hit it off immediately. In the intervening time, they have spawned at least 10 more times, always reaching the free swimming stage since try #5 or so. I suspect the tetras or filter intake are doing in the fry.
<I'd add a sponge filter... turn off the power filter/s at these times>
In the first 6 months of owning this pair, they were two peas in a pod, whether in mating mode or not. They have no
problem getting food since these tetras are mid-to-bottom feeders in a similar way to the rams. Foods offered include New Life Spectrum Thera+A, Omega One Kelp Pellets (mostly as a supplement to Pleco's diet and to make sure there is some plant material for the various omnivores), blanched zucchini (staple diet for Pleco), and several frozen foods like Spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and the rare bloodworm. They are fed live blackworms twice a week when my LFS has them in stock.
Around mid-March, I noticed my female with clamped fins and—to the extent the hormone-injected rams can have this—washed out colors. I don't normally think much of the occasional odd behavior of course, but this was paired
with a lot of hiding and some chasing from the male. This has since become a fairly common pattern, though she isn't always clamped by any means but very typically pale. She hides from the male often and he chases her all over the place. They have spawned twice since this behavior began and their behavior and colors go back to normal in the immediate days pre-spawning and while dealing with the eggs/fry. No matter their general behavior, they both eagerly accept food as normal. My main concern is that I have seen her have fin damage a few times and with the latest iteration I figured I better get some outside input. I have seen her caudal fin missing a roughly 2mm by 2mm patch, then after the caudal fin healed up she lost about half the length of one of her pelvic fins. She has been acting normal<ly> and looking ready to spawn for the past few days, but I just noticed that she has a 2mm by 2mm patch missing from one of her pectoral fins, in this case as clear as ever that the area was nibbled off. There are a couple nicks in her caudal fin as well.
At this point, I'm unsure of what to do about these things, especially since she seems to constantly bounce back and eventually does spawn. I know some cichlids do tend to stress the female to induce spawning, though it clearly wasn't needed early in this pair's relationship! I just don't want the female to end up actually dying if the male decides to step up his tactics.
Thanks in advance,
Jacob
<Well; not much I would do differently here. Cichlids are often damaged in the wild... by predator tries as well as conspecific interactions; particularly as regards reproductive behavior. I would not treat the fish/es, but just elevate the temp. here as mentioned. Am sharing this w/ Neale here for his independent response. Bob Fenner>
Bonded GBR pair not getting along so well /Neale's go 5/17/16
Hello crew,
<Jacob,>
I've been dealing with an issue that I haven't been able to find described anywhere on the net, at least with the same sorts of details. I'm aware that it is not so uncommon for German Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) to get a bit nippy and territorial with each other, especially when a male is getting to know a female. My issue is a little bit different, though. First, some background:
This is a 29 gallon aquarium, 30" long. Both GBR have been in the tank for roughly 8 months, they were around 3 months old when added. Tankmates include 7 Rummynose tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri), 10 Corydoras habrosus (largest is just a hint over 1" SL), and a common Bristlenose Pleco (female, about 3.25" SL). They were all added to this tank within a week or so of each other. Tank is filtered by an Aquaclear 70 hang-on-back filter with Seachem Matrix bio-media and Seachem Purigen. There is an air-powered sponge filter as well as a just-in-case measure.
<Do review stocking; the required temperature range for Rams, 28-30 C/82-86 F, is well above that of, in particular, Corydoras habrosus. In cooler water their health is compromised, and more to the point in this situation, they're less likely to spawn. Plus, once Mikrogeophagus ramirezi get settled and spawning, their territorial aggression tends to damage even medium-sized Corydoras, though conceivably they'd ignore the midwater swimming pygmy species. I'd still be watching them closely.>
Tank is heavily planted, with an Amazon sword about half the width of the tank on one side that I keep trimmed as a means to keep it from taking over any further. There are several pieces of driftwood of various sizes as well as a Pleco cave (elongated clay pot-esque hidey-hole). There is a Vesuvius sword (Echinodorus angustifolia variant), Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and some patches of Christmas moss as well. In other words, there are a lot of things to explore, broken sight lines, and hiding places.
<Good.>
Parameters are 79 degrees Fahrenheit, 6.2-6.5 pH, 0 ammonia/nitrite, and nitrates that vary from 0-15ppm (always zero without adding fertilizers). GH 4 degrees, kH 1-3 depending on normal variance in my tap and time since water change. I do a 50% water change every week to avoid any nutrient buildups from plant fertilizers.
<All sounds good.>
Back to my problem: The GBR pair spawned the day they were introduced 8 months ago. I had purchased the female at a local chain pet store and had planned to go to another to grab a male. Unfortunately, the other pet shop sold the male in the time between my scoping out the availability and picking it up. No matter, I bought my male from an online breeder who also taught me a thing or two about hormone injections in rams. I was prepared for my store-bought female to perhaps not be receptive to the more naturally-bred male, but to my surprise they hit it off immediately. In the intervening time, they have spawned at least 10 more times, always reaching the free swimming stage since try #5 or so. I suspect the tetras or filter intake are doing in the fry. In the first 6 months of owning this pair, they were two peas in a pod, whether in mating mode or not. They have no problem getting food since these tetras are mid-to-bottom feeders in a similar way to the rams. Foods offered include New Life Spectrum Thera+A, Omega One Kelp Pellets (mostly as a supplement to Pleco's diet and to make sure there is some plant material for the various omnivores), blanched zucchini (staple diet for Pleco), and several frozen foods like Spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and the rare bloodworm. They are fed live blackworms twice a week when my LFS has them in stock.
<Understood.>
Around mid-March, I noticed my female with clamped fins and—to the extent the hormone-injected rams can have this—washed out colors. I don't normally think much of the occasional odd behavior of course, but this was paired with a lot of hiding and some chasing from the male. This has since become a fairly common pattern, though she isn't always clamped by any means but very typically pale. She hides from the male often and he chases her all over the place. They have spawned twice since this behavior began and their behavior and colors go back to normal in the immediate days pre-spawning and while dealing with the eggs/fry. No matter their general behavior, they both eagerly accept food as normal. My main concern is that I have seen her have fin damage a few times and with the latest iteration I figured I better get some outside input. I have seen her caudal fin missing a roughly 2mm by 2mm patch, then after the caudal fin healed up she lost about half the length of one of her pelvic fins. She has been acting normal and looking ready to spawn for the past few days, but I just noticed that she has a 2mm by 2mm patch missing from one of her pectoral fins, in this case as clear as ever that the area was nibbled off. There are a couple nicks in her caudal fin as well.
<Could indicate fighting, especially if the male is "nipping" at her vent, as some cichlids are wont to do.>
At this point, I'm unsure of what to do about these things, especially since she seems to constantly bounce back and eventually does spawn. I know some cichlids do tend to stress the female to induce spawning, though it clearly wasn't needed early in this pair's relationship! I just don't want the female to end up actually dying if the male decides to step up his tactics.
<I think your concern here is valid. I'd start by separating them. Get the female fed well for 6-8 weeks so she puts on some fat. In fish, each batch of egg production is closely related to how well the female has recovered from the last. So you need to do what old school fishkeepers called "conditioning" the female; bringing her into spawning condition. Once that's done, try introducing them to a spawning tank with minimal decor but a few suitable spawning sites. Just because two cichlids are sold as a pair it doesn't mean they are a pair, or for that matter, there's no reason two fish that paired off one time should happily pair off again. Just doesn't work like that. Within the pair the two fish will be continually "testing" each other, and if you don't condition the female, it's easy for her to "fail" the male's test. In the wild he'd drive her off and try to attract another female, but in an aquarium that's not always an option. Do try reviewing some of the older aquarium books on fishkeeping and breeding. Those authors took a lot less for granted, and more to the point, were more reliant on breeding their fish because buying more of a particular species tropical fish was by no means a certainty. Finally, do recognise that the Blue Ram is hopelessly inbred, and if it's anything like the Electric Blue Jack Dempsey, can be expected to have much lower fertility than the wild fish.>
Thanks in advance,
Jacob
<Welcome, Neale.>

