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I bought this little guy earlier today. He was in with some Bolivian Rams but he is obviously not one. The guy said he was a South American Ram. I have never heard of that but bought him anyways. I only impulsively bought it because the guy seems to know his fish and he said it would be ok in my tank. I hardly ever go to this LFS because it is so far away and I have never seen a ram in any LFS before.
I also bought an angel. They are acclimating now. I hope the little ram guy will be ok in my tank. I have some hiding spaces so maybe he will be happy.
Is he a South American Ram? If so, what do you know about them?
Here is a picture...the best I could do, he wouldn't be still.



Last edited by GirlieGirl8519 at 07-Dec-2005 18:20[/font][/font]

*Kristin*

Both species of ram are from South America, so that common name doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Maybe the employee was making it up, I dunno.

You look to have a German ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi), which is the "other" ram species besides the Bolivian ram. These fish can be very fragile in the first month or so after they've been purchased, so be sure to keep a good eye on it and maintain high water quality. They prefer soft, acidic water, but can handle different parameters as long as they don't fluctuate and the tank is kept clean. These fish are very popular and look beautiful once they color up, so I think you'll find that you enjoy your purchase very much.

Here is our profile on the German ram: [link=http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/blueram.xml]http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/blueram.xml" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]

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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."

aren't those called blue rams, or maybe a dull golden ram.

i had one and i thought it was called a blue ram, but could be wrong.

"Blue" rams and "German" rams are different names for the same exact species of fish. I prefer the "German" term because both ram species can look blue, and I figure that if the Bolivian ram can be named after a country, then the German ram doesn't need to be left out.

I don't think it is a gold type, just a very stressed normal German ram. Heh, it was still in the bag for the picture.

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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."

He does look like a German Ram now that I look at the profile. Just my picture is really bad. He looks more yellow in the picture. With the lights on the tank turned off his colors show more, but you still couldn't see them in a picture.
Thanks sirbooks, I can always count on you to identify my mystery fish.
Will he be ok by himself? I will have to make sure I keep up on my maintanence so I can keep him.
My pH is 7.6. I hope he will be ok. It doesn't fluctuate though...always the same.

"just a very stressed normal German ram"
Yes. The ride home was about an hour, maybe a little more because of traffic. Then I left him in the bag for almost an hour to acclimate him and the angel. I let them sit for 20 mins, then poured water in and let them sit for 30 mins, then poured water in again and let them sit for about 10 mins, so he was definitely ready to get out of that bag.

Last edited by GirlieGirl8519 at 07-Dec-2005 18:50

Last edited by GirlieGirl8519 at 07-Dec-2005 18:50

*Kristin*

Yep, your ram should be fine by itself. These fish do like to be kept in at least a pair, but you don't need to worry about that. For one thing, it doesn't sound like you have access to any more German rams at your local stores; for another, it may be a good idea to see how well one ram does in your tank before adding any others. It is always possible to find out the gender of your fish, then match it with a ram of the opposite gender in hopes that they'll pair up. Adding a male ram to a tank with an established male often ends up in fighting and the death of the newer ram, so the sex does tend to be important.

Good luck with the new critter. I know I liked my blue rams when I had them.

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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."

By the way, it's a she.

i was guna say she is a blue ram,i have two of them in my daughters tank,in with with lots of little tetras,(neons,whiteclouds,platys,etc,etc).as long as you keep the water good these little wonders wont give you much trouble,i set it up like that so they feel like they are the boss,and they are,my daughters tank gets more comments than mine.great looking fish when they settle in and feel at home.good luck

Ohh she's a she...I have a habit of just calling fish "he". I have mostly tetras and cories in my 55g and I can't tell the guys from the girls so I just call single fish he.

Here is a new picture of the little gal. It is still blurry, but I'm trying.


By the way, how can you tell she's a girl? I have no idea how to tell, this kind of fish is very new to me.:%)[/font]

*Kristin*

The black spot has blue sparkles in them, and her belly is pinkish.

Regards,
DaFish

The Amazon Nut...