Ram wiki

[cbui]Introduction
[ci]These bright little gems are often the perfect introduction into the world of dwarf cichlids. Being commonly available at many stores and featuring some of the brightest colors known to fish, they are a lovely sight to behold. However, they are not exactly beginner fish suited to your first tank. They are a bit on the sensitive side and really benefit from having hot water that a lot of other fish just don’t do super well in.

[bcui]Appearance
[ci]German Blue Rams are a gorgeous dwarf cichlid that have many different varieties and colorations. The three most common varieties are the electric blue, which are so blue they could be mistaken for the Blue Acara, the golden variety that looks very similar but displays gold and red colors and the standard German Blue Ram that feature a combination of the two colorations and many dark stripes across the body. German Blue Rams also have a variation that has been bred to feature longer fins and are called longfin Rams. Their tails and fins are very flowing and beautiful if that is what you look for in a fish. There is a related fish that looks very similar to the German Blue Ram hailing from Bolivia known as the Bolivian Ram or the Mikrogeophagus Altispinosus but these two species have differing care and appearances. If you’re ever confused about the type of ram you have, a good identifier is their eyes. German Blue Ram’s feature deep red eyes while the Bolivian Rams only display a brown color. More differences will be addressed later down when common misconceptions are addressed. Furthermore, there is also another variation of the German Blue Ram known as an Angel Ram or a Balloon Ram. These will be discussed in the section marked for negative genetic modification.
[IMG=N3C] [IMG=I9U] [IMG=V0G] [IMG=Q9I]

[cbui]Geographical Range and Habitat
[ci]These fish occupy the Orinoco River basin which is a small portion of the very large Amazon river and this specific part lies in Los Llanos of Venezuela and Colombia. Llano, which is the singular of Llanos, means grassy plain in South American which describes the area these fish occupy. The body of water is relatively flat and is one of the hotter water bodies in the entire Amazon. The temperature ranges from 78-85 Fahrenheit or 26-30 Celsius. The ph of the water is acidic, around the value of 5.0. The water is soft and the flow is generally very slow. In the wild, German Blue Rams take after their subfamily name of Geophagini which they share with the much larger Earth Eater Cichlids or the Geophagus. These fish get most of their food by sifting through the bottom substrate and dig up food particles as their meal. They’ll eat differently in aquaria but that will be addressed more in the diet section of this article. German Blue Rams are one of the rare species of cichlid that school. Though they do not require their schools in aquaria, they can be found in the thousands in the wild.
[IMG=M5W] [IMG=M0Q]

[cbui]Healthy Behavior
[ci]In Aquaria, German Blue Rams are not required to be kept in Schools. They do fine in smaller groups. The sign of Healthy Rams often are a good amount of infighting for dominance. When they move slowly and do not get into conflict, they are often sluggish and unhealthy. Watch their colors closely as if their colors fade, that can be a very bad sign. Also watch closely for small dots covering their body or larger bellies as they are prone to both Ich and Bloat. They are bottom dwellers and animals that stay close to the bottom of the tank are certainly more prone to Ich and Rams are not known for their small appetites. Though they occupy the bottom of the tank mostly, they will gladly venture up to the top of the tank if they can find food or need to escape each other. They are not restricted to the bottom of the tank as other bottom dwellers are.

[bcui]Tank Set Up
[ci]German Blue Rams need hot water. They come from the same part of the world that discus do and require similar water quality. The tank should be established and running with a full stock for around two weeks to a month before these fish are ever acclimated to the tank as they can be finicky. Going further, having a tank with a lot of vegetation and low flow would be very similar to their natural habitat. All fish should have some hides Rams included and allowing them to have hides will allow them to be more comfortable in the tank. Keeping the ph and hardness of the water stable is also of the upmost importance meaning stabilized ph with stuff like calcium inducing agents like crushed coral, even though it makes the water harder, would be beneficial. Do not add any ph changing agents if the water quality is stable.

[cbui]Tank Maintenance
[ci]German Blue Rams require pristine water. This means they should have water change of 75% and up weekly in order to keep as many nitrates out of the water as possible. Reducing ammonia agents in the substrate and around the tank will be very beneficial. Though in the wild, they’ll get food from the substrate, they are not known for doing this as much in the aquarium so they are not a substitute for gravel vacs every month or so.

[cbui]Hardiness
[ci]The hardiness of the German Blue Ram can vary greatly on the quality of the specimens. If you have a reputable breeder that can be bought from, the species should generally do well. If you have lower quality specimens, there’s a chance the fish simply won’t live as good of a life as ones that are. Keeping them hot is a necessity to keeping them hardy and they will start to die off quickly if they’re not kept as hot as they should be. If you’re searching for a similar species that is better known for its hardiness, the Bolivian Ram, mentioned previously, may be better suited to your style.

[cbui]Diet
[ci]German Blue Rams are omnivores that will do well when offered a good pellet food that features valuable plant matter and protein. This can be supplemented with live food but make sure to keep fatty foods away from their diet as they are prone to bloat. All food they are offered should be sinking food as generally they’ll reach it best if the food can make it to the bottom of the tank. When they’re not eating from the surface, they may be eating particles within the gravel.

