Red ram question,

[Tednol]

hey,
just bought 4 red rams (3 males 2 females i think) today for my 12g(u.k) 15g(u.s) 24inch tank,
in there also are 3 otocinlus and 2 corys.
Are they alright in there??
initially i wa going to walk out of the lfs with tiger barbs but i walked out with these

 

[David]

3 males and 2 females does not constitute 4 fish. Is the tank cycled? Rams are pretty sensitive to water quality. Other than that you'll be fine.

 

[David]

You seem to be a bit overstocked however... and you should NEVER add that many fish at once in a tank that small, especially sensitive ones like rams.

 

[Tednol]

the corys and otos where in there in the firs place

 

[Ben]

whats a red ram

any pics?

 

[Tednol]

ill post up a pic when i get back from hol next monday

 

[luxum]

He probably means Bolivians, they are called red or ruby rams sometimes.

I think you got way too many rams, 15G is barely enough territory for a single pair, much less 2 pairs and an odd fish out... (2+3=4?) I'd select the largest, most robust male and female, and return the others.

I've read that once they start mating, corys should not be in the same tank since they are also bottom dwellers, i've heard awful stories of corys getting their eyes picked out by territorial mating rams. The otos may be in similar danger once the rams mature.

 

[Dwarfs]

Yep, I think red/ruby rams are other names for bolivians. And as with most cichlids it is advised to only put the toughest of fish with a breeding pair They get to about 4 inches so territory may become an issue

 

[parker313]

Yep, I think red/ruby rams are other names for bolivians.

When I bought Bolivians, they were sold as Ruby Clown Cichlids (Petco in Washington State), for what it's worth

 

[Tednol]

yeh
there Bolivians, look at parkers sig for a pic.
they seem alright, and when i get some more plants then it should be alright.
what do you guys think.
the guy at the lfs said that they should be fine,
i am not looking to breed so they shouldnt be taking eyes out, and thats only in some cases, not all.....

 

[parker313]

yeh
there Bolivians, look at parkers sig for a pic.

I have Blue Rams

 

[parker313]

That's the Bolivian. They don't have the yellow and have much more red on their fins. They also get bigger than the blues.

 

[AmberC]

You should have more females than males. They WILL try to pair up whether you want them to or not. You just dont have to do anything when they DO spawn, which they will. You are overstocked even if you plant it. That many rams cannot get on in a 15 gallon. You can keep 4 rams in a 20 but NO MORE. 15 is just too small. I agree that you should take back all but one male and one female. I had two pairs in a 55 gallon tank and all they did was attack eachother all day long. I had to separate them. It got that bad. Good luck

 

[Tednol]

Its only right if i keep you udated,
i have two 15g tanks so after spending ages trying to sex them, i have moved a definate female and a definate male away,
and i am unsure about the other pair, i do think that they are both males,