German blue ram – Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Species name: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Common names: Blue ram, German blue ram, Butterfly Cichlid, Golden Ram
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Geophaginae
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Maximum length: 3.9 in
Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Hardiness: Hard to keep, as they can be very sensitive to water chemistry. Very sensitive to chemicals and nitrate.
Aggressiveness: peaceful but they tend to become a bit territorial when they are spawning.
Distribution: South America: Orinoco River basin, in the llanos of Venezuela and Colombia.
Diet: Omnivore. Feed a variety of foods, including a good flake or pellet as a staple and the occasional fresh or frozen treat.
Additional information:
The German blue ram is a beautyful fish native to the the Venezuela and Colombia. They can be found in slow-flowing waters that contains few dissolved minerals where cover in the form of aquatic or emerse vegetation is available (see video bellow).
The German blue ram is small and colorful. The first third of the body is yellow, the last two thirds is whitish blue and there is a black spot in the middle of the body. There is a curved black line that runs vertically from the forehead, through the eye, and then down to the chin. The fins are a clear yellow and they can have a black blotch on the first few rays of the dorsal fin.
The male’s front dorsal fin rays are much longer than the female’s. The dorsal fin of the male also have a pointed shape near the caudal fin. The female’s dorsal fin is more rounded. Females are smaller and have a reddish tinge on their pelvic regions. The black spot on the side of the female may have irridescent blue spangles throughout while the male’s tends to be solid black.
This is innately shy fish that is best kept with passive fish, such as tetras.
Ideally, the aquarium should be decorated to mimic the natural environment and should provide several densely planted regions and open spaces. It is important to keep the water stable and free of polluants so a good filtration system and regular water changes are a must.
The waters its natural habitat are soft and acidic: pH 5.0-6.0; GH 5, temperature 25-30C.
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Article written by www.aquariumslife.com
References: Wikipedia
Popularity: 6% [?]
Nicely written article. My friend had several German blue ram’s and as you’ve mentioned already they are very sensitive. He did religiously water tests.
I would not recommend them for beginners but man they are beautiful.
I also love this fish! Not the easiest but certainly worth the try. I finally decided to quit keeping them because I could never have a mating pair (I wanted to breed them).