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I have a 10 gallon tank running currently with a female blue ram, a female gold ram, a kuhli loach, and 2 ottos. There are a few microsword clumps in the tank that I am expecting to spread like a little carpet about the tank.

The blue ram is a little bigger than the gold ram and they usually get along, but sometimes the blue ram nips the gold ram's tail and it is a little torn in some areas. There are not many hiding places, so that may be one cause of the agression, but I have always heard that smaller fish such as danios or tetras that move quickly will make an agressive fish more distracted and comfortable which will stop fin nippage against other fish. Is this true? should I add some neons or danios to this tank? how many?....keep in mind the other fish too....I don't want to overstock. Is there another way I can prevent this?

~*~ Caviar? no thanks! ~*~

You might want to try a larger tank, with plants to hide in and some rocks w/ holes so that the small ram could hide. I don't think adding smaller fish would make the ram less aggressive, if anything it might attack them too!

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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."

I would go for something small and quick, doesn`t matter apart from that

I would go for something small and quick, doesn`t matter apart from that

Yes...but will that work?


I cannot get a bigger tank...I don't have the space or money.

~*~ Caviar? no thanks! ~*~

I've got 3 male blue rams in my 33 communitay tank, and the older one chases the 2 newer ones occasionaly without any damage. None of them seem to bother with the neon tetras or gold barbs, the only thing i've realy seen them go after consistently are my pair of platies, but even my tetras hate them because they're notorious for stealing food. I'de say your best bet is to create some sort of seperate teritory with visual bariers- plants, ornaments, etc. If you can create an area like that, your gold ram may get a break. One question though, how long have they been together? Sometimes it takes a few days for things to calm down with new additions. If you had a 20 gallon tank I'de sugest throwing in a male ram, or another female to divide the attention of the blue ram, but this isn't the case.

ok, well the two female rams have been in the 10 gallon for about 3 weeks. They usually get along, but here and there a fin gets nipped on the gold ram (which is smaller than the blue ram).

I actually DO have another tank that is a 20 gallon planted tank with one male blue ram in it. He is the only ram in the tank. I had the female blue ram with him before, but he would constantly harass her and nip fins, which caused stress, which caused fin rot to break out on the female blue ram....so I would like to keep them separate.


....I guess I will just have to deal with the agression...it is really not that bad..oh well.

~*~ Caviar? no thanks! ~*~

you could try returning both females and getting 2 males from the same brood, the same size, and introducing them at the same time.

dolphin

was wondering if anybody noticed that

Ok....i definitely do not get the last two posts.

~*~ Caviar? no thanks! ~*~

The problem you have is adding fish to stop the harrassment of the gold ram will only mean harrassment for the new additions. The tank is simply too small for them to escape the aggression from the cichlid.

I know 3 rams in a 10 gallon would be pushing it, but what if I got one more female gold or blue ram so that they feel more like a family. Then there should be less harassment...right?

~*~ Caviar? no thanks! ~*~

With those amount of fish, you need a larger tank, like 20G long or a 30G.

However you could also just move the Rams to their own tank, you can have 2 in a 10G though 2 - 3 in a 20G would be by far better. Add lots of hiding places, rocks or plants to keep them busy, so they are not always targeting eachother.

From every indication I've seen the only way is to go all males, same size, get them when juvenille, add them at the same time. There may be other ways of doing rams in a community, but if they pair off it becomes ugly for all other fish (all other rams included) so that means all male or all female, i've had success with all male, and never heard of all female working out, but have heard one problem with it.