Golden Ram

Blue Rams are the perfect Cichlid for a community aquarium, peaceful, hardy and colorful.  Adult size up to 10cm, 40 litre tank or larger recommended.

The Gold Ram Cichlid is the yellow color variation of the Blue Ram Cichlid.  They are small colorful Cichlids suited to a peaceful community aquarium. This fish is perfect if you are looking to add some bright colors to your tank.  They are known as one of the best Cichlids, due to their peaceful nature and beautiful colors. They might not be the easiest fish to start with as they need quite strict water conditions, however they are very captivating and will steal your heart in no time.  Adult size 5-10 cm, 40 litre tank size, suited for the intermediate aquarist.

The Gold Ram (a color variation of Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) belongs to the Cichlid family.  The native populations of Ram Cichlids are from South America. They inhabit the extended waterways of the Amazon River, especially the Orinoco River Basin in Venezuela and Colombia.

Behaviour The Blue Ram is quite peaceful – unlike most other Cichlids.  This South American Cichlid is among one of the best Cichlids for community tanks.

When setting up the tank consider that, this fish does not have a preferred tank region and will spend most of its time swimming around the tank.

If they start showing signs of aggression it’s probably because they don’t have enough hiding places and don’t feel safe, or you are not feeding them enough.

They are a social fish that will form pairs and often remain “faithful” to each other.

Tank Conditions In the wild, Rams live in shallow pools and streams with sandy beds and abundant vegetation.  They are used to slow flowing rivers with plenty of aquatic and submerged land vegetation which often darken the surrounding waters.

A mix of gravel and sand can be used as a substrate. You can also add some large rocks for decoration.

Blue Rams appreciate a heavily planted tank with lots of hiding places – you can use rocks or driftwood for this.  When arranging the plants make sure you also leave some space for free swimming.

Use moderate to subdued lighting.

Compatibility  Blue Rams are the perfect Cichlids for a community aquarium.  They can be kept with non-Cichlids and peaceful Dwarf Cichlids. They need a peaceful community as they will struggle in an aggressive tank.  Good tank companions are Silver Dollars, Dwarf Gouramis, Discus, Plecostomus Catfish, Cardinal and Neon Tetras.  Other great tank mates include Corydoras, Rummynose Tetras, Kuhli Loaches, Clown Loaches, Guppies, Mollies and Platies.

You can keep them either as a pair or alone.  When keeping more than one male, make sure the aquarium is large enough to have two separate territories.  If you decide to keep a pair it’s better to allow the fish to pair themselves up rather than buy two random specimens at the shop.

Feeding Blue Rams are an omnivore and eat a varied diet of both meat and plants. Typically in the wild, Rams feed on small insects or invertebrate and plant material floating in the surrounding waters.  When settling into a new tank, your Rams might appear a bit skittish and refuse to eat. Don’t worry there is nothing wrong, they just need time to settle. To convince your Rams to eat again you can tempt them with some tasty food such as frozen blood worms.  Once they are acclimated, you can feed your fish 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day. You can feed them brine shrimps, blood worms, earthworms and artemia.  Try to add some vegetables and plants to keep a balanced diet. You can also try to feed them pellets and flakes, but they should not form the basis of their diet.

Small pinches of food a couple of times a day can help to maintain the water quality rather than putting all the food in the aquarium once a day.

Care  This fish is quite sensitive to water parameters (especially nitrates levels), so it is not wise to place this fish is a new aquarium.  It needs frequent water changes, at least one a week – try to replace 10%-20% of the tank water once a week. If you have a heavily stocked tank you will need to replace more water.

If water quality is ignored, it can have major consequences on your fish’s health. When replacing the water, the water added should be treated and be at temperature.

In addition to the many common diseases related to poor water management and oxygenation, such as Ich disease, Blue Rams are particularly susceptible to fish tuberculosis (TB).