Rams

[Crystal]

What would be the best tank size for a pair of blue rams? I have fallen in love with them, and started doing some research, but I find it is better to talk to people that have them. Thanks!! I don't intend on keeping them with anything else, except perhaps if they are compatible with a scavanger.

thank you!

 

[Aussie_Star]

well done, i wouldnt give them in any thing smaller then a 2ft setup about 15 gallons .... i want blue rams so bad, but cant find anywhere to get them

 

[Crystal]

I am having a hard time finding them here as well, but I am hoping I hit it lucky once my tank is fully cycled (if that is what I am going to go with)

What is the best habitat for them, other than a lot of plants? sand or gravel? any larger rocks? Thank you again.

 

[parker313]

The ideal setup for a pair of rams would probably be 15g. 10 is doable, but more is better. I would do a sand substrate with both rock caves and plants. Lots of caves - even if they don't hide a lot, they like to have the options.

Bottom feeders - I would actually be careful, especially with Cories. If your rams decide to start spawning they could do some real damage to any "investigators". If you decide to keep other fish with them, higher living tetras or danios would be a good choice.

 

[Crystal]

thanks for the info. I saw some blue rams at one of the lfs (one of two that I will actually buy from) and they are just beautiful. I am waiting until I have a larger tank though, I don't want to subject my rams to a small tank.

 

[AmberC]

Aww too bad! I just gave all my fry to my lfs (a friend of mine) who will give me a discount next time I'm shopping in there lol

The advice given is all good but personally I would not keep anything but otos with them just because if they spawn, the babies WILL be eaten, even by tetras. (Unless you dont want fry)

 

[Crystal]

Thanks Amber. I don;t want to keep them with anything really, unless they are compaitble with bottom feeders/scavangers. If they are not, then it will be just the two of them.

 

[AmberC]

Oh they are compatible with bottom feeders. I've kept them with cory cats and kuhli loaches, but the bottom feeders seem to know the minute they are done spawning and will rush in and eat all the eggs. Its a yummy treat for the cories, but if you want the fry... doesn't work out so well for you

 

[Elite]

My rams get along with EVERYTHING...it's just that the other fish don't like them (convicts). They're fine with cories, kuhlis, yoyos even, striatas, tetras. That's one of my favorite things aboutt hem...you can keep them with other peaceful fish. And yeah, suggested size is 15, although mine are in a 29 gal. I never like giving my fish the minimum (my poor common pleco is still waiting till I'm rich enough to buy his tank).

Make sure the tank is full of drift wood and rocks, and heavily planted if you want. Rams look best with blue backrounds and black gravel, IMO. Hope you can afford a new tank soon! Have you ever looked into used tanks? MUCH better deals. 3/5 of my tanks are used, and you really can't tell the difference.

 

[AmberC]

lol... mine are in a 55 gallon

 

[lilaliend]

Mine are pretty hardy little guys. I had them in a 10 gl tank with 5 gold tetras and a tiny red flame gourami. I had a whole bunch of cabomba in half of it. I was keeping them there temporarily till I got my big 75 gl. ready for them. It currently had 16 tiger barbs that would have surely killed them, but also had pretty hard water.
Since this weekend though I've given the barbs away, changed the water, and they're now in the big 75gl tank with their other tank mates, along with 5 pretty large blue gourami's. They all seem to be doing very well. The rams are pretty brave little guys and come up to the glass when I walk buy asking for food. They don't seem to be intimidated by the large gourami's at all and swim right along with them. The tanks pretty lush with swords, Cabomba, and Anarchis, with a few caves and things for em. They like swimming around though and I see them out in the open space quite often. I plan on getting some bottom feeders pretty soon, but I want to change the gravel to sand... which will be a pain.

So yeah... pretty hardy little guys (aside from what most info sites will tell you), get along with most fish, and do like lush tanks with places to hide. They did well for the first month in the 10 gallon as well... but I would got a bit bigger.

 

[ramesses]

Good thing you are doing is asking the "real" experts and not reading old books.I mean.....don't get me wrong,but many of the info. on rams are based on the wild ones,and really....who got wild varieties nowdays?
Like somebody said,they aren't as weak and troublesome to keep as many books wil tell you.
Mine for instance started spawning three days after I bought them,and I know I'm not the only one who had that experience.
Just keep the H2O in good condition,feed them healthy and you will see they'll grow up and have happy lives.
Something I will promise is that you'll never grow bored with them,I mean they're cichlids after all and something they do not suffer from is lack of personality.