[OAli]

Hi so i have a 20 gallon long tank filled with plants, its low tech but i have a t5 bulb and occasionally use flourish excel. Its fully cycled, and houses 6 neon tetras 5 guppies 4 amano shrimp and a bunch of cherry shrimps. I found a guy online that is selling me 6 unsexed german blue rams, he said they would be ok once i got rid of the guppies. Ive read online that they can be very sensitive and alot of times will die for no apparent reason. Can anyone share their experiences with GBRs. Also whats the best commercially available food for them? Ive ordered thera a pellets that have garlic. Is that ok?

Im a newbie here so please be kind, also ignore the picture, i just wanted to see if it will post.

 

[LuckyCharm]

GBR are the most peaceful Cichlids out there, doesn't mean they aren't aggressive lol
I personally have 1 pair of GBR in my 25 gallon and I don't think I could add another Ram( other tropical fish is fine)

As for food goes, they eat whatever I normally feed my guppy and neon. I guess mine aren't picky eaters

 

[OAli]

GBR are the most peaceful Cichlids out there, doesn't mean they aren't aggressive lol
I personally have 1 pair of GBR in my 25 gallon and I don't think I could add another Ram( other tropical fish is fine)

As for food goes, they eat whatever I normally feed my guppy and neon. I guess mine aren't picky eaters

Can i keep them together until at least one pair has been made? Or will they be aggressive at a young age too, what are your experiences on their frailty?

 

[bigblueallday]

i'm thinking of adding a pair of GBR'S to my tank as well. Let me know if you add them and how it works out for you. As far as everything i've read keeping them together should be fine, but i'm very new to this so don't go by my recommendation, just what i've read about them

 

[JustJen]

I would say that GBR are a little more sensitive than the average fish, but I wouldn't necessarily say they just "die for no reason". Mine have, for the most part, been healthy if I can get them past the acclimation stage, even in my water which is certainly less than idea for them (high ph, high kh). I've mostly kept golds and electric blues, not the standard gb, but they're the same fish, just different color morphs so shouldn't matter. 6 is a lot for a 20L though. I had 6 in a 46 bow, and while it worked, there was a little more aggression than I cared for and I ended up moving 2 out to another tank to give them more space. And those were young, unpaired fish. They are fine with the other tank mates though - angels, betta, guppies, cories, plecos, swords, diamond tetras, etc.

There's also a very strong likelihood that they will take out your cherry shrimp population. Mine even went after the smaller amanos.

 

[Veritas]

you would probably be ok with one pair, but 6 rams would be way too many for a 20 gallon.

and like the above poster said, your shrimp will quickly become food

 

[OAli]

Thanks for the replies, I'm already looking for someone to take 4 of the rams off my hands as soon as I see a pair formed. I'm not too worried about the shrimp, I was told they would be extinct when my tank was a betta sorority tank, but they survived there, I have a lot of cover and hiding places so hopefully they will be ok.

 

[Morgan_9300]

I have a couple long-fin GBRs and they are doing great! I have had them almost 5 months now and they are fine. My nitrate levels are kind of high and I have been trying to get them down with low success. It doesn't really have an effect on them. I have not had any sickness in my tank and my tank is young and I have had no losses. I would say they are pretty hardy fish. Good luck!

 

[lksdrinker]

I'm not sure why the guppies might be a problem? Unless these are very mature rams that are very hungry, I doubt they would go after the guppies. (guppy fry on the other hand is another matter altogether!).

But I have to agree with what most everyone else has said. 6 GBR in that tank is a lot! The aggression you have to worry about is likely between the rams themselves (especially male vs male) and not necessarily towards other fish. That is until you get a pair of rams that spawn. If the rams are guarding eggs then they will be aggressive towards the other species. If a male and female GBR pair off then you might also see some aggression from one female ram to another (the one who hasnt paired off might get picked on).

I also would never consider GBR a hardy species (beautiful yes, but not hardy). Some people may get lucky with them but they are pretty sensitive overall.

 

[OAli]

I'm not sure why the guppies might be a problem? Unless these are very mature rams that are very hungry, I doubt they would go after the guppies. (guppy fry on the other hand is another matter altogether!).

But I have to agree with what most everyone else has said. 6 GBR in that tank is a lot!

Guppies themselves wouldnt be a problem, i was referring the tank being overstocked with all the fish, i have gotten rid of all but a pair of guppies. So far no pairs have formed, and they still school, its kinda cute really. Im definately gonna sell at least 4 though in the future.

Also from what ive read and heard, GBRs arent that sensitive, only the highly inbred, hormone injected ones from asia are. My guys were from a US breeder, and a few pple i found that bought thru him said their fish have lasted a lot longer than store bought ones, one guy had his for 2 years now