Ram cichlid, male
Photo courtesy of Lisa Williams © Lisa Williams
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| Common name: | Ram cichlid, Butterfly cichlid, Blue Ram, German Ram |
| Scientific name: | Microgeophagus ramirezi or Mikrogeophagus ramirezi |
| Synonyms: | Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, Papiliochromis ramirezi |
| Size: | Up to 3" (7.5cm), but often smaller. |
| Origin: | South America: Colombia, Venezuela. |
| Tank setup: | Planted tank, with good water quality. |
| Compatibility: | A very peaceful cichlid, which may be bullied by aggressive tankmates. They may however, show some aggression when spawning. |
| Temperature: | 22-26oC (72-79oF) |
| Water chemistry: | Fairly soft, pH around neutral to slightly acidic. |
| Feeding: | Omnivorous: flake foods, small granular/pellet foods and frozen/live foods. |
| Sexing: | Males are generally larger and have elongated rays at the front of the dorsal fin.
Females are smaller with a more rounded body shape, and have a pinkish area on the stomach. |
| Breeding: | Eggs are laid in hollows or on flat rocks. Both parents will
guard the eggs and fry. |
| Comments: |
Good quality Rams are very beautiful aquarium fish that show outstanding colour when kept in the right conditions.
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