Cookies seem to be disabled in your browser, therefore this website will NOT work properly! Please, consider enabling Cookies in order to maximise your user experience while browsing.
Recent discussions at Aqua-Fish+
  1. TheFishWorks at A guide on growing aquarium plants with FAQ, forum and species on
  2. Salviashaman at A guide on caring for Congo tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus) on …display more of the recent discussions
  3. Salviashaman at A guide on setting a South American blackwater stream biotope aquarium on
  4. Figureguy at Chemistry of Aquarium Water with FAQ on
  5. Jackson20 at A guide on feeding aquarium fish frozen foods on
  6. Senator Wisdom at Bloodfin tetra (Aphyocharax alburnus) on
  7. CayceR at A page and forum devoted to keeping Blood parrot cichlids on
  8. Ness at A guide on raising African Dwarf Frogs with pictures and forum on
  9. Terry Mitchell at A guide on breeding, feeding and caring for L333 Pleco on
  10. Terry Mitchell at A guide on breeding, feeding and caring for L333 Pleco on
Ram cichlid - Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Ram cichlid - Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Scientific name: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Common name: Ram cichlid

Family: Cichlidae

Usual size in fish tanks: 8 - 10 cm (3.15 - 3.94 inch)

014

Recommended pH range for the species: 5 - 7

Recommended water hardness (dGH): 0 - 12°N (0 - 214.29ppm)

0°C 32°F30°C 86°F

Recommended temperature: 23 - 30 °C (73.4 - 86°F)

The way how these fish reproduce: Spawning

Where the species comes from: South America

Temperament to its own species: peaceful

Temperament toward other fish species: peaceful

Usual place in the tank: Middle levels

General information

Ram cichlids are delightful dwarf cichlids that are beautiful and peaceful. This species is endemic to the Orinoco River basins in South America and display a wonderful colouration, this statement includes both sexes, with some species the females tend to have a drab colouration compared to the males. They prefer slow moving currents and this should be replicated in the aquarium, they will also benefit from the addition of Blackwater extract, in fact this can often induce spawning if you have both sexes present.

They tend to become a bit territorial when they are spawning. They do very well with other docile companions and should be kept in a small group or a pair. They require good water quality in a planted tank. They make nice tank mates and compliment any South American themed community aquarium.

Feeding the Ram Cichlid

A varied diet is required by the Ram Cichlid. They should be offered a quality flake or small pellets but this should also be supplemented with meaty foods with live or frozen foods such as bloodworms or brine shrimp.

Sexing the Ram Cichlid

Males may display a brighter colouration compared to the females and the males will also have a slimmer body shape. Mature males will develop extended rays on the leading edge of their dorsal fin. The females will also display a pink belly especially when they are in spawning mode.

Breeding the Ram Cichlid

If flat rocks are present in the aquarium these may be chosen as spawning sites otherwise they may dig small pits in the substrate ready for the eggs. Both parents will protect the nest and you may even see them both fanning water over the eggs. After a few days the eggs should hatch but the fry will not require feeds until they are free swimming, this stage should occur 4-5 days after hatching. If you wish to breed these fish it is best to purchase wild specimens as many tank breed fish may have a lower fertility level compared to their wild cousins.

Questions and Answers

On March 25th 2011 the following answers were added here due to merging aqua-fish.net/answers with related pages.

  • Why do Ram cichlids have to be in pairs?

    Answer: The Ram cichlid is a very shy fish, keeping it in a pair will install more confidence into the fish. The pair should consist of male and female, try to avoid using 2 males as aggression will inevitably occur.

  • What size tank does a ram need?

    Answer: Rams should always be kept in pairs, for two of these fish the minimum tank size is 20 gallons (90.92 litres, 24.02 US gallons).

Pictures

Thanks to Alberto Villarroya and Tom for pictures. Other pictures were bought by aqua-fish.net from jjphoto.dk. Another are from Dessi!

Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid Ram cichlid, picture 14 Ram cichlid, picture 15 Ram cichlid, picture 16 Ram cichlid, picture 17 Ram cichlid, picture 18 Ram cichlid, picture 19 Ram cichlid, picture 20

Did you know?

Please, verify whether your login and password are valid. If you don't have an account here, register one free of charge, please. Click here to close this box.

You have been logged out successfully! This box will close automatically!

Something went wrong during processing your message, please try again!

Your message has been sent, thanks a lot!

Page has been saved, refresh it now, please!

The page has been created, you will now be redirected!

URL already exists!

Path to the photo is not unique!

Really delete this page from the database?

The page has been removed successfully, you will be redirected now!

The page couldn't be deleted!!

Unfortunately this page doesn't allow discussion. Please, find any other page that fits your area of interest as over 99% of our pages allow discussion. The reason why no discussion is allowed here is this page is too general. Thanks a lot for understanding! Click here to search, please!

Really delete this comment from the site?

Really delete this image from the site?

Really delete this image from the site?

Selected comment has been removed successfully!

Selected image has been removed successfully!

Either login or email address is required

Account has been recovered, please check your email for further instructions