# Pair of Rams in a 10 gallon



## Braden8558 (Jan 13, 2013)

So my plan was to get 1 German blue ram and have some rasboras with it. Instead could I do a pair of rams in a 10 gallon? Would it be to small for them to successfully breed and take care of their fry? Also could I add a couple otos like 2 and then some amano shrimp (maybe 3?)

Also what are some good breeding tips? It is going to be a planted tank and I have a branchy piece of driftwood that I purchased from an LFS. I heard they like rocks to breed on and caves. How many rocks and caves should I put in there?

Thanks for the help, Braden


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## JoeE (Jun 11, 2012)

I'm not sure this will work out - 10 gallons is really small for almost any South American cichlid tank.

It's going to be very hard to get a Ram pair in a 10 gallon. Usually to get a pair, you need to start with 5 or more fish and remove the others once a pair forms. 5 rams in a 10 gallon is not a good stocking situation, even in the short-term.

If you really want cichlids in a 10 gallon, look into Tanganyikan shell-dwellers - they are really cool and people have been able to keep small groups (3 or more) in 10 gallon tanks successfully.

If you want to do South American dwarfs, look into Apistogrammas, possibly A. borelli. Get a group of juvies from a local breeder and let them grow out, and remove everything but the dominant male and one female. For dithers I would go even smaller than the rasboras, possibly white cloud minnows. A few otos and amano shrimp would probably be OK with enough hiding places, but otos tend to do better in groups of 5 or more.


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## Braden8558 (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. I heard it was more of a get a male and female and they will breed. I already have multiple shell dweller tanks by the way . O was planning on doing no dithers and just buying a male and female (possibly if two are hanging out together) and then add some otos and amano shrimp in the future.


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## JoeE (Jun 11, 2012)

Unfortunately, you can't just put a male Ram together with a female ram and expect a pair. It can happen, but the odds of getting a pair are definitely improved by letting the pair form in a group setting. If you can find someone who will sell you a pair that has already formed that would probably work. But I still think a 10 gallon is a little too small for rams - they really like their space.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It IS best to buy multiples and let pairs form naturally with this species.

But...You could get lucky and get a pair that will bond. I've done it before. However, I would not put more than a pair in a 10G tank. Do you have another tank that you could move an extra female to if you tried 3 and let him choose?

Mine bred better when I moved them from a 10G to a 29G...It was full of baby rams of varying sizes. But, I don't see anything wrong with it if you want to try it. Not sure that the shrimp or otos wouldn't eat the eggs, though. I did not keep anything in with mine.


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