Mixing a Bolivian Ram and Apistogramma   10/5/13
Hi crew,
<Dunc>
Thanks for reading my email.
<Sure>
Is ridiculous to think that a single, reasonably-tempered Bolivian Ram could share a 3ft, 180L community tank with 1m and 2f Apistogramma agassizi, assuming enough hiding spots (caves, wood), moderate planting (Vallisneria, java fern, Amazon sword and floating Frogbit), temp 28 deg C, GH/KH 3-4, pH 7.2ish and Nitrogenous waste where it should be (0, 0, <20)?
<Not ridiculous. I'd bet they'd cohabitate>
One 20% water change per week/week and a half is carried out.
<Mmm, every week if you have the water>
There's a male Apisto in there as of today - a bit of ram chasing Apisto but nothing serious yet - I will monitor.
I'd love the look of the bulky Ram co-habitating with the dainty Apistos if possible.
I have removed a male P. taeniatus already, as though he went pretty easy on the ram for a year, I think I'd be pushing it with anything else.
Other tank inhabitants are:
- 19 x Cardinal Tetra (who fin-nipped my Pearl Gourami into another tank!)
- 1 x Bristlenose Ancistrus (a bit feisty) - would this eat eggs/fry of the proposed cichlid harem?
<Might>
- 1 x female 3-spot Gourami (generally well-behaved)
- 3 x Amano shrimp (big, healthy)
On another note, could two pairs of different Apisto species (agassizi and
trifasciatus) share this space - a possible future project.
<Should be able to fit in two pair of this genus in this size, shape tank>
Cheers and thanks!
Duncan.
<Welcome, Bob Fenner>
Mixing a Bolivian Ram and Apistogramma   10/5/13
Hey crew, not sure if the below made it through from Thurs night., so I've included it below.
<Ah, did. I just "saved" overnight, hoping Neale (in the UK) would pick up.
BobF>
Thanks!
Duncan.
Re: Mixing a Bolivian Ram and Apistogramma   /Neale's further input     10/5/13
<<I don't disagree with Bob, but would caution you that -- as always with cichlids -- there are no guarantees so far as social behaviour goes!
Despite being much bigger, a single female Bolivian Ram should not be much of a threat to a pair of robust Apistogramma such as A. cacatuoides, but a male (or worse, a pair) of Bolivian Rams might be a "real and present danger" to any Apistogramma kept with them in a small aquarium. On the whole Apistogramma tend to occupy smaller territories towards the back of the tank, while Bolivian Rams are much bolder fish that hang about at the front of the aquarium, so with luck they'll largely ignore each other if the tank is adequately large and well decorated with things to break up lines of sight. Mixing Apistogramma species works well, assuming the species chosen share similar requirements (there is some variation re: temperature for example) but you do of course run the risk of hybridisation. Finally, I would not mix any dwarf cichlid with Loricariid catfish if my goal was rearing fry. While cichlids generally make excellent guardians by day, they are almost blind at night, and that is when catfish will view their nests as prime feeding grounds! There's a suggestion that some cichlid species move eggs from one nest to another precisely because this makes it harder for catfish to find their eggs, and it's only a small step from moving eggs by mouth to become true mouthbrooders, which is an even better way to keep their eggs safe. Cheers, Neale.>>

Keeping Malaysian Trumpet Snails with Blue Rams 9/5.5/11
Hey, Crew! I have a quick question for you! Right now I have Blue Rams, Harlequin Rasbora, and Marbled Hatchets in my 30 gallon aquarium. I'm planting it at the end of this week with some low light plants. I also have some Malaysian trumpet snails coming in the mail later this week to help stir up my sand substrate. Basically, my question is what is the lowest pH the MTS can live in?
<Around pH 6.5, maybe a bit less.>
I've heard they're kind of hard to kill. I keep my water anywhere from 6.4-6.8 pH-wise, and want to know if this would be ok for the MTS. I know they like hard, alkaline water but I keep mine soft and acidic for my Rams, as they take precedence for me. I want to know the lowest pH I can keep them at basically, and if they would be ok with my current parameters. If not, what pH should I raise it to?
Thank you, Charles
<I'd try a few snails and see what happens. In soft water they tend to have thin, brittle shells, but the snails themselves seem unharmed. Low pH levels promote erosion of the shells, but provided the pH isn't below 6.5, they can do okay. If your water is too soft and acidic, you'll simply see your snails fail to thrive, and that'll be that. There are better choices for this aquarium when it comes to sand sifters, perhaps Kuhli Loaches or Banjo Catfish, depending on the temperature. Cheers, Neale.>

Help: Shyness of Blue Rams and Harlequin Rasbora temp compatibility
Temp Compatibility For Ram Tankmates 9/1/11
Sorry for the long-winded title!
First, I'd just like to say that I am incredibly impressed with your site.
It is one of the most detailed, comprehensive Aquarium sources I've ever come across. Thank you for making it so easily accessible to hobbyists that didn't have this sort of stuff available ten to twenty years ago.
It's truly a godsend.
< Thank you for your kind words.>
Anyway, I'm starting my tank back up again, and luckily it was already cycled by four Harlequin Rasbora. It's been up and running for about two years. I've kept Blue Rams in the past, however have never been truly successful with them. This time I'm determined. I've been reading about them constantly. One thing that I know I never accounted for before was temperature. I would always keep them around 77F to make the community happy. Not this time. As soon as I got them into the tank, the water went up to 80F. My question is will this temperature be ok for the Harlequin Rasboras already in there?
< They should handle 80 F with no problem.>
I plan to get 4 more of them, 6 Cory cats, and a Dwarf Gourami too.
Would all of these fish be ok at this temperature?
< All of these fish would be fine at that temp.>
The Harlequin's seem ok right now, schooling back and forth like they always do. I know the blue rams would like a temp closer to 82F, but I want to make it comfortable for the community, so would 80F be ok for the aforementioned fish?
< When you increase the water temperature the oxygen carrying capacity of the water goes down. Increase the aeration to compensate for the increased temps and everything should be fine.>
Secondly, my rams are so shy! I find it adorable, however I'd love to see them come out and swim around the tank when I'm around. When I watch the tank form across the room (it's a 30g in my bedroom), they're picking through the sand happy as can be, swimming with the Rasboras, and seem generally carefree. However, as soon as I move or approach the tank, they flee and hide behind the many artificial plants I have in the tank. Will this get better in time, and is there anything I can do to speed it up?
< When you get the additional fish they will come up to the top of the tank to be fed. This will get the rams to also see you as the food monitor and they will soon learn to come out to be fed. Too.-Chuck>They seem to be eating, not as much as I'd like, though, but they do seem to be eating (I'll be picking up some live or frozen blood worms at the LFS next week on my trip there).
Thanks for any help, and more importantly thanks for hanging in there while reading this email. I know I tend to drone on. Thanks again! Charles
re: Help: Shyness of Blue Rams and Harlequin Rasbora temp compatibility
Rams Start to Color Up 9/2/11
Thank you so much for the prompt reply! I'm relieved I can keep them all together. I have two more quick questions, if you don't mind. The two Rams I have are about 1.25" to 1.5" long, I wouldn't think they are much larger than that. I know they can reach about 3", but mine are much paler than pictures I see online. They have colored up some, but is it possible that their color will intensify once I start feeding them frozen food and they get older?
< As your fish become more comfortable in their surroundings they will get more color. Older fish have more color than younger fish.>
Also, my two Rams often square up with each other when they run into one another. Sometimes they'll even lip-lock. However, their coloring reminds me much more of a female than a male. Could these two females be showing territorial behavior like the males do? Or are they just males who haven't quite colored up yet? Thanks so much.
Charles
< Rams are very territorial like many cichlids. Their behaviour could be related to spawning but most likely just establishing territories.-Chuck>
re: Help: Shyness of Blue Rams and Harlequin Rasbora temp compatibility 9/3/11
Thanks again for the fast reply! Well, it appears I have another problem.
Today I went to the LFS and picked out 6 green aeneus Cory cats. Upon putting them in the 36"x12"x18" aquarium, both of the rams have been non-stop harassing the Cory's.
<Yes, very common. Would have warned you of this! I've mentioned several times on this site that Mikrogeophagus don't always cohabit with catfish, and in any case, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi needs much warmer water than (most) Corydoras prefer. Paul Loiselle describes one situation where the Ram Cichlids bite the eyes off the poor Corydoras!>
The LFS, a forum I go to, and you guys all said they would be fine together,
<Not me!>
so this is very shocking to me. Will this stop in time, or is it something I should be worried about? What should I do? Thanks so much.
<Your cichlids view the Corydoras as threats to their brood, and are acting accordingly. There's no solution beyond separating them. Cheers, Neale.>
re: Help: Shyness of Blue Rams and Harlequin Rasbora temp compatibility
Upper Tank Mate Recommendations 9/4/11
Sorry for the double email, but I've decided that I'm going to be taking the Cory cats to the LFS tomorrow and try to exchange them for a different fish. I want a top dwelling fish. What do you think would go good in a 30g (36" x 12") with 2 German Blue Rams and 8 Harlequin Rasbora? I'm trying to balance out the look of the tank. Thanks for any help!!
< South American hatchet fish or splashing tetras are always found not too far from the surface.-Chuck>

