Is My Tank Suitable For A Pair Of Rams?

It has been quite a while since I logged into here last!
My tank has now been up and running for around 3 years, with some of the original fish still swimming.

It seems to be looking a bit bare right now so I'm hoping to introduce something a little bit more special than the usual tetra. I really like the look of rams (particularly electric blue or german blue) but admittedly I don't know much about them.

This is my tank at the minute -



I currently have -
13 neon tetra
5 cherry barbs (2 male, 3 female)
2 black neon tetra
1 bristlenose plec

It's a 96 litre tank with artificial plants, mopani and driftwood, small gravel substrate, airstone in the middle. All the water readings have been fine pretty much since we cycled it 3 years or so ago.
We've had a few fish die on us, as expected - some honey gourami and a dwarf gourami, as well as a handful of tetra we've lost on the way.

Would rams be happy in this tank (I was hoping for a pair), or can you suggest something else more suited to what we already have?
Thanks

purplekaz said:

It has been quite a while since I logged into here last!
My tank has now been up and running for around 3 years, with some of the original fish still swimming.

It seems to be looking a bit bare right now so I'm hoping to introduce something a little bit more special than the usual tetra. I really like the look of rams (particularly electric blue or german blue) but admittedly I don't know much about them.

This is my tank at the minute -


I currently have -
13 neon tetra
5 cherry barbs (2 male, 3 female)
2 black neon tetra
1 bristlenose plec

It's a 96 litre tank with artificial plants, mopani and driftwood, small gravel substrate, airstone in the middle. All the water readings have been fine pretty much since we cycled it 3 years or so ago.
We've had a few fish die on us, as expected - some honey gourami and a dwarf gourami, as well as a handful of tetra we've lost on the way.

Would rams be happy in this tank (I was hoping for a pair), or can you suggest something else more suited to what we already have?
Thanks

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a pair of rams could live quite happily in there in my opinion.

A word of warning on the blue/gold rams. They are known to be particularly delicate and require soft water that is well maintained (dont slack on the water changes!) to thrive/survive. The alternative is the Bolivain Ram - not quite as colourful but much more forgiving in terms of water parameters and quality.

Thank you

I'm not so hot on the water changes, admittedly, but thankfully the current fish are quite forgiving. Oh and the 2 shrimp who are very entertaining to watch!

My other half is heading to the aquatics shop right now to see what they have.

Other half just rang from outside the shop.
He has bought a pair of 'rams'
He said the label was just a generic 'rams' on the tank, so we'll see what we've got when he gets home!
They did have gold rams too, and bolivian rams, but he prefered these 'rams'. His description was very vague and involved some kind of dark stripes on the side

hmm will be intresting to see what uve got! pics please hehe

FishAreFriendsNotFood10 said:

hmm will be intresting to see what uve got! pics please hehe

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I think we have Bolivians?

Apparently the electric blue won't be in stock for another two weeks and they'll be £25 each!

The ones we have look very pretty, but a lot smaller than I expected. Smaller than our 3 year old black neon, bless em

wow they are very pretty i cudnt tell u what they are though... i was about a 1ft away from something labeled "bolivian/royal ram" in my LFS about 30mins ago and they definitly didnt have those colours they wer just light brown with abit o black striping.

well done on the purchase though

They're not bolivian (i dont think?)
They look kinda similair to my Long-fin Mikrogeophagus ramirezi also known as angel rams?
but i'm prob wrong here lol.. as i'm no expert with rams, i just know they're cool lol.

Proxo said:

They're not bolivian (i dont think?)
They look kinda similair to my Long-fin Mikrogeophagus ramirezi also known as angel rams?
but i'm prob wrong here lol.. as i'm no expert with rams, i just know they're cool lol.

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Thanks. I'll try to get a better picture and do an ID post.

They are the normal, wild type ram, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi; those stripes are just 'stress bars' and will disappear when they've settled in

As was said previously, rams are sensitive and do need good, regular water changes and generally do better in a lower ph.

I know you probably don`t want to hear this but I personally would advise the return of those rams and a swap for the Bolivian rams. The Bolivians are a lot hardier and are just as entertaining

fluttermoth said:

They are the normal, wild type ram, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi; those stripes are just 'stress bars' and will disappear when they've settled in

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Oh thank you
Well they're certainly not shy. They've introduced themselves to the neons and are now exploring the rest of their new home. They seem quite amused by the bubbles.

Don't worry, I'll keep on top of the water changes

purplekaz said:

fluttermoth said:

They are the normal, wild type ram, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi; those stripes are just 'stress bars' and will disappear when they've settled in

Click to expand...

Oh thank you
Well they're certainly not shy. They've introduced themselves to the neons and are now exploring the rest of their new home. They seem quite amused by the bubbles.

Don't worry, I'll keep on top of the water changes

Click to expand...

Told ya i was prob wrong ..
They're very nice rams and once u see there color come out more you'll prob end up keeping the water changes going to keep them happy for that color