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German Blue Ram

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

The Ram Cichlid (*Mikrogeophagus ramirezi*), or German Blue Ram, is the quintessence of the dwarf cichlid and one of the most iconic and sold tropical fish in the world. A healthy adult male is a dazzling color mosaic: saturated gold and light blue body, a flashy pink/red saddle on the head, a thick vertical black band on the eye and flaming fins covered in iridescent neon blue polka dots. Despite its peaceful butterfly-like appearance, it hides the fiery heart of a cichlid and, tragically, one of the most fragile and intolerant physiologies of the entire aquarium panorama, earning the reputation of "heartbreaker" due to its very high mortality rates in common home aquariums.

Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Sud America (Llanos, bacini del fiume Orinoco in Venezuela e Colombia)
Tank use
Used in 0 tanks
Temperature

28 °C - 30 °C

pH

4.5 - 6.5

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Zona inferiore. Setacciano costantemente la sabbia e pattugliano le radici vicine al fondale.

Adult size

5 cm

Description

Partner Rejection:

Unlike guppies, Rams do not mate with just anyone. They are serial monogamists who choose their partner based on complex visual parades. If you buy a random male and female in a store hoping they pair up, there is a high probability that the male will not like her and will harass her to death until she hides forever. The correct method is to buy 6 youngsters and let them choose their soulmate on their own, then selling the others.

Care and observations

The Thermal Secret (Turn Up the Heater):

The number one mistake made by beginners (often badly advised by shopkeepers) is to keep Rams at 24-25°C (75-77°F), like guppies or platies. Rams are very warm water fish. At 24°C their immune system shuts down, they lose color, hole up on the bottom and die of Ichthyophthirius (White Spot Disease) in two weeks. They MUST BE KEPT AT 28-30°C (82-86°F). They are for this reason the perfect and highly famous tank mates for Discus fish.

Lethal Tap Water:

This is not a tolerant fish. They are native to flooded Venezuelan swamps, where the water is comparable to acidic rainwater (pH 5.0, total absence of limestone). If placed in alkaline calcareous water, their kidneys fail in a few months. They require the use of reverse osmosis systems to heavily cut the salts in the tap water.

The Curse of Commercial Morphs:

Decades of inbreeding in Asia to create the "Electric Blue" (Totally ice blue), "Gold" or the monstrous "Balloon" (with deformed spine) variants have destroyed the genetics of this species. Asian Rams in stores often live only 6-12 months and are immunosuppressed. If possible, look for "German Blue Rams" or local European breeders to get long-lived and immune specimens.

Fish profile

Temperament
Territoriale ma tendenzialmente pacifico. I maschi fanno parate muscolari splendide, gonfiando la gola nera e vibrando. In riproduzione diventano diavoli in miniatura e scacciano ferocemente gli intrusi dal fondo.
Diet
Micro-predatore / Bentonico. Brucano il fondo. La loro bocca è minuscola e schizzinosa. Spesso rifiutano i fiocchi. Per non farli deperire occorre nutrirli quotidianamente con chironomus congelato, artemia e micro-pellet specifici per ciclidi nani morbidi e affondanti.
Tank level
Zona inferiore. Setacciano costantemente la sabbia e pattugliano le radici vicine al fondale.
Minimum group
2
Adult size
5 cm
Minimum tank
80 L
GH
1 dGH - 5 dGH
KH
n/a
TDS
n/a
Conductivity
n/a
Sex ratio
Coppia stabile o Harem (1M, 2F). Il dimorfismo è sfumato: le femmine hanno la pancia gonfia e visibilmente rosa-fucsia brillante e spesso squame blu neon che coprono la macchia nera centrale (assenti nel maschio). I maschi hanno il secondo raggio della pinna dorsale lunghissimo (a spillo).
Feeding frequency
1-2 volte al giorno, somministrando cibo esattamente dove stazionano.
Bioload
Basso
Flow
Corrente Nulla o Debole. Odiano i flussi forti che li costringono a nuotare costantemente.
Reproduction
Open spawners. Depongono centinaia di uova su una pietra piatta esposta al centro del loro territorio. Tristemente, i Ramirezi commerciali (ibridati da decenni) hanno spesso perso l'istinto parentale e divorano le proprie uova subito dopo averle deposte.
Compatibility
Mantenimento ottimale con Caracidi che tollerano le ALTE TEMPERATURE. Splendidi con pesci Discus (condividono esattamente gli stessi parametri estremi di calore e acidità), Cardinali (*Paracheirodon axelrodi*) o Rummy-nose. Pessimi con pesci freddi o frenetici.

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.