# Tank mates for german blue rams



## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Well, if you want them to mate, I wouldn't put any tank mates in there with them once they pair off. I've bred my rams, almost successfully. Rams are excellent parents for the first day and a half. On the second day, they tend to forget their eggs for some time but will eventually go back to them. If there are other fish in the 20g, the eggs will surely be someones snack. 

I got my rams to breed at pH 6.4, GH 2, Temp 82.

They like extremely soft water and high temps. This should simulate the rainy season that they spawn during.

They are extremely sensitive to ammonia and to nitrites. But they're beautiful. I've kept mine with Angelfish, tetras, corys, apistos. Just non-aggressive fish. Angelfish and Rams and discus are probably the least aggressive of the cichlids.

Anyway. Good luck with them. You can add peat to your water to soften it, it will also make it more acidic. However, I'm not sure what that will do to your CO2.


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## admin_old (Dec 4, 2003)

Can kribs go with bleu rams or apistogramma nijsseni. Also can tetras survive with a PH lower than 6.5?

-Admin


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

I've kept neon and glowlight at 6.5. I think they would prefer it to be a little higher though it should be fine. Apistogramma nijsseni should also thrive at 6.5 and softwater. Fish like tetras and angels (fish that aren't too picky about water quality) will be able to adapt to a lower pH as long as you do it gradually. Most fish have this ability. However, I tried to keep rams at a very alkaline pH and it didn't work out too well. Poor experiment. The apisto and rams should do well at the above water params. Just be mindful of your water changes each week, make sure your tank is cycled (test for nitrites and ammonia....make sure it's 0) then put the rams in and you should be fine. They shouldn't be that difficult if you match their water and maintain it.

FG


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

I believe that where the apistogramma nijsseni comes from, the water is almost pH of 5.6 and 1GH. Try to get your hands on tank bred/raised ones.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

BTW

I know that Kribs can tolerate different water types, however, I've never kept them with the blue ram.


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## admin_old (Dec 4, 2003)

I bought a german blue ram about a month ago. He was eating well and didnt appear to have any diseases but when I got home the other night I saw that he had died mysteriously. He had good color and had no other diseases that I could see and my water had no nitrites or ammonia with a ph between 6.8-7.2 and with a gh of 6 and a kh of 4. Maybe the fish had internal parasites or something. Any ideas on why the blue ram died?

-Admin


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## NyCzBuBba (Nov 16, 2003)

Well put some Hex-a-mit then for mysterious death. Sometimes things happen that cannot be explained. Maybe internal or something.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

NyCzBuBba said:


> Well put some Hex-a-mit then for mysterious death. Sometimes things happen that cannot be explained. Maybe internal or something.


true. 

BTW Was your tank cycled?


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## admin_old (Dec 4, 2003)

My tank has been running now for about 8 months so it is cycled. What is hex-a-mit?

-Admin


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## NyCzBuBba (Nov 16, 2003)

its fish medicine. You can purchase in your LFS. they come in pills you open the pills and put the powder(medicine) in the tank. i think 1 pill per 10 gallons


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Be careful about adding meds to your tank. Good luck.


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## E. Simpson (Oct 18, 2003)

Kribs will shred those Rams if you put them together IME.Especially if it's a mating pair of Kribs.Those little guys are meaner than they look.





Ernie


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

E.Simpson is correct, you dont want to be putting in Kribs with rams, unless you want dead rams.... Not to mention they require different water conditions...


Jason


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

wellbiz said:


> E.Simpson is correct, you dont want to be putting in Kribs with rams, unless you want dead rams.... Not to mention they require different water conditions...


 :?: Kribs and rams prefer quite similar water conditions.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

2la said:


> wellbiz said:
> 
> 
> > E.Simpson is correct, you dont want to be putting in Kribs with rams, unless you want dead rams.... Not to mention they require different water conditions...
> ...


2la, I have read that rams actually like warmer temps such as discus, but Kribs do better is a lower more normal tropical temps (72-78F)... PH, hardness, ect can be similar.

However based on your experience and knowledge I am going to assume you to be correct and myself mistaken.... Thanks for the refresher....

Jason


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Jason, keeping the temp at 78F is a very reasonable compromise. I keep my tank, which contains Laetacara, a wild female ram, and Apisto. agassizii at 76F based on the advice of Oliver Lucanus, who maintains that higher temperatures--even if they're similar to what's observed in nature--hastens the lifespan of dwarf cichlids, and he maintains all of his apistos at this temperature. Where the temperature may come into play is sex determination among the spawn. For maintenance, however, the temperature can be lowered a bit.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

2la,

Thanks... Just goes to show you that there is a lot of misinformation out on the net.... Wish I would have known this earlier, I would have rather had rams instead of Kribs. Dont get me wrong kribs are interesting, just was my second choice.....

Thanks again
Jason


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