Ram cichlid tank

[Skabooya]

I was referred to this forum from the planted tank forum so my question would be better answered.
I have a 32gal (120L) tank. dimensions 31.5"L x 13.5"w x 17"h
Can I keep a group of 4 or 6 rams in this tank?
If 4 it would be 1 male 3 females.
6 would be 2 males 4 females (Ive read this is the best combo).

The tank will be a heavily planted low light and the rams will not be added until everything is established. 4-6 months in the new year.

Other tank mates would be minimum to none. This is a ram tank first and foremost. I have not even thought about other tankmates yet but if it do it will be a small group of something for the top half of the tank.

I am not interested in breeding these fish.
Water temp will be 80F
PH out of the tap is about 6.8-7
Weekly waterchanges. Possibly more often if i have time. (Im a teacher I dont have a lot of time).

Thank you in advance

 

[ste12000]

I have a group of Rams that i have grown from fry in a tank similar to yours, at one point i had over 100 in there, As they have been sold the population has thinned and now there are around 10 pairs left, this allows me to moniter the amount of aggression and they typically have a territory of only 6-8 inch, they chase each other away from this immediate territory but no damage occurs. I would suggest you could keep three pairs in a tank this size long term, i would keep pairs and not 2 males and 4 females, you could end up with extra aggression and 2 females that have paired with the males and two spare females that get beaten up.
Thats my view..

 

[Cathy G]

I'd have to disagree with ste12000 on this one. You tank length is roughly that of a 20g long and one pair would probably be alright unless one of them happened to be very aggressive. Usually the males beat up the females, I have had females beat up males however!

The kind of set up ste12000 is describing, where fry have always been together, might work for a time. In typical situations however, you buy more mature fish and then they will fight for dominance, one male will assert himself, one female will respond and the rest will live in fear and trembling. I have had rams pairs in 55's and in 20g longs. No matter the size of the tank, one pair of blue rams will claim the entire territory and keep every other ram hiding behind plants or rocks. (And this is not even when they are spawning).

If you have a chance to get a small bunch of juvies, you might try buying 4-5 or so, or one male/3 female and then watch and wait for a pair to form. You'll be able to see the level of aggression and make some choices about who stays and who goes.

Cathy

 

[Skabooya]

anyone else? 50/50 doesnt help me that much.
What if they were all of the same sex? I saw a few tanks like that through searching the net. Would that curb the aggression because there is no one to fight over?

I have also seen quite a few 1M 2F in tanks smaller than mine. If thats the case would 2 pairs work fine in my size tank?

 

[Cathy G]

Skabooya - there is a lot of variability in the personality of these fish. Some can be mild mannered push overs, some can be horrible bullies. Your size tank isn't that big, you might try 3 females, or one male/2 females. Be prepared to rescue a beat up fish though. The problem with small tanks is that if you have a really dominant fish, they will chase the others around and will even prevent them from eating. The others will eventually get too stressed and die...

There isn't one right answer here, the personality of the fish will make or break a small tank.

Cathy

 

[vail94]

when i buy rams i spend 15 to 20 minutes watching the interaction in the LFS tank if you watch long enough you will find pairs. Like a male guarding a corner and only one female that is allowed in the space. The trick then is to get the employee to catch those to fish. Good Luck.

 

[drudnick]

when i buy rams i spend 15 to 20 minutes watching the interaction in the LFS tank if you watch long enough you will find pairs. Like a male guarding a corner and only one female that is allowed in the space. The trick then is to get the employee to catch those to fish. Good Luck.

I definitely would agree with Vail here. When buying you definitely want to watch them for a bit and see the behavior before buying. That is of course assuming you are buying from a LFS and not online