# German Blue Rams



## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

How many of these can I put comfortably in a 29 gallon heavily planted tank? I was thinking 1 male and 2-3 females, but is that too many?


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

I would put 2 at most..


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Kay, just wasn't sure, as they only get to be 3-4 inches fully grown. M/F pair?


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

4" sounds a bit big 3.5 maybe. I have kept these fish for close to 8 years and in that size tank, 2 at most..


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## seattle_530 (Sep 27, 2007)

I have a 55g heavily planted tank and i have 1m 2f and the females brawl from time to time so i would say no more then 2 in a 29


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

ditto on a pair.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

yep I tried 2 pair in a heavily planted 20 long. One male was killed, one female always getting harassed.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I've had as many as 5 rams (2 male, 3 females) in a 180g tank. 2 pair is possible at that size, but they still harass each other quite a bit.


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## Snydaleid (Apr 12, 2008)

What I don't understand is why do they seem to get along at the LFS but when you put them in your tank at home it's a different story. I had bought 3. 2 Females and 1 male. The male paired up with one of the females and harassed the other female all the time. I have a 37 gallon which is much larger than the one they were in at the fish store. So yeah I'd do 1 male and 1 female in a 29 gallon.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

That is because they are stressed out at the LFS and aren't worried about keeping their territories.

Also if you look closely at them after they have been in the tank for a while, you do see aggression, its just not fully fledged since they are still stressed out.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Wow, I feel kind of bad after reading this. I originally bought 3, 2f & 1m in a 25g heavily planted. I liked them so much I now have 6, 3f & 3m. They do get along absolutely fine though. It is great to watch the males show for the females, kind of a fashion competition. I guess I will keep a close eye on them as they get older to make sure there are no harrassment problems. And to top it off, when I was at the LFS the other day, I came sooooo close to bringing home a beautiful pair of gold rams. :brick:


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I'm fine with keeping two. I think my new school of Threadfins will really show them off  Bloodworms and flakes would suffice in bringing out their best colors?


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## seattle_530 (Sep 27, 2007)

When it comes to fish aggresion in tanks at at LFS is that there are usually alot in one tank. When you have that many aggression is despersed among all the fish . There are so many males and females there is no way that one male can dominate all the other fish in the tank. Thats why when dealing with other cichlids such as africans you see alot of fish in one tank its all because aggresion is evenly dispursed amoung all the fish and no one fish is singled out and gets the total beat down. Thats why when you load a 20g with 6 rams theres no way that one male or female can single out 1 fish to dominate. However you also dont get relaxed behavior out of them either because all fish are constantly on the defensive. Thats why i recommend a pair because you get relaxed behavior which usually leads to pairing and mating. Now my 55 has 1 male 2 females but the 2 that paired up have a hard time picking on the other female because of how big the tank, so the one female doesnt have to be close to the pair. Also its heavily planted so the line of sight between fish is lost so the pair have a hard time corning the one female. In a 20g she cant get away.


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## AndyTaylor (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi guys, first post on APC. Newbie to here but not to fishkeeping or aquatic plants.
I've tried Blue Rams in my heavily planted 170L (45 US Gal) on several occasions using the recommended stocking levels of 1 pair or 1 male 2 females and failed everytime through aggression.
I decided to treat them more like african cichlids and overstock. I now have 7 (mixed genders, I'm not 100% sure but I think 2 males and 5 females) and it works perfectly. 
They all hang out together, not shoaling exactly but they seem to get on fine. 
No aggression beyond minor squabbling that all fish do.
They're all still quite young so whether this Eden of Ram-keeping lasts remains to be seen but here's hoping.  
They're all getting moved to a fully planted 5 footer soon anyway..........


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## suaojan (Oct 21, 2006)

inareverie85 said:


> How many of these can I put comfortably in a 29 gallon heavily planted tank? I was thinking 1 male and 2-3 females, but is that too many?


It shouldn't be a problem as long as you maintain good water parameters in your tank. I used to breed blue rams in 5 Gal tanks without any problem.


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## Chris Stewart (Sep 13, 2007)

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi should be kept in pairs, not 2 to 1 ratios. It should always be 1 male to 1 female. They are not harem breeders, like some apisto's are.

How many you can put into a tank depends quite a bit on how much experience you have keeping dwarf cichlids. It is very important to understand that these fish, once they pair off, create territories. The size depends greatly on your hardscape and plant scheme - both should be used to create seperators, breaking up the footprint of the tank.

With that said, I think it is only reasonable to have 2 rams in a 20g. There just isn't enough room for two active pairs in there. I have two pairs in a 40g breeder (large footprint) and find there is BARELY enough space for both of the pairs, especially when they are spawning.


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