# German blue Rams in a 12 gallon?



## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Hello to all:
I bought a 12 gallon Fluval edge aquarium for my diamond tetra babies, when the tank was cycled the babies where big enough to swim in the big tank so I just let them loose there and they are doing fine.
I was thinking to have a pair of German blue rams in this little tank, but then I have read that they need at least a 20 gallon tank.
Please let me know if my tank will work for them so I don't do a mayor mistake buying them just to discover that they will die for the lack of space.
I guess in the contra-part if I can't do rams I can look into the shell dwellers or similar for that little tank.
Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
I presently have 2 julii cories and I rubber nose pleco in the 12 gallon.

thank you


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

the cory cat prefer to be in a bigger group ideally 5+ but a minimum is 3+. as for a pair of rams in a 12 gallon that isnt ideal so i would suggest you go with maybe some form of small tetras or maybe a shrimp tank.


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Yeah, that is what I thought.
I can pass the julii to my main tank that I have 15 all together over there, and maybe the red phantom tetra o more colorful, some congo tetras....


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

What about a betta and a couple of more cories?


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## halffrozen (Sep 24, 2011)

What is the 12gal foot print???

I know Rams are fine so long as they are for sure a pair in a 10 gallon tank. Otherwise they will fight quite a bit, so maybe put 1 male and 3 females in a bigger tank, wait for him to choose a woman.. and then sell the females.. or keep them,. but then you can most likely keep them in a tank that size.


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

betta seems like a nice tank. i would do all female. but remember even with female they can still be agressive


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

i know, I used to breed bettas...I love them


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

How about a pair of shelldwellers (multifasciatus) I am not experienced with them, but they are pretty small, and they might just fit in a 12 gallon? I know a 20 long would work for a pair.

Art


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## EpicCichlids (May 7, 2011)

if you're steering away from the blue rams into shell dwellers; i'd highly recommend l. ocellatus! :thumb: very fun to watch them spar amongst theirselves. I'd say start with maybe half a dozen+ and remove the "rejected ones" until you have a nice harem of 1 M: 2F. good luck!


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## moneygetter1 (Jan 8, 2006)

opcorn: Don't give up on the rams!! You can start them there & later switch them to the 240 w/ the discus. No worries. GBR's are crowd pleasers!!!!


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Ahhhh...what a beauty!!!
I am not giving up....german blue rams.....here I come


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

i breed rams in 10g tanks. they should be fine with a good foot print. a few small plants and a little space for them to call home. maybe some galaxy rasboras and bam beauty tank!!


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Well, I did it...German Blue Rams in my 12 gallon, I bought 1 male and 3 females. they are gorgeous. Pictures to come. Now I will take out the rasboras and bring some smaller tetras, I saw in the LFS, they are small and red, don't ask me what they are but very flashy looking.
the GBR like the place, immediately their color came back and they are eating well, most everything I am offering. they have plenty space to swim and lots of plants to hide, rocks, including a flat rock in case they need to breed and 2 nice pieces of drift wood. companions on this tank are for now 3 cory cats Julii, 1 striated loach ( to keep down the snail count don't ask me where they came from, I don't even have natural plants in that tank....but one day I woke up to an invasion of snails..) and 7 harlequin rasboras. .they look happy....and mama is happy too.


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Pictures....pictures...


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## Captain Jim (Apr 16, 2012)

I know I'm jumping in out of nowhere and I'm new, but I got interested in what you are doing tho I'm late. But! If you have bad luck with these guys, don't give up on dwarves. Have you ever looked at Dario Dario? Your rams look great-- Personally I like the gold ones. Sorry if I'm being rude, seriously.


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Hello Captain Jim, you are not being rude, I am just a "blue" freak....i like my fish with some blue...or all blue...LOL
these little guys are doing great, they have adapted to the small tank (and I call it small because both of my other tanks are over a 100 gallons...) they seem to like the space, I have drift wood, some Colorado river rocks and some plants that they seem to enjoy. I bought them when juveniles and they sold me "1 male and 3 females" now they are grown I know I have at least 2 males if not 3 and 1 female for sure. So my next course of action is scooping out the two smaller males and put them into the 240 aquarium with the discus and the tetras and buy more females and leave the loving couple in the little tank. I don't know if I should add more females to the small tank to keep the 1 to 3 number and I will need expert advise on that one. In that little tank I have 3 cories julii and I striated loach...for some reason in all the tanks where I have driftwood I have seen an invasion- of small snails, so the loaches keep them under control, I don't mind one or two, but those little dudes really are in a mission to populate the world....LOL
So no, I am not giving up on the Rams, I like them all, it is just the German Blue Rams I am starting with...I appreciate your comment. Thank you


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

Well I did it....I bought 6 more German blue Rams. these I put in my 240 gallon, inmediatelly they went on to their business, establish territory ...the are gorgeous and eating like there is no other meal available....growing very fast., my guys in the 12 gallon still dong well and happy. No babies so far though.


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