Compatibility and general questions. Rams and Barbs 12/27/09
Hello all WWM crew,
<Hi Andy>
It has been a while since I've last contacted for your support, which I guess is a good thing. Thanks to all your efforts, and a special thanks to Neale, my Arowana and L-25 Scarlet Pleco tank have been very successful approximately three years now and hopefully many more to come. But I do come here with a few questions in mind and hope that you guys could clear things up for me.
<Mmm, Neale's "marked out" presently. I think he's visiting in the States... Omaha, NE...>
Aside from my love for monster oddball fish, I am starting to find a great interest in community tanks and aquaria. I currently have a 55 gallon tank that houses 8 roseline sharks (Puntius denisonii).
<Beauts>
The other day, a friend of mine gave me four German Blue Rams (Papiliochromis ramirezi).
Now I know that they require totally different water parameters, but didn't want to see them flushed down the toilet. Anyhow, was wondering if you have any ideas how these two will coexist.
<Mmm, can... with something middling twixt their "likes" water quality-wise...>
I set my tank's temp. at 75 degrees F. to find a median point.
<Mmm, I'd raise this closer to 80>
Correct me if I am wrong, but the denisonii requires cooler temps, where as the rams require a warmer temp?
<Yes>
My waters Ph is around 7.4 and hopefully that will be tolerable.
<I'd shoot for something more neutral... closer to 7.0>
Secondly, is it normal for both species to school together?
<No, but these two are both products of successive captive breeding... so, can tolerate a wider range of circumstances, likely show more "community" type behavior>
It is an amazing sight, as the rams have settled in and now are schooling with the roselines. Is this normal behavior and is there any chance of aggression against each other?
<Not much chance here>
The rams are rather small and young in age, but maybe once they realize they are cichlids, they will start to attack the sharks? Or am I just worrying too much?
<Barbs, not "minnow" sharks, and no sense worrying>
I would also like to ask if fish stress out if they don't receive enough sleep?
<I do think so>
Reason I ask is because my Arowana tank is in my room and I usually tend to stay up really late, sometimes to the early morning hours. Even with my lights off, if my television is on, they will stay awake. Reason I know they do sleep is when/if I leave for a couple hours, in which the room is completely dark, upon my return they are usually shocked/stunned/light-colored/unresponsive for a couple of minutes until they pull through. Any harm done if I've deprived them of their sleep?
<Might be, as mentioned. I would leave some small light on in the room at all times to prevent the "spooking">
One last question. I'm sure my question varies greatly depending on the species of fish, but does fish have a good memory?
<Some species do, others don't appear to>
I've always been curious of this. For example, my Pleco has a cave he calls home right now. If I move him to another tank, for say a couple months and he finds a new home, upon his return, will he likely find he previous home right away?
<Yes>
Reason I ask is because I might be taking a vacation for a few months, all the while having another family member taking care of the tanks with strict directions and instructions. Was wondering upon my return, if they will remember me, especially my Arowana. As of right now, I'm the only one that he/she responds to when I approach the tank.
I've blabbered excessively with my ridiculous questions. Once again, thanks greatly for all your efforts and responses. It means a lot to me, as well as many others out there. Have a great day, and happy holidays to all the WWM crew.
Andy
<And to you and yours Andy. Bob Fenner>

Mikrogeophagus altispinosus stocking and compatibility 10/21/08
Dear Crew,
I am currently planning which inhabitants to keep in a 46 Gallon bow-front (36 in. long x 16 in. at the widest x 20 in. deep) that I am going to plant well with low-light plants and provide 2-2.5 watts per gallon of lighting. The my tap water has pH of about 8.0 with GH and dKH around 8 each. I will keep the temperature around 78-80F. I wrote previously asking about Betta imbellis and Melanotaenia praecox. After receiving Neale's advice I have decided on trying (2+) Mikrogeophagus altispinosus (Bolivian Rams) and either (7-9)M. praecox or (9-11)Trigonostigma espei and (~5)Gasteropelecus sternicla (Silver Hatchetfish) for the top level. Would the M. praecox work with the M. altispinosus or are they too active for the Rams?
<Should be fine assuming the water is reasonably deep.>
I know Neale has suggested the T. espei before as a ditherfish for the Rams, but I'm still drawn to the Rainbowfish. Next, I have read that M. altispinosus form monogamous pairs, is it possible to keep more than 1 pair in a tank the
size of mine?
<Yes, though there may be squabbling over nesting sites, so decorate the tank with care.>
I think with plants and driftwood/rocks I could set up different areas of the tank for them to make territories. However, I would be concerned that if I had a pair of Rams at either end of the tank the other fish would have nowhere to run if the Rams were protecting their young. One final question, I would like to keep Red Cherry Shrimp and Trumpet snails in this tank as well. Would either of these survive with the Rams?
<The snails will be fine. The shrimps more of a gamble, but they're inexpensive and worth a shot.>
I've read the M. altispinosus eat insects and crustaceans and possibly snails as well. What are your thoughts on keeping these species together?
<Mikrogeophagus are, as their name translates, "small earth eaters", and feed primarily by sifting sand. From that they extract algae, organic detritus, and small invertebrates, particularly insect larvae. They aren't predators as such, and shrimps up in the plants should be fine. It's worth making the point that like most cichlids in the hobby, aquarists often underestimate the degree to which these fish eat plant material and algae in the wild.>
As always, thank you for your insight and experience.
Evan
<Cheers, Neale.>

