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Can someone tell em the minimum tank size for a breeding pair of Rams? Can I also have some info on breeding them? Would Amano Shrimp disrupt their breeding? Thanks.

Chris

You could probably get by with a 10g for a pair.

I've kept both Bolivian and German rams but never bred them. Not sure exactly what type of info you're looking for...here]http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/microgeophagus_altispinosa.php[/link] is an article about Bolivians where the author talks about personal breeding experience with them. [link=Here is a link to a basic article on setting up for dwarf cichlids.

My only concern with shrimp would be them eating eggs...that would depend on how protective the parent or parents are of the eggs.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Perfect I have a 10g about to be open! I also heard that you might need a 2-1 female male combo, Is that true? I have also decided on German Blue Rams.

Chris

The 10 gallon would be great for the breeding tank. I would use a sponge filter, no gravel, a flat rock for a spawn site and some java moss in the tank. The following is a nice link to what you might expect:

Rams



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Well i was planning on having a natural colored gravel, some driftwood w/ anubais nana in it with Cabomba as a foreground plant. Would a Bio-Wheel 100 be sufficent, or why would i need a sponge filter?

Chris

That's a great article Bob gave a link to.

The setup he mentioned is a basic breeding tank. No frills, just one purpose: breeding a specifc type of fish. Having no gravel and other decor makes it easy to remove eggs, either parent, or fry if necessary.

The setup you describe is fine and similar to their natural environment.

I believe rams are monogamous. So you could try to purchase a proven pair; or a male and female, hoping that they find each other acceptable. The other option is what many people attemtping breeing do: purchase 5-6 young fish and let them pair up on their own. Downside is finding something to do with the extra fish.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I was planning on keeping the fry in there but i have other solutions. Yeah that article was great. Could i keep one ram in a 30g cichlid tank while growing fry with one parent? Or would they get eaten? Also will the parents ever eat the fry? Thanks.

Chris

my breeding blue rams love to spawn in a old brokin flower pot. one of the tarra cotta ones. if you are gonna use one make sure its not sealed. (the ones that are shiny are sealed) the sealet could get into the water and poison them... the 'rents wont eat the fry but i usely take them out of the tank when the fry start takeing flake food. i had some troble when my pair spawned again and started attackin the older fry.

good luck

If you plan to breed the fish, there is an inherent problem with power filters. The fry get sucked up the intake tube. You can prevent this problem by placing a sponge over the intake but the suction may still be too strong for fry. The air driven sponge filter does not have this problem.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Okay. Well the main problem i think i am going to face is to find a pair at my LFS. But thanks everyone for all the info...

Chris

Many stores will order fish for you. You could also check AquaBid or local fish clubs.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Also when i remove a parent for fry care should i remove the female or male?

Chris

doesnt matter they will both treat the fry well. just as long as one of them isnt there so they dont spawn again.

One last thing, Can they go into a large cichlid tank (Severum, Parrotfish, Knifefish e.g.) and live? Also Why are they called rams?

Chris

Knifefish aren't cichlids, but either way rams have no business being in a tank with those rougher, tougher fish. Either the normally higher pollutant levels would do them in, or the bigger fish themselves would.

German rams probably got the "ram" designation through their scientific name, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. The label probably got tagged on Bolivian rams either because of confusion with the German rams, or just because the species are similar.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Well i was saying knifefish to give an idea of those tankmates. So ram comes from the scientific name okay. But my original question was not answered, Will they live in that tank? Thanks.

Chris

"...but either way rams have no business being in a tank with those rougher, tougher fish. Either the normally higher pollutant levels would do them in, or the bigger fish themselves would."

As I said, the rams would probably not make it. They're just not hardy enough.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."