I will be setting up a 30 gallon soon and will have a free 36 gallon soon... For one of them I would like to some ram cichlids... i was wondering if i could keep more than one in the same tank and i don't want a pair, i want a few rams... I was thinking maybe 6-10 would be okay if they will get along in a mixed sex species tank...? If not what are some small common cichlid options for tanks this size and they have to be small and can be kept in a species tasnk without just one sex or have to be sexable without venting... I also might do 4-5 corie cats with them but i am still deciding...
ram cichlid species tank...
- Thread starter oscaroo
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Okay. Well I can tell you 6-10 in a 36 is not possible. Too crowded. I had my 5 German blue rams living with juvenile severums in a 55 gallon and it was tense for a bit. The sevs were slightly bigger and had their territory claimed on the bottom. Two of my rams paired up and pushed the sevs out of a corner spot to breed in. Well the sevs had to reduce their territories and there were a few minor disputes, but the other 3 rams had to stay in the middle and top layers, which stressed them a bit. I finally got a 55 just for my juvie sevs and now the rams have settled into the bottom of the tank. The breeding pair still has their corner and the other three get along well. I could only see adding maybe 1 more ram to the tank and even that might be too much as it could end with me having a second pair and two solo rams arguing over space. I would recommend at most 3 rams in a 30 gallon and maybe 4 in a 36.
The only problem with your desire of both sexes of the same species of cichlid in the same tank is that you have a very good chance of ending up with a breeding pair. The single sex method is the only way to ensure no breeding. Now you might get lucky with three rams and have a single male or female who refuse to mate with the others, but its a risk you would have to take if you want both sexes. Rams are not super hard to sex once they are almost full grown, but are nearly impossible to sex before maturity. My german blues are easy for me to sex because of their bright colors and black spots. I have heard Bolivians are a little more complicated due to less robust coloration than their blue cousins. Forget sexing gold rams. You will only know the sex of golds when you get a mated pair and see them reproducing.
Cory cats could be a possibility with rams depending of the attitude of the ram(s). South American cichlids are hit or miss as far as temperament goes. Mine are pretty mellow and most are from what I read. I have read a lot of success with the combo, so give it a try. Worse case scenario is you have to remove some cories or an angry ram.
As far as other dwarf cichlids, I can only throw my 2 cents in on kribensis. You could only keep 2 kribs in a 36 without issue because they get bigger than rams and need more territory. Kribs are super easy to sex at almost any size larger than 1.5-2" long. I have read keyholes are super mellow and get along great with almost anything they can't swallow. They get to 6", so you'd be able to keep 2 in the 36, but no more. They are about as hard to breed as rams as I understand, so with just 2 you'd not likely get a pair even if you did have a male and female.
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thanks, i think my petco sells cribs so i could do like 4 rams in the 36 and 2 cribs in the 30 gallon? the 30 gallon is a 36x12x16(i could be an inch off on one of the dimentions)... the 36 is a 30x11(plus a bow in the front witch addas about 2 inches) and 21 inches hight...
That would work. I would make sure both tanks have lots of hiding places. Kribs are African cichlids can enjoy the hard water, so driftwood isn't necessary, but can be used. Rock caves, ornament caves and flowerpots are great decorations to make hiding spots for them in case there is territory issues. The rams like live plants and driftwood. I recommend getting wisteria, anubis and/or java ferns and place them close together as rams like dense plants to hide in. Flowerpots and driftwood can also be used to make hiding spots.
In my experience with kribs, they are hardy and don't need dither fish to make them feel comfortable, though if they do hide a bit, a small school of medium sized top dwellers will help them feel at ease. I mean a 2-3" deep bodied tetra like black skirts or bleeding hearts in a small school of about 5 since the tank can't handle more than that. Another option is to just get 1 krib and 10-15 schoolers. With no other cichlid, there would be no territory issues and things would remain peaceful.
