Ascertain that the substrate and decoration you use in the tank do not leech and impact the PH. Ramirezi is known as one of the best types of cichlid fishes for those who decided to try to keep this kind of fish in a tank. When you’re ready to turn your current, well-established fish tank into a Ram cichlid tank, you’ll need to verify that everything is ready for blue ram cichlid compatibility. Any non-fish residents you keep in the tank should not be small enough to be eaten by the ram cichlids. Ram Cichlid Care and Maintenance. They require a peaceful setup as they will get stressed with aggressive tank mates. Twitter. The fins are red or yellow with blue lines that are nearly transparent, and a black dorsal fin. These cichlids is very peaceful, at bottom it’s one of few cichlids which can live in community tank with such small fishes tank mates as neons or guppies. Wild types will often display richer colors than those in captivity. The fry will develop in a dense school and will accompany its parents when foraging. Ram Cichlids: Characteristics, types, care and more… Today we are talking about a just stunning type of fish for our aquarium that comes from South America: the ram cichlids or (Papiliochromis Ramirezi or Microgeophagus ramirezi), which are a really must have for any aquarium Choose the substrate thoughtfully. German Blue Ram - Care information, recommendations and advice on health, diet, compatibility, breeding from the members of fishkeeping.co.uk Caresheets - German Blue Ram (Butterfly Cichlid, GBR) - Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. AquariumNexus.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Ram cichlids and guppies are common aquatic pets, and you may be wondering if you…. You also need to provide your ram cichlid with the proper plant coverage while leaving loads of space for swimming. The Bolivian ram cichlid is a colorful and unique fish with the added bonus of a peaceful disposition and a manageable size. Ram cichlids are omnivores, and they need a varied diet of plants and meat. Sergey is a founder and author of Meethepet.com. This family is very popular in the aquarium trade and includes fish such as Angelfish, Oscars … This page may contain affiliate links, which will earn us a commission. Ram cichlids are not a good beginner fish, primarily because they are very sensitive to organic waste and other pollutants. So, it will ignore the large shrimps, but the small ones will be treated as feed. In a tank the fish can eat all types of live and frozen feed – blood worm, tubifex, brine shrimp. His favorite aquariums are biotopes (Amazon River),  with Echinodorus and Angelfish. If you want to have several males, divide the tank into several territories and provide hiding spaces. There are more susceptible to illnesses when stressed, and long periods of stress will weaken the immune system of your cichlids. Ram cichlids are quite hard to sex, and established couples are expensive as a result. If they continue to prey on their fry, it can be a sign of stress in the tank. Although in nature body length reaches about 7 cm. A male and female cichlid will not generally mate in your tank. The fish areal is quite wide and it includes North and North-East Bolivia as well as Brazilian state Mato Grosso.The fish dwells in river tributaries, backwaters and lakes with sandy and muddy bottom; usually it prefers shallow and slow waters with lots of snags and luxuriant vegetation. Usually about one third from the total amount can’t make it to the stage which can be called marketable (the body length is about 2 cm). Ram Cichlids – Care, Tank Mates, Feeding, Breeding. By debcc, 5 years ago. The ich fry has a big umbilical vesicle due to which it feeds for the next 5-7 days. Tank Setup. There are many types of ram cichlids but all come from the same cichlidae family. The father Ram Cichlid will house the fry in his mouth if there are signs of danger or safe transport is required. Like other cichlid species, the ram cichlids appreciate hiding spaces in a tank. Try and mimic the community tank in the breeding tank to reduce the adaption time on the part of the cichlids, and you can use the same substrate and decorations. Special care should be taken to ensure that the newborn fry are not swept into the filter. They will create a family group and lay around 150 to 200 eggs. They belong to the Cichlidae family which is they largest group of freshwater fish. Different species of dwarf cichlids have very different care requirements. Dense background and carpet plants will leave adequate spaces for the fish to swim since they are active swimmers. The 2nd difficulty is that the eggs are significantly sensible to bacterial and fungic damage. Include baby brine shrimp when they reach a week-old. Water layer can be not thick – 8-10 cm, since in the wild fish spawn only in fleet water. Male butterfly cichlid has more spiniform dorsal and the male is lagger than female (about 5cm in length). You should count 10 gallons for every ram cichlid. Adding leaves to the tank’s bottom will also create a wild aesthetic in the aquarium. They will take two to three days to adapt to the conditions of the mating pond, after which breeding will unfold. They’re a peaceful freshwater fish that can get along with others without any issues. Since the electric blue ram is a type of ram cichlid, your safest bet is to provide it with an environment similar to the habitat of its wild ancestors. This practice will also preserve the water quality for longer. Read more…. The eggs deprived from adult treatment get covered with byssus (saprolegniosis) and they die. Ram cichlids need suitable water parameters and an omnivorous diet to thrive in any setup. Water temperature: 72°F to 79°F. To start, stick with the parameters below. He’s been fond of aquarium husbandry since his early childhood. Besides, these tiny cichlids can’t be called healthy. They are isn’t demanding as for the water parameters and it adapts well, but it’s sensitive to abrupt water parameters change. The process itself was discussed in details above. Ram cichlids (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) make popular alternatives for aquarists who love cichlids but don’t have a lot of tank space. It is effortless to distinguish the males from female German Blue Rams. In addition to tuberculosis, the cichlids can also contract Costia Disease and infestations by flatworms and tapeworms. By the way, if you have bought a couple of cichlids it doesn’t mean at all that they will breed. If you have intention to keep several couples then the tank has to be spacious and have covers, since the fish just like all cichlids sticks to its territory. Give them two to five small pinches of meals several times daily, instead of giving a lot of food at once. George S. Myers and R. R. Harry (1948) originally described the species as Apistogramma ramirezi , though the species was later moved to and from various genera, including: Microgeophagus , Papiliochromis , Pseudoapistogramma , and Pseudogeophagus . You can start feeding the fry with infusoria and microforms. Don’t remove it from the substrate not to damage its tiny shell. The German Blue Ram is known for its mottled deep blue splotches of color. Ram cichlids are not easy pets to keep, and most aquarists report their death soon after purchase. African Dwarf Cichlids. Care Level: Beginner Temperament: Peaceful Color Form: Colorful Lifespan: 4 years Size: 3.5 inches Diet: Omnivore Family: Cichlidae Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons Tank Set-Up: Freshwater Compatibility: Other peaceful freshwater fish. Equip your tank with flat stones for the cichlids to use as breeding sites. It’s undesirable to use frozen and dry feed, since it can lead to pulp occurrence. The male will mostly take control of the fry, and he will take them into his mouth to “clean” them once they begin to swim. The flakes should sink since they are bottom-dwelling fish. Ram cichlids will typically refuse to eat as they settle in a new tank. Juveniles start their coloring during the 3rd month of their life, but they get maximum color not earlier than being 90-100 days old. Add some plants and vegetables in their diet. Please sign in. All are perfectly suited to the home aquarium. On the other hand, one can’t make conclusions as for any regularity basing only on one experiment. 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