German Blue Ram, scientific name Mikrogeophagus ramirezi have been popular within the passion for many years for his or their good colors and simple reproduction.
They are small cichlids from South America that hardly ever develop bigger than 2″. Their name, “Small Eartheater,” provides clues about their feeding mechanism:
They sift sand by way of their mouths and gills, swallowing small bits of meals. As such, sand is necessary for the long-term health of those fish. They appear to love their water hotter than most different fish, so it’s suggested to maintain the water as near 80° as possible.
German Blue Ram Facts
Common Name: German Blue Ram, Ram Chiclid, German Blue
Scientific Name: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Adult Size: 2 to three inches
Life Expectancy: 2 to three years
Origin and Distribution
Like many different cichlid species, the German Blue Ram or Ram Cichlid is native to South America. This species is discovered within the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Colombia. It has been bred efficiently in captivity for a few years, defending wild populations.
Overview
The German Blue Ram belongs to the Cichlid family and is understood scientifically as Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. This species can be recognized below plenty of different names principally referring to its lovely coloration corresponding to Electric Blue Ram or Butterfly Cichlids.
It was first found in 1948 and was named after the first collector and importer, Manuel Ramirez.
They are referred to as among the best Cichlids, as a result of their peaceable nature and exquisite colors.
It can stay fortunately in your tank for as much as three years should you take excellent care of them.
The German Blue Ram Cichlid is kind of widespread within the aquarium commerce and is simply present in pet outlets. You can discover them for a modest worth of about $7-8.
German Blue Ram Behavior
You will likely be joyful to know that the German Blue Ram is kind of peaceable – in contrast to most different Cichlids.
This South American Cichlid is amongst the best Cichlids for community tanks.
When establishing the tank contemplate that, this fish doesn’t have a most popular tank area and can spend most of its time swimming across the tank.
However, they love crevices and hiding areas, so crops and rocks are a should on this tank setup.
Appearance of German Blue Ram
The German Blue Ram is a really colorful fish, it has a brilliant yellow-ish, virtually green body and head with the remainder of the body is blue/white.
Black curved traces run alongside its body with a black dot roughly in the midst of the body. Generally, wild-caught specimens have more seen traces than captive-bred fish.
Their eyes are red and their fins are yellow or red with blue traces that are virtually transparent. The front dorsal fin is mostly black.
Females have a pink-orange stomach and are barely smaller. Their body is oval formed with a pointed tail and fins.
Sexual dimorphism is seen each within the colors but in addition within the form of the fins. Males have more pointed dorsal fins than females.
If the colors usually are not sufficient to warn off predators, Cichlids even have spiny rays alongside their fins to forestall them from being eaten by bigger fish. These spiny rays can get caught within the enemy’s throat.
German Blue Ram Size
The German Blue Ram is a small Cichlid, that can develop around 2 inches long.
German Blue Ram Diet and Feeding
The German Blue Ram is an omnivore and eats a diverse diet of each meat and plant.
Typically within the wild, Rams feed on small bugs or invertebrate and plant materials floating within the surrounding waters.
When settling into a brand new tank, your Rams would possibly seem a bit skittish and refuse to eat. Don’t fear there may be nothing improper, they simply need time to settle. To persuade your Rams to eat once more you may tempt them with some tasty meals corresponding to stay mosquito larvae.
Once they’re acclimated, you may feed your fish 2 to five small pinches of meals a day. You can feed them brine shrimps, blood worms, earthworms, and artemia.
Try so as to add some greens and crops to maintain a stable diet. You may attempt to feed them pellets and flakes, however, they need to not type the basis of their diet.
Small pinches of meals a few instances a day might help to take care of the water’s high quality quite than placing all of the meals within the aquarium as soon as a day.
Colors and Markings
The German Blue Ram is distinctive with its vivid blue accents. The base shade of the body is gold/silver, with black markings over the top, cranial dorsal fin, and spots on the dorsal side-body.
The fins could also be barely red or orange at their ideas. The total body is highlighted by vibrant patches of reflective electrical blue, giving this fish its name.
