Rams And Cockatoos?

[pattyplaty]

I heard Rams are extremely hard to keep- almost like a discus! is that true? and are rams and cockatoos interesting? can one of them live in a 10g tank?

any information would be great!!

p.s. are shellies nw or african?

peace

 

[jollysue]

Shellies are African. A nice colony of shellies is good in a 10 usg or UK gal. I think a ten gal is small for a cockatoo. One of the more interesting things about the cockatoo is it's colony behavior/ breeding behavior, so I would wait to have a nice tank for a colony. They are not one of the longer lived fish either, so it is nice to start them with a boy and some girlies, I think.

I have never kept Rams.

Shellies are about the only cichlids that will really work in 10 gallons that I can think of. And you don't want your danios in with any Africans or even most Cichlids. Get Cories or Plecs. A plec could go in a Cichlid tank later on, but 5 Corys would definately be more interesting than a plec.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

No. They are not as hard to keep as Discus. They aren't the hardiest fish, but not the most delicate either. I think 10 gallons may be a little small, although a pair of some of the smaller species of Apistogramma or Ramirezi should be okay in a 10 gallon...

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

These should be okay:

German Blue Ram
Apisto Blue Head

Cockatoo will get too big IMO along with Bolivian Rams.

 

[jollysue]

I've always heard that a trio is best with cockatoos, as the male will wear out/stress a single female. Is that true of other appistos?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

As far as I know all Apistos are harem breeders so it's best to have a trio...but maybe someone can say otherwise?

 

[thegnu]

I heard Rams are extremely hard to keep- almost like a discus! is that true? and are rams and cockatoos interesting? can one of them live in a 10g tank?

any information would be great!!

p.s. are shellies nw or african?

peace

If you aren't blessed with naturally soft tap water, with low GH, low nitrates or you dont use RO water and your tap water is high pH, GH and nitrates, then rams and apistogramma would be very hard to keep

 

[stang1]

I keep a pair of Dwarf Cockatoo Cihlids in a 7.5G and have had no problems at all. I brought them when they were quite small and they have grown fairly quickly and coloured up beautifully. I have some bogwood with Java Moss attached and a couple of small pots for them to hide in.
I remember asking this question myself a while ago and was told that either the Cockatoo or Borelli would be fine in that size tank. I do believe they prefer to be kept with at least two females to one male but people have successfully kept just a pair together.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[thegnu]

That was a while ago now stang. I'm glad they are doing well. Cockatoo or Borelli are by far the easiest apisto's but i do think the rams are hard to keep based on the number of rams i read about that have died or are dying. I keep mine in ro water so have no problems

 

[stang1]

That was a while ago now stang. I'm glad they are doing well. Cockatoo or Borelli are by far the easiest apisto's but i do think the rams are hard to keep based on the number of rams i read about that have died or are dying. I keep mine in ro water so have no problems

It certainly was a while ago!
I keep mine in RO water too and the PH is about 6.5 which seems about right.
I've also had no success keeping Rams, my female was fine but I couldn't keep the male alive for more than 4 days. It does seem to be quite a common problem.

 

[pandacichlid]

Cockatoos and rams both like soft and acidic water, but the cockatoos can live in 6.0- 7.5 ph and rams 6.0-6.8 , strong filter currents and lots of movement isn't advised. Bogwood, plants and hiding places are ideal for these fish and should live happily together, but sometimes bottom dwellers can have issues living together, but I'm not personally experienced too much on this.
I want butterfly rams and cockatoos eventually to add to my keyholes
good luck