Freshwater Sump??? 7/10/08 Hello...I feel like I should know all y'all on a first name basis, I read constantly on your awesome site and have learned sooo much...I work in the fish department of my LFS and take my laptop to work with me so if a customer has questions I cannot answer, I can immediately go to wwm to look for the correct solution for them. I have recently bought a 125 All-Glass system and am planning on setting it up as a planted tank for Dwarf SA Cichlids, such as Apistogrammas, Borleyii (sp?) and German Rams. From what I have read and understood, these species should get along well in a tank of this size with lots of plants and bogwood and rock. Ok, my concern is this... This tank is pre-drilled as I had originally purchased it to set up as a reef tank, but have since changed my mind since I already have a 90 gal reef. Can a sump be utilized with a planted tank? I looked and looked in your freshwater filtration section and either overlooked it or overlooked it. I can think of no reason not to use the sump but then I don't have the answers...I am one of those misleading LFS people, you know!!! Eagerly await your reply, Thanks in advance for being there and making your site and yourselves available to all of us, I have typed up sheets of paper with wetwebmedia.com on it and cut it up into slips that I give to customers so they can have access to your wonderful site. Thanks again for being there. Rj <Greetings, and thanks for the kind words. There is nothing wrong with use sump-equipped tanks in freshwater aquaria. Works very well in fact, providing more space for biological filtration or the use of calcareous rubble to raise carbonate hardness required for Rift Valley cichlids. The only real issue is that the more splashing there is, the more CO2 is driven off, and this can cause you problems if you are using CO2 in a planted tank. Now, one observation I will make is that Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (such as "German Blue Rams") are not compatible with Apistogramma. There are several issues, but the two most important are differences in preferred temperature and differences in water chemistry. Apistogramma prefer moderate temperature (around 24-26 C) and slightly acidic to neutral, soft to moderately hard water depending on the species. By contrast Mikrogeophagus ramirezi does not do well in anything other than hot (around 28 C) water that is very soft and acidic. The mortality rate of Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is incredibly high in captivity, and I simply don't recommend them any more unless you have a special "hot" aquarium for them and can source locally bred or wild-caught stock. So either stick with your Apistogramma, or else add something like the wonderfully reliable Bolivian Ram Mikrogeophagus altispinosus. Cheers, Neale.>

Starting a soft water tank, need help on choosing inhabitants, order of addition 4/15/08 I am working with my wife to set up a soft water tank. It is a 55 gallon tank. I am mixing RO/DI water with dechlorinated tap water. There are plenty of artificial plants as well as driftwood and some rocks. The centerpiece will be dwarf rams. We also plan to have some Cory cats and a schooling fish. <Hmm... be careful: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi require warmer water than most Corydoras species, and warmer water than many tetras appreciate. If you keep these other fish at the required 28-30 degrees C, they will be stressed and potentially experience a much shorter lifespan. Among the Corydoras, Corydoras sterbai is the only common species that does *really* well in warm water aquaria, and is routinely kept with Discus. Do also remember Mikrogeophagus have been reported to bite the eyes from Corydoras catfish; they are not a recommended combination. My experience of Corydoras is that they are absolutely hopeless at learning about territories, and this makes them difficult to keep with territorial cichlids.> We are trying to decide on what schooling fish to keep . . . Neons, cardinals, or zebra Danios. Reading over the site, it looks like the Neons prefer cooler water than the rams, and carry the risk of neon tetra disease. How significant is that risk? <Danios and Neons definitely need cooler water than Rams; around 20 C is ideal for Danios, and around 22 C for Neons. So neither is a viable option. Cardinals do well as 28 C, so make the ideal choice. Another good choice would be the Lambchop Rasbora Trigonostigma espei (as opposed to the cooler water Harlequin Rasbora Trigonostigma heteromorpha). Finally, consider the Marbled Hatchetfish Carnegiella strigata, which also enjoys quite warm water.> On the other hand, reading about cardinals, it seems they tend to be difficult to get acclimated, but they are hardy once successfully introduced. Is that a correct impression? If so, what are your suggestions for successful acclimation? I believe the article on your site recommends a drip acclimation. Is that recommended? <Cardinals are generally hardier than Neons once acclimated, and a thousand times easier to keep than the terribly poor quality Rams on the market these days. So I'd worry more about the Rams than the Cardinals! In any case, if you are adjusting fish from maintenance in hard water aquaria (e.g., at the shop) to soft water in your home aquarium, then yes, a drip method acclimating the fish across an hour or so would work. Even better would be keeping the tank medium hard, neutral pH while you stock it, and then soften it across a week or two using water changes once you're done. A month or so as a medium hard water aquarium would do your fish no harm, especially if the temperature and water quality are optimal.> If the cardinals and tetras are too likely to perish, we will probably go with the zebra Danios instead. <Not a good choice at all; Danios come from fast, cool water environments.> What do you recommend for stocking? I was thinking 8 Corys, 12 schooling fish, 6 rams. Could we or should we add more of the schooling fish or Cory cats? Are odd numbers or even numbers preferable for any of the fish we plan to keep? <Numbers sound fine. Corydoras and most schooling fish behave themselves impeccably once decent numbers are kept, so don't worry too much about odd/even numbers. As for the Rams, do try and keep more females than males, but failing that, don't overcrowd and ensure everyone has their own hiding place.> Finally, is there a preferred order of addition? I was considering schooling fish, followed by the Cory cats, with the rams added last (after I know I can maintain the water at the appropriate conditions). <Sounds fine.> Thanks in advance for the help. Rick <Cheers, Neale.>

Blue ram trouble. Parrots... mis-placed, env., comp. 11/30/07 Well I went to my LFS yesterday and got 3 female blue ram cichlids. I put them in a tank with a top, dominating parrot cichlid (I thought they would get along) and two bottom dominating yo-yo loaches. I woke up this morning and found one dead. I don't think it was diseased it seemed ok and I noticed that they are hiding a lot. I will probably take the yo-yo loaches back to the shop. I also am considering breeding them, what is a good ratio? <Greetings. Let's be absolutely clear about this: Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) are completely incompatible with Parrot cichlids (by which I assume you mean those deformed hybrid Central American cichlids rather than Hoplarchus psittacus). You cannot keep them together. For a start, Blood Parrot cichlids need neutral to slightly basic water with a moderate to high level of hardness, say pH 7.5 and around 10-20 degrees dH. Rams need very soft and very acidic water to live any length of time, around pH 5.5-6.5, hardness 5-10 degrees dH. They also have completely incompatible thermal requirements: Blood Parrots want the normal 25 degrees C, whereas 28-30 degrees C is mandatory for Rams. Keep Blood Parrots too warm and they die from heat exhaustion, keep the Rams too cold and they die from secondary infections. Finally they have utterly different levels of aggression. Rams are shy, need dither fish, and are too small to pose any threat to a Parrot Cichlid; Parrot Cichlids are potentially very large, very boisterous and outgoing, and sometimes hyper-aggressive and easily able to kill fish as small as Rams should they want to. No-one who knows anything about these two fish would even dream of putting them in the same aquarium, so I am curious why you thought this would work. It simply won't. If you wish to breed Rams, then get their own aquarium around 60-90 litres in size. Fill with very soft, very acidic water. Install a suitable filter, bearing in mind that below pH 6 biological filtration won't work so you will need to use Zeolite instead. Depending on the level of carbonate hardness in the water you may also need to plan around using some sort of chemical buffer in the water to prevent pH crashes (soft water is prone to rapid acidification). Rams may spawn in hard water but the eggs won't hatch, so you do have to get this aspect right. Rams will form pairs quite rapidly under aquarium conditions. They do not form harems (as Apistogramma do) so you only need one male to one female. Of course, not every male and female will form a pair, so you may want to keep half a dozen in a larger tank and let them sort themselves out. Once a pair forms, remove that pair to the breeding tank. Spawning takes place on flat surfaces, often pebbles. The male often guards the eggs himself and may drive away the female, in which case you should remove her to another aquarium before she gets hurt. Eggs hatch after about 5 days, and will take suitable tiny foods almost at once. Brine shrimp nauplii are recommended as the first food though liquid fry food seems to work quite well. Cheers, Neale.>

