Rams & Apistogramma Stocking Question

[stormy78]

Hi, I have a Trigon 190 with about 40-45 gallons of useable water. I was planning on a pair (male and female) of either some type of Rams & Apistogramma but looking at the pinned guide it says a pair per 20 gallons. Could I get away with 2 pairs or is it a total no no?

 

[LosC519]

I have 5 healthy rams in a 30 and all is fine, a hierarchy is eastablished and some are more dominant then others with the occasional challenge but I have not seen evidence of a very stressed ram because of this. You can push it a lil. Filtration is important. Provide lots of caves.

 

[stormy78]

I have 5 healthy rams in a 30 and all is fine, a hierarchy is eastablished and some are more dominant then others with the occasional challenge but I have not seen evidence of a very stressed ram because of this. You can push it a lil. Filtration is important. Provide lots of caves.

Thanks for the info. There are only 2 'caves' in the tank at the moment, 1 under a piece of bog wood and a small slate cave. I will try to add some additional cave when I stock the tank.