German Blue Ram Habitat and Tank Conditions
The native populations of Ram Cichlids are from South America. They inhabit the prolonged waterways of the Amazon River, particularly the Orinoco River Basin in Venezuela and Colombia.
These Rams stay in shallow swimming pools and streams with sandy beds and ample vegetation.
This tropical fish is used to sluggish flowing rivers with loads of aquatic and submerged land vegetation which regularly darken the encompassing waters.
German Blue Ram Tank Setup
The German Blue Ram is delicate to water parameters, due to this fact it’s essential to offer them the very best surroundings possible.
Firstly, don’t introduce this fish to an aquarium that has not been cycled with a wonderful filtration system.
Oxygen and nitrate ranges ought to all the time be monitored.
The water parameters to finest mimic the natural surroundings are as follows:
Temperature: 78-85°F
pH range: 6.0-7.5
Water hardness: 6-14 dGH
Moderate to subdued lighting
Slow to average water present
A mixture of gravel and sand can be utilized as a substrate. You may add some massive rocks for adornment.
German Blue Rams will admire a closely planted tank with plenty of hiding locations – you should utilize rocks or driftwood for this.
When arranging the crops be sure you additionally go away some area free of charge swimming.
Examples of crops you should utilize for adorning your aquarium are Java Fern, Amazon Sword, and Wisteria. Bogwood and the crops will assist to maintain the pH in the test and likewise contribute to coloring the water making more comparable surroundings to the South American Rivers.
German Blue Ram Tankmates
Unlike many different cichlid species, the German Blue Ram is a comparatively peaceable fish, and due to this fact not nicely suited to many mixture cichlid species tanks.
Provided their water high-quality parameters match, the German Blue Ram could be stored with many different appropriate community aquarium fish species.
Other potential cichlid companions for the German Blue Ram embody the Blood Parrot Cichlid or Kribensis Cichlid. There are many more aggressive cichlid species that aren’t really helpful to be stored with the German Blue Ram.
German Blue Ram Care
The German Blue Ram is really helpful just for superior hobbyists as a result of its finicky water quality necessities and desired habitat.
It is crucial to take care of good water of high quality for any fish system, however further vital to maintaining your German Blue Ram alive and wholesome. Stick to a regular upkeep schedule and check your water’s high quality often.
In addition to distinctive water high quality, this species likes to have crops to swim around, caves to cover in, and should you plan on breeding, flat stones for females to put their eggs.
Too many crops will hinder your fish’s skill to swim freely and never sufficient caves might result in pointless competitors between cave-loving species. It is fragile stability to create a surrounding the place your fish has room to swim and safely conceal.
German Blue Ram Diet and Feeding
Being omnivores and never very choosy eaters, a balanced cichlid pellet is your best option for German Blue Ram. Supplements with frozen, recent, or dried diets are welcome on an occasional basis, however shouldn’t make up more than 5-10% of the general diet. These could be each carnivore and herbivore treat.
Being easygoing fish, there are not any particular feeding necessities for the German Blue Ram. As with all community tanks, broadcast feeding is really helpful so all fish get a fair proportion.
Gender Differences
It may be very troublesome to distinguish between female and male rams. The males are typically bigger and more colorful, however exterior variations usually are not a constant technique of sex differentiation.
For some people, should you rigorously have a look at the black spots on the aspect of your German Blue Ram, the males are not going to have any blue coloration of their black spots, whereas the females will. The males additionally are likely to have an elongated dorsal fin. However, these usually are not assured strategies of sex dedication.
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Breeding the German Blue Ram
It is extremely urged that everyone makes an attempt at fish breeding happen in a separate breeding tank. This will enable slight variations in water high quality and temperature whereas defending the newly hatched fry.
The German Blue Ram prefers to breed in barely acidic (5.5-6.5), smooth water, and slowly enhance the temperature to the top of the range (82F or 28C). Breeding has high metabolic necessities, so be certain that your fish are nicely fed previous to shifting them into their new environment.
Once you have a longtime male-female pair of German Blue Rams, they are going to are likely to school collectively. They would require a flat rock on which the feminine will lay her eggs, then the male will observe behind to fertilize them. The parents will take turns guarding the eggs and newly hatched fry. Read more about blubber-fish-interesting-facts.