German Blue Ram Compatibility -- 10/9/07 Hi Crew! I have a quick question: I have a 30 gallon planted FW tank, the current inhabitants are 6 female Bettas, 7 turquoise rainbowfish (they may be moving out soon though) 3 Otos and about a dozen Amano Shrimp. I have a good mix in the middle and upper portions of the water column, but the bottom is quite devoid of activity, my LFS has just received a shipment of some really nice looking German Blue Rams, and I would like to add one to finish off my tank if it will be compatible. I have three caves constructed out of lava rock and slate that go largely unused (except by the shrimp) so my question is this: would a German Blue Ram fit in well with my mix or should I look for something else to fill the bottom of the tank? Thanks, Bryan <A German Blue Ram, by which I assume you mean Microgeophagus ramirezi, should fit into this mix of animals nicely. Generally, small cichlids ignore shrimps, but very small shrimps might be eaten. Spend some time looking for good quality Microgeophagus ramirezi though -- the stuff on sale is extremely variable. Check the development of the fins and thickness of the body especially. Alternatives might include Microgeophagus altispinosa (Bolivian Ram) a less colourful but generally much hardier and long lived species; Crenicara species (Checkerboard cichlids); the superb but often overlooked Nannacara anomala (Goldeneye cichlid); and perhaps even Nanochromis transvestitus, a very neat West African dwarf with striking colours and an unusual shape. Small Pelvicachromis such as Pelvicachromis taeniatus are also an option, and very adaptable in terms of water chemistry, something the other dwarf cichlids often aren't. Cheers, Neale>
Re: German Blue Ram Compatibility 10/17/07 Hi Neale, thanks for replying so fast! <T'was nothing.> So I went to the LFS to take another look at the Rams, and they told me they had to quarantine them due to an ich outbreak. One of the reasons I like that store so much is that they will not sell fish that they even think might be sick. Anyway, they had just received their weekly shipment that day and had a new batch of what they called Butterfly Rams, they looked quite a bit like the others, only a taller more rounded vertically and skinnier body, but with very similar colorations / markings. <They're the same species, just different varieties. German Blues have more blue colouration. Butterfly Rams are more similar to the wild type. The Latin name for the species used to be Papillochromis, which basically means "Butterfly Cichlid", hence the name.> But being that I didn't know anything about them, they had just come in and I don't like to buy new arrivals I left Ramless. Are these much different in temperament/ requirements than the Blue Rams? <Identical.> Also on an unrelated/sort of related note: I have had a smallish population of Ramshorn and what I believe are cornucopia snails in both of my planted tanks for a while. In the last month both populations have been growing rapidly (the Ramshorns more so) and my broadleaf swords are getting chewed. <Colombian Ramshorn snails by any chance? Marisa cornuarietis. A notorious plant-eater. Regardless, some snail species can be a problem.> I have been removing some by hand when I do water changes, but I can still see quite a few in areas of the tank I can't reach without disturbing the plants. I have read the article on WWM about snail control, and I think that adding a predator would be the best bet, I don't like using chemicals, and my general experience in the hobby has been that nature's way is often the best way, plus I don't want to completely eliminate them, the cornucopias do a wonderful job keeping the soil aerated, I just want something to keep them in check and from overwhelming the system. <A fair enough attitude. The snails I prefer, Melanoides spp., don't ever eat plants, so they're safe, but other species may do. In any event, adding a snail-eater works surprisingly well.> The problem with the species recommended in the article is that they all seem to get too big for either of my systems. <Indeed, this is a common issue. One of my local aquarium shops has begun selling a "snail-eating snail" that gets round this issue.> From what I've read Haplochromis placodon, Chilotilapia rhondesii, Lamprologus tetracanthus, and Botia hymenophysa all grow over 6 inches, which is way too big for either of my systems, I am looking for something in the 2-3 inch area, that I can keep in a group of 1 to 3(at the most) that wont terrorise my other fish or harm my plants, I have only come across one species that may meet that description; Botia sidthmunki, but I don't know how they will do in my systems... <The smaller 'Botia' are certainly an option, but they do tend to be fairly aggressive, and will fight with dwarf cichlids over hiding places. I have pufferfish in several tanks, and they do an amazing job of cropping snail populations. But not all puffers work well in communities. Much better perhaps to use a trap (there's a commercial one called LimCollect, or you can make your own).> Here's what I've got, please let me know if you can think of anything that could fit in: 29 gallon Penguin 330 Bio-wheel 2 X 65 Power compacts 8800K range 6 Female Bettas 7 Turquoise Rainbowfish (maybe moving to the LFS, I don't think I can support these guys in this tank when they are full grown) If I move out the rainbows I am thinking of adding harlequin Rasboras (thoughts on their compatibility with this system?) I would like to shift this tank to more of a biotopic set up ( or at least from the same continent...) <Harlequins definitely a better choice for a relatively small aquarium, but they do need soft/acid water to do their best.> 3 Otos 12 Amano shrimp <Which won't last 5 minutes if you add any loach big enough to tackle snails.> The water in this tank is generally hard and alkaline, I use tap water treated with SeaChem prime and aged with an airstone. Neither tank has C02, but I am planning on adding it soon'¦ There hasn't been any sign of chewing in this tank, though the population increase wasn't as fast here, and there are no broadleaf swords... Ideally I'd like something that would fill the bottom dweller niche here, midwater and surface are well populated, but the bottom is barren save for the shrimp <Hmm... A school of the more unusual and striking Corydoras would be the obvious choice. Badis would be good too, if you're happy to feed them live/frozen foods each day. Numerous dwarf cichlids could work. Nannacara anomala and Laetacara curviceps are both very beautiful and peaceful fish; under-appreciated somewhat because they lack bright colours when seen in aquarium shops. But in a planted tank with lots of shade and a dark substrate, they're lovely!> The other tank is a 36 gallon corner bow front Fluval 405 filter 2 X 65 watt power compacts, 1 6500k, 1 actinic 3 swordtails (spotted a newborn fry yesterday) also have five 6 week old fry in a grow out tank that will be moving in soon. 23 Glowlight tetras 9 bronze Corys 3 Otos will most likely be adding 5 marble hatchets in the near future I use the same water source as the other tank, but I have peat in the filter, so this tank is quite a bit softer. I was hoping that my snail eater in this tank would be a mid water fish, the cories have the bottom covered, the tetras hang out in the middle/bottom, and the swords rarely come out in the open. And if at all possible I would like a fish that originates in the Amazon or at least south/central America. <No such beast, I'm afraid, with the possible exception of Colomesus asellus, the South American puffer. While I've had great success keeping them in communities, not everyone has such good results, and they certainly will nip slow-moving fish like livebearers, angels, and Corydoras. There are snail-eating cichlids of course (like Oscars) but hardly practical here! There are also snail-eating catfish, especially the Doradidae; Platydoras costatus is one popular example, but it's a fairly big fish (~15 cm) and not an ideal addition to the planted aquarium because of it. It will also eat very small fish, given the chance.> this is the tank that is getting heavily chewed, there was a bid spike in Ramshorns last week (well before that, but they were small-medium sized before I really saw how many there were) I observed them making a mass migration up the glass towards the top of the tank, I decided that this was bad, and possibly a sign of the tank fouling / about to foul. So I took a glass cleaner and a net and "harvested" about a golf ball sized mass of snails, probably several dozen, mostly juveniles. Anyway I changed 1/3 of the water and tested the levels the next day and everything was normal. <The art is using a trapping method on a regular basis. Eventually you'll get the population low enough that you can manually remove enough snails on sight that they won't ever become a problem.> I normally do 10 gallon water changes weekly on both tanks, but I think that the boom in snails was caused by too much nutrients in the system, so I've cut back on the feedings and added a mid week 5 gallon water change for both tanks. <Hmm... snails are more about rotting organic matter, like dead plant leaves and uneaten food, than the nutrient content of the water. Of course, eutrophic water conditions promotes the growth of algae, and that in turn feeds the snails.> I would really appreciate any recommendations that you have for either of my tanks... picking snails off of leaves is a tedious task to say the least! <Agreed! Puffers *do* work, and so potentially will loaches and the cats and cichlids. But whether the benefit returned by keeping them justifies any problems they create is up to you.> P.S. what is your opinion of Ramshorns in fry tanks? I have some in my fry tank and they do a great job of keeping things clean (it's a 10 gallon, no filter) but I have heard that they will try to eat small/sleeping fry, and I did have 1 disappear, though it was smaller and much paler than the rest, it may have kicked off for other reasons and just got scavenged'¦ <Snails are harmless in tanks with mobile fry, such as livebearers. What they're a threat to are fish eggs and "wrigglers" -- egg-layer fry that aren't mobile yet. Snails will of course eat dead/dying fry, but that's not really a problem.> Thanks again for all the help! ~Bryan <Hope that helps, Neale>
Re: German Blue Ram Compatibility 10/17/07 Hi Neale, <Bryan,> Any chance you know of a retailer stateside for the LimCollect? All of the retailers I can find are in the U.K., I did see some pictures of it, I think I could make one... <Hmm... it may be marketed under another name. I know they *are* sold in other places than the UK. For a start, I bought mine in Germany! Yes, you can make your own. Look up "lobster pot" and you're after something similar. A trap where the snails can crawl in but can't crawl out so easily.> So do you think that both of my tanks will be incompatible with any of the snail eaters out there? <Basically, snail-eaters tend to be tricky. The safest are the Doradidae catfish, things like Agamyxis and Platydoras spp. But they *will* eat very small (neons, livebearer fry) fish and potentially small shrimps. Other than that, they're harmless animals but very, very nocturnal. Also, they need to be hungry to eat snails (they'd sooner eat catfish pellets!).> I don't have any shrimp in the 36 gal, would a dwarf Botia work in there? Or would it harass the tetras? <Botia are unpredictable in community tanks. They're basically schooling but intensely hierarchical fish. When kept in very small groups their boisterousness spills over into chasing other fish (cf. Tiger barbs). But if kept in large (6+) groups, they tend to be more reliable. Even so, Botia (actually, a whole bunch of genera now) tend to be a bit on the pugnacious side, so work best with midwater fish able to handle themselves, either by being tough (like cichlids) or fast (like Silver Dollars).> And do you think a puffer might work in the 30? I've always wanted a puffer, but i just assumed they all needed at least 1.005. <There are both freshwater and brackish water puffers in the trade. None really make good community fish, but I'm currently keeping Colomesus asellus and Carinotetraodon irrubesco in my 180 litre community and both have largely behaved themselves very well.> The female Bettas are no pushovers, they're a pretty rowdy group, and I think the rainbows are fast enough to out run about anything... <Female Bettas will be picked to pieces by even well-behaved puffers. Puffers are a reasonable gamble with fast-moving tetras and other fish of that type (such as Bleeding Hearts, Glassfish, Tiger barbs, etc.). But anything slow and/or with long fins is an "all you can eat buffet" in the eyes of a pufferfish!> I've read that Oto's and the shrimp will be fine with dwarf puffers, but i wonder about the other two groups, if I were to revamp this tank and pull out the rainbows and Bettas what could I add with a puffer as far as midwater and surface fish? <Shrimps can be safe with Dwarf pufferfish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) but I wouldn't keep shrimps with anything larger than them. I've just fed my C. irrubesco a bunch of woodlice (terrestrial isopods) not much smaller than Amano shrimps, and they were crunched up instantly. Otocinclus can work with "peaceful" puffers because they're fast.> Thanks! <Cheers, Neale>
Re: German Blue Ram Compatibility -- 10/18/07 Hi Neale, Well I tried to construct a home made trap... i took an small empty hair gel tub and cut 4 snail sized square holes at equal distances, i din not cut the top of the hole, and i bent it in so it would form a sort of flap, i made sure it was bent back enough so that a snail could get in... i bated it with a few sinking wafers and left in in the tank overnight. i awoke to find no snails and the food exactly where i left it, untouched. i thought maybe the holes were too small to get the biggest snails, but they should have been plenty big enough for the medium sized ones. I left it in the tank, and we'll see what has transpired when i get home tonight, but so far the experiment has been very unsuccessful... <Hello Bryan. One popular design DIY design uses nothing more complex that a pair of saucers. Put one the normal way up on the sand. Add bait. Put the other saucer on top. Put a piece of gravel on the edge of the bottom saucer so that it lifts up the edge of the top saucer along one side of the trap. What you should have now is a narrow crack big enough for snails to get into, but too small for fish. In the morning, push out the stone, push the saucers together, and lift out the trap. In theory, lots of snails will be trapped and you can then dispose of them. Repeat each night for at least a couple of weeks. Another method uses a glass tumbler with a sheet of cellophane (e.g., Saran Wrap or Cling Film) fixed over the top with a rubber band. Make a small (5 mm or so) hole at one edge of the cellophane. Drop some bait into the glass. Place the glass on the bottom of the tank. Make sure the hole is at the level of the sand, so the snails can crawl in. In both cases, the idea here is the snails can get in but can't get out. That's why the hole needs to be level with the sand. But you also need to use something that won't trap fish, so measure the size of the hole carefully. While it's unlikely a small fish would die if it got caught inside either trap, it's still not worth risking. Hope this helps, Neale>

