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Ram Cichlid

Blue Ram ~ German Ram ~ Butterfly Ram ~ Golden Ram Family: Cichlidae

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Mikrogeophagus ramirezi Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg Rothschild

   A few great things about the Ram Cichlid,... colorful, small, personable, and inexpensive!

   The Ram Cichlid is a very beautiful, small, and peaceful cichlid. Though they were discovered over 30 years later than their cousin the Bolivian Ram, they have been imported more regularly and so are better known. They are said to be a little less aggressive then their Bolivian counterpart, but are a bit more difficult to keep and breed. Even so they do make a good inhabitant for a community tank with fish of a similar temperament. They are inexpensive yet give an aquarist the same joys as other dwarf cichlids, and they are much easier to acquire. They are personable with their owner and will quickly associate them with food. They will happily beg for more whenever you approach the tank.

   A community fish, the Ram Cichlid can be kept with non-cichlid fish and other peaceful dwarf cichlids. This fish is 'more bark than bite' and will not do well in an aggressive tank. Providing an environment with rocks, driftwood, and flowerpots for hiding will make them feel comfortable. They will also enjoy several dense plant clusters, but leave some open space for swimming. They can be easy to care for if water changes are performed frequently. If water quality is ignored, as with all cichlids, disease and death can occur. Just a little dedication will reap pleasurable results from this little fish.

   You will find the Ram Cichlid known by a variety of names for both wild caught specimens and captive bred varieties. Besides Ram Cichlid, some of the common names the natural form is known by are the Butterfly Cichlid, Dwarf Cichlid, Ram, Ramirezi, Blue Ram, and Singapore Ram. With selective breeding a variety of color forms are available too. These will be called such names as the Balloon Ram, German Blue Ram, German Ram, Gold German Ram, Golden Ram, and Blue German Ram.

   Results of captive breeding have been known to produce smaller fish with weaker colors. Breeding a wild caught fish with a captive bred fish helps to keep the lines healthier. Also some females being bred in Asia are loaded up with hormones to make their color vivid. The results of this have been infertility and death within a few months. These fish are generally sold under the “German Blue Ram” label. To avoid these specimens, purchase from a reputable dealer, a local breeder, or obtain wild caught fish.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Ram Cichlid was described by Myers and Harry in 1948. They are found in the Orinoco River basin of South America in the Llanos of Venezuela and Colombia. The “Llanos” is what is called the savannah grasslands in the central Orinoco drainage. They are not actually an Amazon River fish, but are part of this system.
   This species is correctly identified as Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, as per Dr. Sven O Kullander, Senior Curator, Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Previously it was described as Paplilochromis altispinosus and as Apistogramma ramirezi. You may also come across sources spelling the genus as Microgeophagus.

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The Ram Cichlid is a small colorful fish. The body has a yellow area on the first third of the body starting at the nose, with the last two thirds being whitish blue to blue. There is a curved black line that runs vertically from the forehead, through the eye, and then down to the chin. There is a black spot in the middle of the body. The fins are a clearish yellow and they can have a black blotch on the first few rays of the dorsal fin. The female has similar coloring, but also has a pinkish orange belly. The color morph known as the “golden ram” has a yellow head and more white on the body. It also has orangish red coloring on the forehead and tips of the fins. They can live up to 4 years.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
   This fish grows to a length of about 2.5” (7 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The Ram Cichlid is primarily a carnivore that can be fed a mix of meaty foods that are live or frozen; such as brine shrimp, blood worms, white worms, chopped earthworms, cyclopeeze, and artemia. Some may eat flakes and pellets, but these should not be the staple of their diet. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day. This will keep the water quality higher over a longer time. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   A minimum 10 gallon tank is suggested. They prefer slow to moderate moving water along with good efficient filtration. R/O water (reverse osmosis) is preferable. The aquarium should have a cover and low to moderate lighting. An environment with rocks, driftwood, and flowerpots for hiding are appreciated. They also enjoy several dense plant clusters but leave some open space for swimming. Java Fern, Anubias Nana, Amazon Swordplants, Vallisneria, Wisteria, and other acidic tolerating plants work great.
   They can be easy to care for if water changes are performed frequently to keep the nitrate levels low. A mature tank with a pH of acidic to neutral water is best. Keep track of nitrates. Also, oxygen levels must be maintained for best color and health. When using substrate or rocks, be sure they do not leach into the water and affect the pH. Substrates such as limestone can increase the pH level. You would not use sand that is for marine tanks, but some have suggested pool filter sand. Driftwood is a big help in keeping pH low and contributes to the “tea stained” coloring of the Amazon River. Using Java Moss helps with keeping the pH down too.
   The Ram Cichlid does not like to breed in bright lighting. Some floating plants will help to diffuse lighting if you are encouraging them to spawn, as will R/O water (reverse osmosis). Provide granite pebbles or plants with wide leaves. Java Moss is also great as it contains micro organisms such as Infusoria which provide a good beginning food for the fry.
   Do water changes of 10% to 20% biweekly or weekly, more or less depending on stocking numbers. These fish are very sensitive to chemicals, changes to their environment, and fish (piscine) tuberculosis. If water quality is ignored, as with all cichlids, disease and death can occur. A common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 6 - 14° dH
   Ph: 6.0 - 7.5
   Temp: 78 - 85° F (26 - 29° C), 82 - 86° F (28 - 30° C) to induce spawning.

