Blue ram tank mates

[Zante]

I'm setting up a Rio 125 for two pairs of GBRs, and I'm looking to get some dither fish.

If I was housing discus I'd make a beeline for rummynose tetras, but I'm not too familiar with smaller schooling fish. I'm currently looking at ember tetras, but I'm open to suggestions.

I want to have small fish, so that I can have a larger number but still have a low bioload, I want this tank to be a bit understocked. Of course boraras are out of the question, since they're small enough to be eaten by the rams, but they'd be otherwise ideal.

 

[Essjay]

They are slightly bigger than ember tetras, but how about dwarf pencilfish, Nannostomus marginatus? The only problem is that rams' preferred temperature is right at the top of the pencilfish range.

 

[Zante]

Had considered them, but small size and schooling behaviour are quite important factors for my choice (not forgetting temperature, of course)

 

[thrujenseyes]

how about endlers?
Super pretty little fish that are very active and use up every inch of the tank.
Fun to watch!

Oh....they may be too small?!

 

[Essjay]

The problem with endlers is that they are hard water fish while rams are soft water fish.

 

[Byron]

As essjay mentioned, the high temperature requirement of the rams is what makes it difficult to select dither fish. Assuming you want them to spawn successfully (meaning, fry surviving), avoid any catfish. I have had whole clutches of eggs and entire shoals of fry consumed within seconds by a couple of cories, but any catfish being nocturnal will manage this. But sometimes during the day as well.

Along with the temperature, you want to stay with sedate fish rather than active swimmers as the latter can annoy cichlids. Cardinal tetra (Parachierodon axelrodi) and the very similar false or green neon (P. simulans) should work.

Pencilfish are good dither fish, but temperature has to be watched. Nannostomus marginatus likes it a tad lower than the rams, but the similar and extremely beautiful Coral Red Pencilfish, N. mortenthaleri, would be nice. N. eques is less colourful but adds interest with its permanent diagonal posture, and it remains in the upper third of the tank. Both of these should be OK with 80F/27C.

Hatchetfish of the Carnegiella genus should be OK temp wise if you don't go above 80F/27C. Carnegiella strigata (marble) or C. marthae; among the larger species in Gasteropelecus or Thoracocharax the beautiful Platinum Hatchet, T. stellatus, loves warm water, up to 30F/86F. I acquired a group of these a few years ago, and they are lovely fish, and interact much more than the species in Carnegiella.

Byron.

 

[Zante]

Hi Byron,

I probably should specify that this started out being a species tank for rams, so no other fish were planned. Although this wasn't supposed to be a breeding project any fry would have been safe from predators through their absence.

I decided to add dither fish more for the benefit of the rams than anything else, but once this decision was taken, I decided also that I wanted something very numerous and very small that would school. As I said in the OP, had it been discus I would have gone for rummynose tetras, that is more or less the proportion I'd like to keep, barring fish so tiny they'd get eaten, of course.

As far as I've researched ember tetras would be ideal for this, but I've never kept them, and I'm always second guessing myself, so I decided to ask what else is out there, just in case there was something that matched my requirements even better.
As I said above, I'd even go for boraras if I wasn't afraid they'd get eaten to oblivion!

I had thought of cardinals, but I like to see my tetras swim, and I get the feeling that they are too big and I'd be able to stock too few to really enjoy them. A 1200 litre tank is on its way for fish of that size (and more of course)

My problem with hatchetfish is that with the plastic frame of the tank I'd never see them, as they always hang around the very top of the tank, and they are way too big for my requirements.
Also, and I should have mentioned this, I might remove the lid to improve the lighting as I'm considering some fairly demanding plants (Although for the moment I have two crypts and an anubias). Any fish as jumpy as hatchets would remove this option.

I will look into the others you've suggested.

 

[Byron]

I did not have the tank size in mind when suggesting fish previously, sorry for that. Some of what I suggested might not be so good in a smaller tank.

 

[thrujenseyes]

The problem with endlers is that they are hard water fish while rams are soft water fish.

Oh goodness...I always thought rams were hard water! Learn something new everyday!

 

[Byron]

Oh goodness...I always thought rams were hard water! Learn something new everyday!

All South American and Central African cichlids are soft water (I cannot recall an exception, doesn't mean there may not be one). All Central American are soft to moderately hard. There are limits to the hardness. And all African rift lake cichlids are moderately hard to hard water.

 

[thrujenseyes]

All South American and Central African cichlids are soft water (I cannot recall an exception, doesn't mean there may not be one). All Central American are soft to moderately hard. There are limits to the hardness. And all African rift lake cichlids are moderately hard to hard water.

I think I always lumped all cichlids together, thinking they were all hard.
I always thought cichlids lived in brackish water....which I assumed meant it was hard.
I should know by now, to never assume anything when it comes to fish!