# Ram Cichlids: stocking compatibility?



## kira (Jul 23, 2012)

Hey guys,
I am planning to get a new setup, and i am definitely going to house a group of ram cichlids/ butterfly cichlids (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi).
These fish is quite fussy regarding water chemistry, and would like to know if you can help me to get some mates with the same requirements?
The tanks is a 55G, will be moderately panted, and well filtered. I will try and keep the PH at a stable 5.5 and the temperature 28''. This tank doesn't have to be exclusive cichlids, i am open to hear all your suggestions, Thanks!!!  :dancing:


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## benck8 (Aug 5, 2011)

Rams with angels in a planted tank is often a popular choice. In a 55g I think two or three pairs of rams would be good, the plants and good aquascaping would help for sight breaks. In fact rams can show really cool behavior when interacting between pairs. You can do a pair of angels for the mid to upper level of the tank if you're an angel fan, two pairs may be viable but I would suggest a sight break somewhere in the middle. With 55g you could also add around 15 or so tetras in that tank for extra color and movement. Hatchet fish are cool too, I believe its marbles that are smallest (make sure you have a tight lid as they're notorious jumpers). For a clean up crew IME bristlenose plecos keep the glass pristine but theres a ton of cool choices when it comes to plecs. Good luck!


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## kira (Jul 23, 2012)

Sounds pretty good, will make my choice and will keep you up to date once everything is up and running!
Thanks


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## pancakeloach (Feb 4, 2008)

benk8's advice is almost exactly my tank - no angel pair, just the singleton, and about 40 neon tetras and assorted other fish. Neither of the rams is visible in this picture (that I can see) but I do have a male and a female in there. My pH isn't as low as 5.5, I think with the CO2 it goes down to 6.6 or so, or at least last time I checked that's where it was at.


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## kira (Jul 23, 2012)

Beautiful setup mate!
About the Ph i think 6.5 sounds more reasonable indeed.
I think i will go with the following:
-6 bolivan rams
-6 angel at first to finish with 1 mating pair.
-20 neons tetras
-1 pair of BN pleco.
-1 pair of dwarf gourami for the top of the tank.

Does it sound ok?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Honestly, I don't think the gouramis will be needed; the angels may not tolerate them either, and seeing as gouramis are asian, the water parameters may not be suitable for them. Plus, fish from Asia would seem quite out of place in a tank featuring South American fish. Depending on the angels, you may be able to get away with 2 pairs, though 1 pair would be the safest bet. Neons can be hit or miss with angels, as neons can very quickly become bite sized, though obtaining both the neons and the angels very early on may help reduce the feasting. deeper bodied tetras may be a better choice; cardinal tetras may also work, if you can find a cheap and reliable source, since cardinals tend to grow slightly bigger (i also find them to be prettier ). Note on the BNP: if you happen to obtain a mated pair that breeds, they could become as aggressive as cichlids when a brood is present.


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## pancakeloach (Feb 4, 2008)

My dwarf gourami doesn't always stay in the top of the tank - actually, I've found a small group of fancy guppies to be the most reliable top-swimming fish in my setup. I also wouldn't try to have a breeding pair of dwarf gourami in a SA setup, although a 48" tank is plenty long enough for two males and when I had two, they got along fine. For a nice South American setup, I would skip gourami and go for one of the top-dwelling SA species like the hatchet fish. (I don't have any of them but they are cool!) But if you're like me and fulfilling a childhood dream of owning dwarf gourami, they will fit into a SA community. 

A good tank size for breeding dwarf gourami would be a 40 long. And if your stand can fit another tank on the bottom like mine... I probably shouldn't be encouraging Multiple Tank Syndrome, though. LOL


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## benck8 (Aug 5, 2011)

I think I saw you mention dwarf gouramis and I'm not sure if these fit in the category but I had a leopard bushfish (Ctenopoma acutirostre), and I believe they are related to gouramis. Anyways - My leopard bushfish was a big ambush predator and would often hide in my plastic plants only to dart out and snatch up one of my rio flame tetras. Just a fair warning if you check those out while fufilling your childhood dream of owning a gourami haha ^^


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## pancakeloach (Feb 4, 2008)

The difference between the leopard bushfish and a dwarf gourami is that the dwarf gourami is too small to eat anybody else, they're 2" as opposed to 8" adult size.  (Which is why I pass them up every time I see one at the pet store!)


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## benck8 (Aug 5, 2011)

That would explain it haha but also like you said its hard to resist them once you see them  I had mine in a 75g and wouldnt't suggest them in anything less than that (maybe a 55 if your the risky type)


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