Yet another Ram question

[NinjaSmurf]

Finally broke down and decided to get some rams for my thirty gallon. First thing I wanted to ask was how many pairs I could put in, and if they spawned, am I going to end up with a dead pictus or cories? Or will the pictus end up eating all the babies?

Second, if a breeding pair (or 2) is out of the question, how many males could I get? I have plenty of driftwood with tunnels for them to hide out in, but its a tall tank (2ft wide, 1ft deep and 2ft tall).

And finally, third question. If I have guppies, will I still need dither fish? If so, what would be the best kind to get, and how many? Perferably something that will stand out against my black gravel would be an extra bonus, never had any sort of tetra's before so I'm kinda lost on that department. And as long as they are about the same size as guppies they won't get eaten by the pictus.

As usual, and and all help is gratefully received.

 

[Elite]

Hmmm...not a large enough tank for 2 pairs, maybe a trio. 1 m/2f. The pictus worries me, I'm afraid he'd even harm the adults once he got larger, and nothings sadder than a dead ram The cories will be fine. Rams aren't that mean, they really won't kill the cories or the pictus, as long as they keep their distance. They could maybe injure cories, but not bad (my cories have survived everything from puffers to convicts). I little fin tear here and there. My rams get along great with other peaceful fish. I don't see why you'd need dithers with these peaceful little cichlids, but I'd suggest a small school of cardinal tetras (maybe 5 or 6). They go great with rams, and are stunning against black gravel. also from the same biotype (your cories prolly are too). Is there any way you can remove the pictus? He'll prolly get big and mean, not a good mix with rams and tetras.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I dunno if my pictus is just weird or something but he's not really big on bothering the other fish, and he's only going to get about five inches from what I've read, so he only has about two more inches to go. He never bothers and of the other fish, except to shove the cories out of the way when I feed him. Most of his time is spent racing circles around the end of the one peice of driftwood, which is why I was worried about the rams going after it.

So, cardinal tetras huh? Have to check them out, was thinking of getting a few other livebearers too, so I'll have a looksee while I'm at the store. If not them, any other ones that would be good too? (sometimes they're out of certain tetras at the store, so I like to have a backup plan )

 

[parker313]

Serpae tetras or cherry barbs maybe? Both have a nice red to them that would look nice with your black.