German blue rams comp. -- 08/27/07 Hi, I just have a quick question. I have a 29 gallon aquarium with 3 serpae tetras, 1 Pleco, and 1 African cichlid (at least I think it's an African, I found him in with the feeder goldfish we sell at the petstore where I work; he must have somehow got mixed in with them at the breeders', because we don't sell any that look like him). Anyway, so my question is, would it be ok to put a few German Blue Rams in with these fish? I know the Serpaes are a little aggressive, I had to move them out of my 38 gallon tetra tank because they were picking on all the other fish. Also, how many would you recommend for a 29 gallon? I was thinking maybe 4 or 5 of them. By the way, I love your website, and read it whenever I want to learn more about a species! Thanks for all your help! Sarah <Hello Sarah. Absolutely NO! You cannot put German rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi) into this aquarium for oh so many reasons. To start with, African cichlids (by which I assume you mean some type of Mbuna, like Pseudotropheus zebra) will hammer rams to death. Secondly, Serpae tetras are fin- and scale-parasites in the wild, and in aquaria spend most of their time nipping at other fish. It's what they do, and you can't stop them. While this isn't a problem when they're kept with fast fish like danios, with anything as dozy as a ram, you're asking for trouble. Nipped fins become infected, and then you have to deal with Finrot and fungus. Finally, Microgeophagus ramirezi needs entirely different water conditions to African cichlids. Microgeophagus ramirezi will only thrive in water that is above average in temperature (28 C being about right) and soft (below 10 degrees GH) and acidic (around pH 6). Anything else, and the they are disease-prone and short-lived. Mbuna cichlids need moderate temperatures (25 C is fine) and hard (20 degrees GH upwards) and alkaline (pH 8) water. Anything else, and they are disease-prone and short-lived. See the problem? In short, a pair of Microgeophagus ramirezi (or maybe a trio, one boy, two girls) in the 29 gallon tank with a school of upper-level peaceful characins such as Hatchetfish would be about right. Cardinal and neon tetras also work well, too. Don't make the common mistake of keeping them with Corydoras though: not only are the common Corydoras species intolerant of high temperatures, Microgeophagus ramirezi are too aggressive when spawning and have been known to bite the eyes off the poor little catfish! If you must keep a catfish with Microgeophagus ramirezi (and don't mind the catfish eating their eggs!) then opt for something like an Ancistrus catfish or even a small Synodontis like S. nigriventris. I hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

