Ok, getting my fish tomorrow, is this a good stocking and are they all compatible?


2 x Blue Rams
2 x Kribensis
7 x Purple Emporer Tetra
5 x Cardinal Tetra

some shirmp or some sort too.


Is this overstocked or understocked and will they all be compatible? Thanks!

Hey Matt,

I just wanted to comment on putting Rams together with Kribensis. I have two Rams in my tank with the Kribensis right now and the Kribensis have taken over the bottom of my tank (I have a 55 gallon). Which means that the Rams are forced to the upper half of the tank. There is enough hiding/cover, but it still has no effect. I wouldn't advise putting them together, but that is just my two cents.

I have to agree with codeajohnson about rams and kribs. Unless they are in a big tank (over 4ft) the kribs will take it over and bully the rams. If the tank is a reasonable size perhaps look at another type of dwarf cichlid to go with the rams. If the tank is only small (around 2ft) then just have rams or kribs.

What size tank do you have?

90Litre Fluval Roma

Colin is right, go with just the Rams, they will be much happier. But if you really want 2 different pairs of dwarfs you could go with a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides or apistogramma viejita to go along with the Rams.

And some small tetras would be okay with 2 rams and 2 cockatoo cichlids right?

it's not very advisable to mix african and new world cichlids (kribs are african and rams and apisto's are new world).

all of the above can be aggressive/territorial (not desperatley so, but enough to be aware of), cichlids use body movements to signal to other fish when they are annoyed, they display territorial behaviour to warn other fish away. the signals used by NW and african cichlids are different and as such they can't understand each other.

imagine sticking two aggressive blokes who speak different languages in a room together, you can imagine over time it would be likley a fight would break out, because they can't speak the same language they misunderstand each other and come to blows over something that could easily be resolved if they could communicate.

unless you've a really big tank so room for them to get away from each other it's best not to mix the two.

Anyone else?

Yeah, just don't do it. I would say just get the Rams and the Tetras.

Went with 2 Blue Rams, 1 male, 1 female and some Cardinal Tetra. Should be good as the tetra were already in the tank with the rams

Good choice, post pics if you can.

Will do soon. At the moment the bigger one chases and is lip locking with the smaller one. The smaller one has bright sparkly blue spots near his/her face and the bigger one has a longer/spikier dorsal fin. Are they male/female from what I'm saying and do males and females fight/chase/lip lock?

There fins will grow longer as they age in your tank. There colors will brighten up even more with age. Rams of the same sex or different sex will argue with each other and will lip lock or flare and color up at each other but its said that if a male and a female lip lock longer than usual they will become partners and eventually spawn. Heres a good accurate link: Sexing German Blue Rams