# German Blue Ram



## 1eyedtuna! (Sep 1, 2009)

Is it possible to keep a pair of german blue rams and a pair of albino longfin bristlenose plecos in a 5 gallon tank with live plants and driftwood??


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## Mustang Boy (May 2, 2008)

no not even close you couldnt even house 1 of either species in that size of tank sorry for having both of those pairs in the same tank i would recommend nothing smaller than say a 30g long tank


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

the only fish rightfully kept in a 5g is a betta... no cichlid will live in a 5, and no pleco will live in a 5g.


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## 1eyedtuna! (Sep 1, 2009)

Thanks for the replies thats what I thought too. Till I tried it. Both pairs are thriving, they are all showing beautiful colorations and there is hardly any aggression at all. No sickness or anything. They are even spawning.


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## M0oN (Dec 8, 2003)

Neon tetra's and badis badis are good choices for a small tank. Scarlet badis badis resemble south american cichlids in an odd way.


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Check back in a year or two...a 5g doesn't provide much room for error.

BTW, I have no problem with the pair of rams and the pair of Ancistrus in a 20L...



1eyedtuna! said:


> Thanks for the replies thats what I thought too. Till I tried it. Both pairs are thriving, they are all showing beautiful colorations and there is hardly any aggression at all. No sickness or anything. They are even spawning.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

1eyedtuna! said:


> Thanks for the replies thats what I thought too. Till I tried it. Both pairs are thriving, they are all showing beautiful colorations and there is hardly any aggression at all. No sickness or anything. They are even spawning.


Are you saying that you're spawning both plecos and GBR in a 5G tank?

How long have you had them in this set up?

How about some pics, including eggs / fry?


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## 1eyedtuna! (Sep 1, 2009)

Only the Rams have spawned and they have all been in this set up for about 4 months.

I am working on the pictures should be up soon.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

4 months is no gauge of success with a cichlid tank.


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## 1eyedtuna! (Sep 1, 2009)

well it seems to be pretty successful to me.


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Success with cichlids takes longer than four months to determine. By themselves a 5g would be an emergency holding tank not a permanent home. The fact that they've spawned is also not a determination of success. Many freshwater fish spawn as a responce to stress . Adding plecos to the tank is a major increase in bio-load that a tank of that size will not easily absorb regardless of filtration . The fact that you've kept these fish alive is a testament to the hardiness of the modern ram strains , not your skill as a hobbiest. Get these fish a bigger home , you'll both be happier you did.


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## 1eyedtuna! (Sep 1, 2009)

haha well I still feel pretty successful i don't care what you guys say if all you guys are going to do is tell me that im failing....I would love to see if you could get them to breed in a 5 gallon tank yourself. 
Good Luck


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

I don't think there's anyone here besides you that would even consider it. I've been in the hobby a long time and I've gotten away with some setups that were less than ideal, but a pair of rams and a pair of plecos (irregardless of species) is simply more than a 5g can handle long term. Eventually you'll hit the breaking point and it'll go downhill fast. Might be OK now but in 6 months not likely. Keeping this tank healthy even to that point requires a lot of work and daily waterchanges. If your not doing that then you have failed , you just don't know it yet cause the fish are still swimming. Part of being successfull in this hobby is knowing when to take good advice and implement it. You've been given some good recomendations for a suitable tank size for your fish. I urge you to take them seriously . They are your fish and you can do with them as you please, but be aware that you are headed for trouble with them if you stay wit your current setup.


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## Diaster (Aug 17, 2009)

There are 20g tanks at Petco for $30 you can buy a HOB filter good enough for that tank for around $25 you dont NEED gravel and you have plants and wood already its not all that hard and im sure if you hunted around you get a better deal than that. 10g are $14 "thats still double your tank size. You probably paid more for the 5g than you would have for a 10.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

1eyedtuna! said:


> haha well I still feel pretty successful i don't care what you guys say if all you guys are going to do is tell me that im failing....I would love to see if you could get them to breed in a 5 gallon tank yourself.
> Good Luck


Are you raising the fry they produced?

How about those pics?


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

You'd enjoy the personalities of your rams a lot more if you upgraded their tank. Also, if they are breeding then you should keep an eye out for male aggression towards the female, as a 5 gallon doesnâ€™t provide much room for her to escape. Rams arenâ€™t the hardiest of fish, so 5 gallons of water isn't an ideal amount of water to dilute chemical fluctuations in the water. With proper maintenance, keeping these fish alive should be doable.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Really, there isn't much sense in any of us responding at this point.

It sounds like the OP just wanted to argue a bit, and without pics being posted, there is really nothing to back up the claims.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Posts have been removed.

I'm not going to lock the thread unless the derogatory and argumentative posts continue.

I'd like to give the OP time to post a pic of the rams and their fry. :thumb:

Other than that, there really is no need for any further responses!


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *1eyedtuna!*,

Welcome to C-F and nice introduction to the forums mate.

I just have a couple of questions. What are the dimensions or your 5 gallon tank? Is it a standard 5 gallon tank? Also what size are your two bn's? If you've had them since you set the tank up four months ago, they must be atleast 2 inchs TL by now.


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