[cbui]Compatibility
[Ci]Often people assume keeping Rams is either really hard or really easy for multiple different reasons. This mainly has to do with their compatibility. They’re often kept with species that either their temperatures conflict or the other species bullies them. Even though they are a cichlid, they are not suited to be kept with tank mates who are semi aggressive such as something like a Blue Acara or even larger dwarf cichlids like some Apistogramma or Kribensis. While they may fight between themselves, this is part of their natural behavior for claiming territory. A more territorial species could disrupt this careful balance. It is often recommended to keep them with a smaller schooling species as a kind of dither indicator fish. The presence of smaller fish leads the Rams to not be scared of threats and be less stressed in the aquarium.

[cbui]Imported vs Wild Caught
[ci]Wild Rams vary in different ways compared to their line bred counterparts. The Rams bred for aquaria have weaker genes after being selectively bred as very desirable fish for quite some time, but wild Rams are not nearly as used to the water qualities of modern day aquariums. Wild Rams will be more aggressive and territorial as well, as most fish tend to be that come from the wild. Of course, the different variations of the Rams such as electric blue, golden or angels do not exist in the wild however wild Rams are known for having more dark bars covering their body.
[IMG=U4Y]

[cbui]Sexual Dimorphism
[ci]Rams have many forms of sexual dimorphism that unfortunately don’t tend to be universal across all specimens. Common sexual dimorphism presents itself in size, as males are often a bit larger than females, coloration, as females tend to display more pinkish colors in the standard German Blue Ram, black stripes on the pelvic fins and males don’t typically feature blue dots on their black spot and body shape as females typically are plumper and do display a more rounded tailfin and dorsal fin. [IMG=I2M] [IMG=V0E]

[cbui]Negative Chemical Reactions
[ci]Being a bottom dweller species, they are more susceptible to different medications that attack the lower portions of the aquarium. These types of medications include Methylene Blue, Malachite Green and all salt based treatments just name a few often commonly used to treat stuff like ich. This doesn’t mean that they cannot be treated with these medications but they should be used with more caution. Luckily, they are not as locked to the bottom of the tank as other bottom dwellers are so it isn’t as severe as a problem.

[cbui]Negative Genetic Modification
[ci]German Blue Rams are the most common dwarf cichlid to be kept and are seen as quite desirable fish. Through the years of line breeding, the species has developed more and more problems. The farther away the fish is from a wild specimen, the more likely the fish will feature weaker genes. It is also possible that breeders in Asia get away with the use of hormones to make the colors of these fish really pop which can often shorten lifespans. Probably the most severe negative genetic modification would be the Angel Ram varieties. They share common symptoms as balloon mollies, ballon gourami and ballon rainbowfish where they were genetically passed the trait of scoliosis and their spines are additionally shortened to achieve that cute and round look. This does shorten their lifespans and messes with their biological functions as organs may be pushed or shifted to fit the body.
 [IMG=M4H]

[bcui]Common Misconceptions
[ci]The main misconceptions that Rams tends to be about their hardiness and compatibility. They are hardy fish that can be very strong but only in the right circumstances. They need hot and pristine water with the proper tank mates to keep them healthy and swimming. When this is achieved, they can be the boss of the tank and rule the fish ecosystem. Rams used to be considered to be a type of apistogramma so they can be mistaken as them from time to time. The other semi common mistake people make is confusing them with Bolivian Rams. Bolivian Ram’s eyes are much more of a brown while German Blue Rams feature a bright red eye.
[IMG=Q9Z]

[cibui]Sources
[ci][Main image|https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcS77QmdM4RwoX8ReTAUhnw79Tpo4XtQPqKM1nEgyD0hOH94Fw4t]
[ci][Background Image|https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xe-oeOHydY0/hqdefault.jpg]
[ci] [Electric Blue Ram Picture|https://m.liveaquaria.com/images/categories/large/lg-39704_ElectricBlueRam.jpg]
[ci] [Gold Ram Picture|https://i.redd.it/v66kny7ishh21.jpg]
[ci] [Map of Los Llanos|https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Ecoregion_NT0709.svg/300px-Ecoregion_NT0709.svg.png]
[ci] [Image of Los Llanos|https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0c/ac/1f/2c/aventur-eco-tours.jpg]
[ci][Wild Ram image|https://www.aqua-imports.com/shop/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/German-Blue-Ram.png?w=640]
[ci] [Angel Ram Image|https://m.liveaquaria.com/images/categories/large/lg_79331_AngelRam.jpg]
[ci] [Bolivian Ram|https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1141/1330/products/bolivian.jpg?v=1460571668]
[ci] [Longfin Ram Image|https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/b7/cc/65b7cc2d64bce7c4bf68d5cde373c71f.jpg]
[ci] [Sandzaquatics|http://aminoapps.com/p/p8s8r9]
[ci] [Aquaticcommunity|http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/germanblueram.php]
[ci] [Seriously fish|https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/mikrogeophagus-ramirezi/]
[ci] [Fishbase|https://www.fishbase.se/summary/12305]
[ci] [Redlist|https://www.iucnredlist.org/]
[ci] [Liveaquaria for average msrp|https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/1084/?pcatid=1084]