Gold Rams, comp., beh. 4/8/07 Hi People, <Ruth> Firstly I would just like to thank you for your great site. I've got a 60l tank (about 2 months old) with 3 Peppered Corys, 2 Schwartz Corys, 4 Longfin Leopard Danios and a pair of Gold Rams. The tank is well planted with live plants, plenty of bogwood and a rock cave. <Sounds very nice> Everything was great until about a week ago when the female ram started bullying the Corys at feeding times only. <Mmm, unusual... unless... they're reproducing...> The Rams aren't timid in any way and she only chases them if they run away, typical bully! I thought maybe they were trying to spawn so added a flat piece of slate at the bottom for them but nothing happened. Then I added the 4 Danios as ditherfish, <Good idea> funny thing is she seems to like them and doesn't bother them at all and even swims around with them. Is she just hungry? Or territorial because she and the Corys both eat at the bottom? <Perhaps a bit of both> She only fights over catfish pellets not frozen or flake food. I always sit and watch them eat and she eats like a pig and doesn't look pinched. Is my tank too full? <Is near a "psychological" limit here> Will the Corys manage with a bit of chasing at meal times (I'm 99% certain it doesn't happen at any other times) or would it be better to get rid of the rams? Thanks very much, Ruth <I do think all should be fine here... The Corydoras/Callichthyids are quite armored... and the Rams know this... I might try feeding at both ends of this tank simultaneously... Please do read (on WWM, fishbase.org, elsewhere) re the water quality of Microgeophagus... perhaps lowering water temperature will reduce the agonistic behavior. Bob Fenner>

Aggressive Ram Cichlid -- 3/28/07 Hello, I asked a question a while ago about why my ram was so shy. Now, he is much less shy, being out in the tank more and not being afraid of me being near the tank. He has been much confident with swimming around, and he has even looked much more colorful than he has before, especially the bright blue spots. However, he is not very nice to my other fish. He looks like an aggressive monster, something I haven't seen before, but only with the Corys. He would just chase the Corys around the bottom of the tank because that is where he would hang. Then I noticed he started to chase the hatchets, something I never noticed. Two days ago I added 2 bleeding heart tetra, and right when they entered he chased them. Now today I looked at all my fish and they seem normal. The tetras are swimming around, and do not seemed real stressed. Of course the ram is still chasing everyone around. Sometimes it will be a nudge or bluff, others it will be a full fledge chase around the tank. He would even chase my hatchet into the side of the tank and cause him to jump out of the water. It was worse when feeding. All of the fish were eating and every second the ram was chasing a different fish. Now I am not sure what to do. I thought rams were peaceful, or peaceful compared to their cichlid siblings. I literally can sit at the tank for 10 minutes and see him chase each fish at least once. What should I do? Is there a way to lessen the aggression? Should I get rid of him? Get him a mate? Advice appreciated. By the way. Here is tank info. 15 gallons eclipse system. 2 Amazon sword plants. 2 fake driftwood rocks. 1 German Blue ram. 2 Silver hatchets. 3 nanus orange Corys, 2 bleeding heart tetra. I got nitrates down to 5, before adding the tetras. Nitrates would increase slowly after a couple weeks of not changing water. Now I perform at least a 3 gallon change each week. Thanks, Joe <Your ram is a dwarf cichlid from South America. All cichlids are territorial to some degree. What you are seeing is normal ram cichlid behavior. He is simply pushing all the other fish out of his territory. The bigger his territory the more food he has for himself and the better chance of attracting a mate to his area.-Chuck>

Temperature Range - Metynnis and Rams? - 09/30/2006 Hello y'all, <Hi. My apologies for the delay in reply; I've been out, and your email came to us in a format that unfortunately our Webmail system had some trouble with, and I am one of the only folks able to respond to it.> First of all, thanks as usual for your maintenance of a wonderfully informative site. <Thank you very much for these kind words.> (I recently wrote my comprehensive exams for a PhD in education, and cited this site as a great example of a constructivist learning environment. So thanks for your contribution to my degree as well.) <This is high praise indeed - thank you again.> I would like to keep Metynnis hypsauchen and Microgeophagus ramirezi together in a 150 gallon system. <Maybe possible in this size system, given enough plants and hiding spaces.... but do keep in mind that the rapid schooling and darting about of the Metynnis may be stressful to the shy rams. This is something I, personally, wouldn't try, but I imagine it can be done with success in as large a system as this.> My plan is to keep the temp at about 80-81Â° F, as this seems to be at the upper limit of the silver dollars and the lower limit of the rams. <The rams can go lower if you don't intend to breed. Warmer would be preferable for them, but I'm rather concerned about the warm water making the Metynnis even MORE quick and spazzy.> However, I'm concerned that much of the literature about rams stresses that they're delicate, and happier at temps around 85. <Indeed. But I would not bring the Metynnis to this temperature.> Should I: a) go with the "intersection" temp of 80-81 b) keep the temp higher, on the theory that the silver dollars are more tolerant of out-of-range temps than the rams c) not keep the two species together? <.... I would choose "C". But again, that's just me.> Thanks again for your help and patience. <And you, again, for your kind words and consideration!> Melinda Johansson <All the best to you, -Sabrina>

Cory's With Rams 4/27/06 Good Morning~ I've been at my aquarium hobby for about 6 months...learning a lot from this great site/people and really appreciate it! I've spotted a dwarf ram that I'm interested in and have a couple questions. The LFS has their temperature with these fish at 84 degrees...I've gotten my 12gal tank up to that temp....my tank was down for a while...bio-wheel.. have added dirty filter water & dirty gravel...about a week ago...will it be okay to put about 3 or 4 rams here?....should I purchase a few danios/barbs at the same time to put in with them - or just the rams by themselves? < Either way would be fine.> (I'm planning to have a 20gal free in a couple weeks and intend to move them to that) Also, I really like Corys and wonder if any particular one is okay with the higher temperature? < Most Cory's can handle the elevated water temps. Some cannot but these are usually rare and expensive. Check out the Cory's at Planetcatfish.com if you are interested in a particular species.-Chuck> Thanks Again, Judy

Re: Rams With Other Fish 5/21/06 Chuck, thanks for the reply. Talking about a forty gallon breeder, can Corys be kept with Rams? I've read Rams will pick out Corys' eyes when breeding if kept in too small a tank. Also for a forty gallon what is a good stocking level for Rams, cardinals and Corys (if they can be kept safely with Rams). Thanks a bunch! M < Rams, like many cichlids occupy the lower areas of the tank. Cory's compete with them for food. They will chase the Cory's away and may try to attack an eye. In a 40 gallon the catfish will learn to stay away from the rams. Go with 20 cardinals, 6 rams and 6 Cory's.-Chuck>

Kribensis, Ram query... Corydoras comp. 4/21/06 Hi Crew, <Jeff> I hope all is well wherever you all are. Winter finally broke last week here in Edmonton, Canada. <Thank goodness... my cold tolerance (and no preference) is "out the window" with advancing age> Anyway, I have a reef invert question and a freshwater question. <Okay> Reef - I recently added a frogspawn with three heads and a small xenia about 4 days ago. Both appear to be doing very well, the xenia is showing full movement (pulsing) and the frogspawn is still colourful and opens up very nicely during lighting hours. My system is a 29 gal with 130w of PC (10k & Actinic). Firstly, how often do I feed each species (Reefroids for xenia & Mysis for other). <3-4 times a week> Secondly, I have the frogspawn in the middle of the setup about 10 inches below the lights and set on my LR. Is it better to have it as low as I can and in the substrate? <Mmm, I would keep this Euphylliid off the bottom. See WWM re> I am letting the xenia tell me where it wants to be. <Good... just do keep it confined> Freshwater - I recently upgraded a 7 gal bowfront to a 25 gal tank. I had 4 Cory cats (5-6 years old each) and are very fond of them. I just added a male and female Krib to the tank 5 days ago. I had not recently read up on the fish, just remembered that I thought they would be interesting and hardy. They are particularly beautiful specimens, but I am embarrassed to say that I didn't realize that they were bottom dwellers and would take nips out of my Corys. <Too likely, yes> My question is can I replace them with rams (tank bred) and have the Corys left alone? <Yes... a much better choice> If it is ok, I saw some very small and very red shrimp that would be neat to have, they are about 1/3 the size of my algae eating shrimp I have (2 only), would the rams bother the new small red shrimp. <Not likely> The shrimp remind me of camel backed shrimp for marine. Thank you again for your time, Jeff Morgan <Morgan: "Man of the sea"... Bob Fenner>