Social Behaviors:
   This is a community fish that can be kept with non-cichlid fish and other peaceful dwarf cichlids. The Ram Cichlid is 'more bark than bite' and will not do well in an aggressive tank. Some acceptable peaceful tank mates include the Silver Dollar, Discus, Dwarf Gourami, Dwarf Rainbowfish (Neon), Synodontis catfish, Plecostomus, and various tetras such as the Black Phantom Tetra, Glowlight Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, and the Neon Tetra.
   They can be kept alone or in pairs. More than one male may be kept if the aquarium is large. Just buying a male and female does not necessarily mean they will pair up. It is better to get a group of juveniles and allow a pair to bond. A pair will swim close together, and at that point you can put them in their own tank.

Sexual Differences:
   Males are a little larger with a longer, pointed dorsal fin. The females have a red or orange color on their belly.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Ram Cichlids are cave spawners. They appreciate smooth pebbles or wide leaves to spawn on, a temperature of 82 - 86° F (28 - 30° C), and a “night-light” for the evening hours. They also need a quiet area for the pair, since they tend to be nervous and eat their eggs if stressed. Providing dither fish will reduced the stress. Some even suggest taping paper to the sides of the tank to reduce stress. You may choose to rear the young separately if your pair consistently eats their spawn.
   Start out with about 6 juveniles and allow a pair to bond, then put them in their own tank. The bonded pair will spend a lot of time cleaning the top of pebbles before they spawn. The female will lay between 100 to 200 oval orange eggs and then the male will externally fertilize them. The parents take turns guarding and fanning the eggs. The colors of the male and female will intensify after spawning. (This is probably one of the reasons their genus was changed from Apistogramma to Mikrogeophagus, since the Apisto males do not care for the eggs.)
   Within about 60 hours the eggs will hatch and in a few more days the fry will be free swimming. The female will move the newly hatched “wigglers” to a pit in a different area of the tank. If the male starts to attack the female, you may have to remove her to another tank. Some females and males may “split” the spawn into their own broods, but eventually the male takes over the entire group of fry. Once they are free swimming the male will “clean” them by taking them into his mouth and spitting them out.
  When the yolk sac is gone from the fry, it is time to feed them a microworm meal or infusoria. They can eat newly hatch baby brine shrimp once they are about a week old, though some say they can eat it right away. It is quite amusing to watch the fry swimming all over while the frantic male sucks the rebellious roamers into his mouth and spits them back into the “group” over and over again. The male may choose to dig out a bigger pit for his growing brood.
   Keep the water quality high during the feeding of the fry, change about 10% every other day. The fry are sensitive to water changes if the water is not exact, so these smaller 10% changes are best. In about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks the male stops guarding the fry and he can be removed. Then doing 50% water changes with R/O water (reverse osmosis) is recommended for the best results while growing out the fry. Juvenile females will have a black blotch on their side with blue spangle dots in and around it. Males have the blotch but not have the dots. See more about cichlid breeding in: Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Ram Cichlids are readily available both online and in fish stores and will run about $3.00 to over $16.00 USD, depending on size and color. For a viable female, you may need to acquire them from a breeder or obtain wild caught specimens.
   Make sure you examine them for spinal defects before purchasing as they are prone to fish (piscine) tuberculosis. Watch for fin loss in tank bred specimens.

Author: Carrie McBirney
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS

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Latest Comments
I have a pair of these beautiful little guys and they really bring some colour and attitude into any aquarium. They're hardier than other amazon fish as well. Kurt van Wyk 2008-08-15
These are brilliant little guys, giving a lot of color and easy to keep. I think they are not too demanding fish and really like betta food and blood worms. Rory 2008-01-20

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