Set up for Holland Rams

**cyruslaguna** · 10th Nov 2009, 23:00

any idea on the setup required for Microgeophagus ramerezi?

**vinz** · 11th Nov 2009, 00:12

Community tank. They are territorial among themselves, so don't get too many.

For a 3ft tank, get either one male female pair, 1 male or 4 males.

Never get just 2 or 3 unless your tank is huge. Reason being that the strongest will pick on the weakest endlessly. The weakest one will eventually die.

If you get 4 or more, the strongest cannot focus on just 1 or 2 weaker ones. It always has to maintain vigilance on all sides and cannot keep picking on an individual.

If you manage to get a male-female pair they might breed. I can't remember which... they either need bare gravel to dig a nest pit, or they need a bare hard surface like a flat rock to lay their eggs. You can search the forum and the web for that.

They are protective parents. If they breed successfully, they will aggressively protect their fries. They rest of the occupants in the tank will have a very hard time. Removing the rams and fries is not an option, neither is removing their tank mates. You'll need to give them their own tank before they breed. They will attack any fish or shrimp near their fries... and the fries go where they please.

**stormhawk** · 11th Nov 2009, 02:32

The Rams breed everywhere. In a pit dug by the parents, on driftwood, even in a cave. I had a group of females lay eggs on the roots of a Java Fern. I had a male but apparently this pair of females decided to spawn with each other..

**cyruslaguna** · 11th Nov 2009, 11:39

what would be the recommended tank size for them? I have a couple of them but have temporarily placed them in a filtered tank which is pretty small.

**barmby** · 14th Nov 2009, 12:22

Ideally, one pair per 3 feet for fish to flourish.

**cyruslaguna** · 15th Nov 2009, 23:55

one of them just died after introducing another 2 into the 6 inch tank; could the cause be due to nitrate buildup?

**stormhawk** · 16th Nov 2009, 02:58

6 inch tank for Rams? That's way too small for a pair of Rams. The one that died probably got beaten up by the other Rams in that tank. How many Rams are in that tank?

**barmby** · 16th Nov 2009, 10:39

One of them got killed..stormhawk is right. A very experienced apistogramma keeper. And a crazy one too. crazy as in keep alot of fishes last time.

**cyruslaguna** · 18th Nov 2009, 11:58

there were 3; 1 died and the other one seems to be on the way to RIP...the strongest one was the one that survived from the 1st intake...

could it be due to their nature or nitrate build up that caused death?