Golden Rams?

[Bobtastic]

Hi all,

I've been looking at some Golden Rams in my LFS and I'm wondering if they have any different needs or requirements to the other variants available (GBR & Bolivian)? I don't want to get them to find out that they are not really suited to my community tank and water conditions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[minxfishy]

They have the same requirements as GBR's, bolivians are slightly different as they dont require quite as high temperatures, but do like the same ph, foods, habitats.

 

[Bobtastic]

Wicked thanks Minx. I take it that they grown to the same sort of size as the GBR's too?

 

[minxfishy]

Yes they do

 

[mark1979]

i find my golds less agressive than my bolivian and GBR's

i have 3 fems and 1 male.all very small but beautifull fish

here is 1 of mine

 

[meguro]

They're a colour morph of blue rams. Bolivians are a closely related but separate species.

 

[Bobtastic]

What is the best food to use for Rams? I'm currently using dried flakes and they seem to be eating them, but not as readily as the Platies.

I am thinking of looking at some frozen brine shrimp, will they do?

 

[mark1979]

What is the best food to use for Rams? I'm currently using dried flakes and they seem to be eating them, but not as readily as the Platies.

I am thinking of looking at some frozen brine shrimp, will they do?

I feed mine peas,hikari pellets,live brine shrimp,frozen bloodworm,frozen daphina

they also have a thing for algea wafers,lol

give them something to chase once in a while.

 

[meguro]

cichlid pellets or sinking cichlid pellets (its hard getting them to come near the surface)

and pretty much any fish will eat frozen brine shrimp but it should probably be more of an infrequent type thing rather than a staple. don't forget to include a few vegetables now and then too (crushed algae wafers, deshelled blanched peas etc.)

 

[Bobtastic]

I have some disk shaped foods that are for Cory cats and some cat fish pellets, are they different? Do they need to float a little off the bottom for the Rams?

 

[meguro]

You'd have to check the ingredients. I have a feeling your corys food will be mainly vegetable matter (different to most cichlid pellets, but similar to most algae wafers). But no the food won't have to float a little, the rams will pick it up off the substrate (at least mine do anyway).

Microgeophagus is their genus, and it kind of means small earth eater. So they sift through the substrate.

 

[Bobtastic]

Very interesting! The food I was refering to is Tetra Variety Wafers.

Is there a specific brand that you use so that I can compare the nutritional content? I don't want to get them the wrong food!


EDIT: Also what sort of peas are best? Can I use frozen peas (defrosted first course).

 

[mark1979]

Very interesting! The food I was refering to is Tetra Variety Wafers.

Is there a specific brand that you use so that I can compare the nutritional content? I don't want to get them the wrong food!


EDIT: Also what sort of peas are best? Can I use frozen peas (defrosted first course).

any pea's

i use frozen or tinned (in water) not salt!!

and meguro,all my rams come right upto the surface when i have food!! especialy the golds!!

 

[minxfishy]

Tetra prima is another good food for them, tuna (tinned not in brine but water), fresh prawns (or frozen).

And mine used to come up to the surface quite happily, they also do enjoy digging thru the substrate for food too

 

[meguro]

I made the mistake of feeding sinking foods for corys and a bn, shortly after I got my rams. So they never really became "trained" to come to the surface as such. Only for the first two days did they venture that high. =(