Blue/Gold Rams Dear Mr. Fenner, <Adam> My name is Adam and I had some questions about rams. First off I have a 125 gal. tank @ 78 F with a few large iridescent sharks, African butterfly fish, hi-fin bullsharks, Redtail and rainbow sharks, silver dollars, black ghost knife, and a few common Plecos. I just today did a water test to find that I have a ph of 8.4, very hard water and 200+ ppm of nitrate. <Yikes... the hardness not a concern for your minnow shark species... but the Dollars, Plecos and Rams prefer much softer. I'd be checking your nitrate test kit... 200 ppm is about ten times past toxic.> I just need to know what the best way is/are to fix all the problems I have with the water spec.s as applied to the preferences of blue and gold rams. <Better to keep them in a tank without the more "outgoing" species above... and to start with cleaner source water... likely from a reverse osmosis device, though you could use an in-line treatment tool... and then to treat this water either with peat, a chemical prep., or with a system with live plants... before using> What kind of live plants are good for rams and their ideal water conditions? <Others found in the same habitat, that enjoy soft, acidic, warm water... the specifics of the more readily available aquarium plants are listed on www.WetWebMedia.com> Will Amazon sword work? <Yes> How do peat granules in the filter work and are there any side effects to the water? <The humic acids, other organics that are the peat counteract, neutralize carbonates... do effect the water... making it softer, more acidic, often yellow to light-brown in color> If I use a co2 fertilization system will that also effect my water quality, and is this a good idea? <Will, and yes... will lower pH, hardness, boost plant growth> Is there a difference in hardiness between blue and gold rams? <Sometimes yes... either can be hardier or not... depending on source (the "German" Blue Rams are very tough for instance, but the ones out of the orient often die easily)> And lastly, can the fish I listed above handle all the water conditions needed to keep healthy rams? If not, just say so, I would love to have rams in my tank but if I can't so be it. <Better to NOT mix all the fishes you list above together... at least two different tanks would be best... with one being for more outgoing, hard and alkaline, cooler water... the other for easier going, soft, acidic, warmer water. Bob Fenner> Thank you so much for your time, Adam Staude

What Goes With Rams? Hey. I'm getting a tank of about 20-30 gallons size. and I definitely want to keep at least 2 ram cichlids and about 4 Corydoras catfish. Any other suggestions of fish? Maybe other cichlids, or a shoal of tetras? < Any school of tetras, Rasboras or danios would be fine as long as they don't get any bigger than two inches. Other dwarf cichlids like Nannacara anomala, Laetacara Curviceps or Apistogramma species would also work well.> For the rams and catfish what sort of live plants can you suggest? < Stay away from most stem plants unless you plan on adding CO2. Amazon swords and many Cryptocoryne species would work well.> I also want to put rocks in my new tank. If I buy them out of water from a shop, do I need to soak them in water and for how long? < Rocks that are suitable for the aquarium need to be rinsed well to remove any dust particles that may have accumulated on them. Then they can be placed in the aquarium right away.-Chuck> Thank you. James

Re: Edit: Ram question Edit: I also forgot to ask if I would need to get more than one; I wanted a ram as an ornamental fish but had no intentions on breeding. Do they prefer more of their kind? Which sex would you recommend for a non-breeding tank? <Is better to have more than one... is a social species... A male and female are best, but two or more males or females can/will do. Bob Fenner>

Stocking a 10g Freshwater Tank - 07/12/2005 Hello, <Hi!> I have a ten gallon tank with one Ram, five guppies and one Cory. Whenever I look at the tank it seems really empty, and I was wondering if I could get one or two more Rams or maybe a Krib... <I would not. In such a tiny space, should you end up with two male rams (ore even a male ram and a male Krib), they will likely harm each other for territory, and should you end up with a male and a female ram, and they choose to breed, they can and likely will make very short work of your other fish. I would really advise against making this addition.> On a forum I heard about a person having four Rams in one tank, of course that would be too many, but two or three.... <Do keep in mind that these ARE cichlids, however timid, and DO have cichlid tendencies when breeding or staking out territories.... A m/f pair in a 10g tank with no other fish would likely breed and could do quite well, but any other fish - other rams included - could be damaged or killed. A ten gallon tank just doesn't offer the space they'd need to establish multiple territories. It might work out for a few months, but ultimately, harm will probably come of it.> Thanks for your time! <You bet. Sorry to put a damper on it - BUT - another consideration for yah.... Corys are very serious schoolers, and tend to be much more active and "cheerful" when in groups of at least three.... I would recommend adding a couple of the same species of Cory to perk up your pal and make your tank more active and "full" seeming. I will caution you, however, that this may be somewhat taxing on the stocking of your tank; test very often for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate for the first few weeks after adding the Corys (if you choose to add them). Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero, and nitrate less than 20ppm.> Christine <Wishing you and your fishes well, -Sabrina>

More about Christine's Ten Gallon and Ram/s 7/12/05 Hey Crew! <Christine> My name is Christine, and I have recently bought one Ram and a couple of fancy guppies. <Mmm, the Ram may chew on the guppies tails...> I've put them in a 10 gal. and then found out more about Rams on your site. From what I could gain, Rams would prefer more company with their own kind... Should I get another Ram? I also have a Cory in the 10 gal. Also, the average pH in the tank is 7.0, is this ok for the Ram? <Should be fine> And would a temperature of 78 degrees work, or is it too low? <Would be better a bit higher, but the guppies prefer the water to be where it is... or cooler> Your web site is great! Christine <I would go ahead with the addition of the new Ram, and make a plan for moving the guppies. Bob Fenner>

Revisiting the Ram - 07/12/2005 Hello! <Hi, again! Sabrina here....> I have a 10 gallon tank with 5 guppies, 1 Cory and one ram. I have had this ram for only one day, and it's not eating. <One day.... If by this you mean you got it earlier today, I would not be concerned about it not eating. If you got it yesterday, it might be a different story. Be sure to offer a variety of tasty foods, and keep in mind if the ram is large enough, or the guppies small enough, if you don't get food in him soon, he may be looking at those guppies and licking his lips pretty soon. Rams are timid, but cichlids nonetheless.> I think it is still a little bit in shock, but I just want to be sure. Also, I want the Ram to have the best colors and I would like to know what would be the best food to give it... I have flakes and dried bloodworms, but what else? <I would try high-quality frozen foods, or failing all else, I would try live foods.... never Tubificid worms (Tubifex, blackworms), but live bloodworms, mosquito larvae, or brine shrimp are an option, if he refuses to eat over the next few days. Once you get *something* in him, it'll be easier to get him to eat other foods. Also, as timid and shy as rams are, be certain that there is plenty of cover and lots of good hiding spots for him, so he'll feel safer in coming out to eat. If he's scared, he may just refuse to eat and may even starve.> Thanks a ton! Christine <You bet. Good luck with your fishes, -Sabrina>

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