# How many German Blue Rams can I keep?



## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

Hello! I have a 29 gallon tank currently with 2 large-ish goldfish (4 1/2 inches each) who will be moving out to the pond with the other big fish this weekend. Went to the LFS to get some ideas and they have the most beautiful German Blue Rams. If I get one sex only (so I don't have to deal with breeding pairs) how many GBRs can I keep? Would males or females be better to keep aggression to a minimum? Or, could I do a single male and a harem of females? I really want to keep this a species tank with maybe a small catfish or two.

I know they need very clean water. Currently, my tank is 0 ammonia or nitrite and ~10 nitrate. Ph is 7.2. I plan on doing water changes as soon as nitrate hits 20. Lately with my giant messy goldfish it has been getting to 20 every 3-4 days. I'm thinking with the GBRs it should be every 5 or so days.

Tank specs
29 gallon tank
Aquaclear 50 filter
200 watt heater (obviously not used for the goldfish)
River pebble gravel (might consider switching to sand)
Plenty of hiding places and plants to break up sight lines


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## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

I know it's not always the best tool, but I plugged my tank into Aqadvisor. With 6 GBRs it says 
Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 304%.
Recommended water change schedule: 11% per week.
Your aquarium stocking level is 51%

It also gives this warning, which I assume is for breeding pairs, right?
Warning: Your selected species may eventually require 168% of your aquarium space. You may need to deal with territorial aggressions later on. Try removing some of (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) or get a larger tank.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

I have kept and bred rams before, and a 29gal would be OK for about 4 females. The females will "Bicker" too, but not as much as the males.

PS--which catfish? Most catfish like to be in small school of about 5+.


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## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

Thanks. So 4 female GBRs sounds good. Maybe a school of tetras to add some more movement? The LFS has 3 hoplo catfish in their tank with the GBRs. I'll have to do a little more research on hoplos because I've never seen them before. I like Cory cats, but they all need lower temps that I've read GBRs need. With the GBRs be alright at 75*F? I thought they needed to be around 80*F. The LFS almost always has bronze and albino corys. So seem to get peppered corys a lot too. More research is definitely needed before I get the catfish.


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## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

How about this stock?
1 angelfish
3 female GBRs
8-10 rummynose tetras

OR

1 dwarf gourami 
3 female GBRs
8-12 neon tetras

Could I still do 6 corys or a hoplo cat in here?


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

I like the later with the dwarf gourami. IMO, Angels need at least a 55gal.
Hoplo cats grow fairly big, and with only a 29gal, there is no longer any room for corys. 
You can add a school of dwarf corys---Hastatus or Habrosus


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## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

The only corys they get are bronze, albino, and peppered. Could I do one of those instead of the dwarfs?


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

You will need 5-6 corys for them to be happy, and with your currant stock (IMO) a 29gal is a little too small for that group.


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## NikkiHill0509 (Nov 14, 2016)

So maybe no bottom dwellers.


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## Vancous (Nov 22, 2016)

A really good catfish that stays small and is fast enough to hold its own is the otocuclus catfish. They grow to be 2". Best to keep them in small groups of 4 but I've managed to keep only 1 or 2 and they do fine. I kept them with a firemouth Cichlid and rainbow shark in a 20 gal. tank and had no problems. Given they, like GBR, are sensitive to their water and what makes them hard to keep is that they'll die without warning. But normally they do fine.


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