As for rams, most are shy and need dithers to make them feel secure. Since they are smaller, you could keep 3 rams and 10-15 small schoolers like cardinals (perfect for ram water temps) or rummy nose (my personal favorite) in the 36 gallon or 4 rams and 10 small schoolers. Now if you want german blue or gold rams, I HIGHLY recommend you find a local breeder. Large chain pet stores sell distribution rams that are often weak due to breeding for color and die easily because they are so very sensitive to changes in water conditions. My 5 blue rams are hardy because they came from my LFS who buys them from a local breeder. The benefit of knowing your rams will be already conditioned to our local tap water is more amazing than I can put into words. Bolivian rams have not yet experienced this breeding sensitivity issue yet and most chain store bought Bolivians do fairly well.
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Actually, the local breed rams I got were only a $1 more each compared to the Petsmart ones I see nearby. They would definitely be worth the extra $4. If you can't find blues locally, I would definitely go with Bolivians. They aren't as colorful, but you will stand a much better chance of keeping them alive. If you get Bolivians at the chain store, you could get your cardinals at the same time, which would save you from quarantining separately.
If you are short on money, I would start with just rams or just kribs and build them a good home instead of spreading the habitats out thin. So if you definitely want rams, skip the kribs for now and get them later on when you have money. Make sure you have plenty of real or fake plants for the rams and some driftwood. Flowerpots are cheap and make good decorations.
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I have the setups and equitment just no fish... Algough i will be getting a sponge filter beacause i will need more filtration on the 36 beacause i will be moving a hob from the 36 to the new 30... I will see if i can find any local breeders... I will not do kribs beacause i kinda like the americans more but i did think about it. i was going to try to get cheaper fish for the 30 so i can make a nice 36... I might get a few cheap fish for the 30 but i kinda wana make a nice ram tank beacause my 36 is a nice bowfront. the 30 will be uguly, i will put a small light on top and try to find something for the hood, While the 36 has a fitted light a bowfront, and looks really nice... I really don't currently have money beacause i am still paying for the 120 i got but the 120 will be payed off in 3 weeks... I might try to find adds with people giving rams away...
I raised kribs a long time ago. They were fine until they bred. Then I had to remove them to their own 20 long. Was a pain in the butt.
If I were you (which clearly I'm not), I would not bother even setting the 30 up for now. Just leave it running empty or drain it and focus on the 36. The rams will cost you $5-15 each depending on what part of the country you're in (if they are common around you like they are me, the blues will be $5 each, but if they are not common, they may be sold at $10+ each).
I cannot stress enough how important it is to buy from a reputable source. I don't believe anything most of the LFSs around here tell me. Most of them are just out to make a buck and they don't care who they upset or cross to get it. They will lie through their teeth to make money. I just so happen to know the guy who sold me my rams, so I knew just about everything there was about them before I even bought them.
Good luck finding someone giving away GBRs. I have never seen it happen. Mostly because finding good ones that aren't super sensitive is incredibly rare. Wait until you pay off your 120 and then save up some money for good ones.
Here are a few good ways to find well bred GBRs:
1- Call your LFSs and ask if the GBRs they sell are locally bred. If so, ask if you can have contact info for that person to verify they are being honest (might want to word it a little smoother than that). Now, most of them that say they do buy locally will not give out info for one of two reasons. 1) They are lying and want to make a sale. 2) They don't want their source to sell to you, eliminating their profit. If they don't give you the info, don't buy. It is up to you if you want to buy from the store or the breeder (breeder may choose to sell at same price as store to make more money or convince you to buy from store) if they do provide info.
2- Look for fish clubs/organizations in your area. Many clubs have people who have a dozen+ tanks in their basements breeding all sorts of great fish. Most clubs will make you pay an annual fee (usually $10-20) to be a member, but members of those clubs will often sell their bred fish to other members for cheap.
3- Jeff Rapps at tangledupincichlids.com has never sold me a bad fish. This is an expensive route, but worth it for the quality if you can't find someone locally. I have only lost a couple fish due to shipping process out of the dozens I have bought from him.
If I couldn't find GBRs using these methods, I would wait. They are just too sensitive to buy and have keep dying.
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