Kribensis Vs Rams

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what are the more intresting species to keep, Also what would be the easier to the two to keep and breed in a 125 Liter tank also what sort of habitat should i create and maybe other possible tank mates, Im kind of new to the hobby have a bit more than basic knowledge of fish keeping.

Thanks
 
"Rams" refers to the common or blue ram which has several varieties but all are the same species, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. The other "ram" is the Bolivian Ram, M. altispinosus. The former needs warmth, no less than 80F/27C but preferably 28-29C/82-84F. Many other fish will burn out at this warmth permanently, so tankmates are a bit of a challenge. The Bolivian manages at more usual temperatures around 25-26C/75-78F.

Water parameters need to be known. All South American dwarf species are soft and acidic water fish, though a few can do well in moderate hardness and slightly basic pH.

If the 125 liter (33 gallon) tank is 36 inches/90 cm in length, most of the dwarfs will work. However, only one cichlid species per tank, there is not sufficient space here for territories with multiple species.
 
Kribs take awhile to start breeding but once they do they donā€™t stop. Very easy to breed and the fry are easier than rams. However, youā€™ll have to start out with a group of males and a single female. I tried forcing a male and female to pair up (well. I didnā€™t give them choices, I just put them together) and the male eventually ended Up dying of stress because they didnā€™t successfully pair up. And females are known to kill each other.

Rams from what Iā€™ve heard, pair up quicker but are harder to tell between males and females and the fry are very difficult to raise.

Whats your tanks pH? Is your water soft or hard? Rams (both species) need softer water whereas kribs need much harder water.
 
I recommend Apistogrammas...
There are so many species under this group.
The most popular will be Apistogramma Cacatuoides Triple Red.
Others are Agassizi, Borelli, Bitaenita, Panduro, Macmasteri, etc.
The most expensive one will be Elizabethae.
Some people have about 20 tanks to house a pair of each species.

 
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Hi all thanks for your input, My tap water p,h is around the 7 mark im looking for something not to challenging and i heard apisto cacatuodies prefer softer acidic water and i am not sure if ill be able to lower the ph and keep it stable ? is there any other species of dwarf cichlid you guys know of that are good ? so i can get an all round opinion of different species.

Thanks again people
 
Hi all thanks for your input, My tap water p,h is around the 7 mark im looking for something not to challenging and i heard apisto cacatuodies prefer softer acidic water and i am not sure if ill be able to lower the ph and keep it stable ? is there any other species of dwarf cichlid you guys know of that are good ? so i can get an all round opinion of different species.

Thanks again people
The Apistos should be fine it that water. I completely forgot about them but I really recommend getting some!
 
Can you tell us the length and width of the tank, please. Footprint is important for dwarf cichlids. A lot of 125 litre tanks in the UK are around 80 cm/31 inches long while American tanks tend to be longer (and not quite as tall) for the same volume.
 
The GH is the important parameter, more than the pH. What is the GH of your tap water?

Adjusting pH must be part of the adjustment of the GH and KH, unless the latter are very low (very soft water) in which case the pH will naturally lower on its own. Never attempt to adjust the pH by any means other than natural, as part of the GH/KH.
 
Can you tell us the length and width of the tank, please. Footprint is important for dwarf cichlids. A lot of 125 litre tanks in the UK are around 80 cm/31 inches long while American tanks tend to be longer (and not quite as tall) for the same volume.
its the fluval roma 125 80cmL W35cm H72cm
 
Moderately soft is the band 50 to 100 ppm and 2.8 to 5.6 dH. Those are the two units used in fish keeping and fish profiles will use one or other.

In fish keeping terms, you have soft water which is suitable for all dwarf cichlids from south America.
 

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