Rams Behaviour

[bobbyami]

Hi,

I do not have any Rams (cichlids) but was wondering if anyone knew what their behaviour patterns are? and how compatable they are with "normal" fish. as i have seen some lovely Rams? in the shop. they are light coloured with the odd dash of colour with big fins. very pretty and cute.

i have just basic swordtails, tetras, siamese fighter, guppies etc.

would appreciate any advice.


thank you

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Hmmm....

These are as said dwarf cichlids they can get a bit aggresive and of couse as cichlids, they are territorial. Dwarf cichlids are one of the more peaceful cichlids but still get a little nippy so some of the fish you have listed may not work well with him (mainly the betta). How is the Betta with the guppys by the way? Is it male or female? You really need to do a little research as these aren't what we call "basic" fish these are community fish (liver bearers, Labyrinth fish, ect.)

How big is the tank?
What is the Ph? General Hardness?

Forgot to mention, try to get the scinetific name of the fish to make sure it is a German Blue Ram and not something else.

 

[bobbyami]

Hi thanks for your reply.

My Siamese had been absolutley brilliant with my guppies i was really worried, but hes so calm! we have recently added 2 females and i think hes even to lazy to chase them!

i have a 6ft tank, so that prob helps a little.

i will try and get the correct name for those little rams, then maybe i could get more advice?!

cheers

 

[parker313]

When I read your description of the fish, I first thought of Bolivian Ram, not Gold or Blue Ram. Bolivians get a little bigger and tend to be a little hardier, in general. They make great community fish, though as with any cichlid, can get territorial/aggressive during spawning. It's recommended to keep a pair, though Bolivians can be harder to sex than Blue/Gold rams. If possible, get a group of juveniles and let a pair form naturally and then remove/return the rest.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

When I read your description of the fish, I first thought of Bolivian Ram, not Gold or Blue Ram. Bolivians get a little bigger and tend to be a little hardier, in general. They make great community fish, though as with any cichlid, can get territorial/aggressive during spawning. It's recommended to keep a pair, though Bolivians can be harder to sex than Blue/Gold rams. If possible, get a group of juveniles and let a pair form naturally and then remove/return the rest.

Cichlids get more agressive during mating, so a pair may not be a good thing. These fish also need soft acidic water so try to get your general hardness and Ph. I don't actually know but would something from the Apisto family work better? I would also maybe think about having another spare tank lined up just in case the dwarf cichlid wants to attack everything with long flowing fins.