Agressive Ram

[Leaffish]

Hello, I am new to this forum and have just begun to keep dwarf cichlids. I have kept fish for several years now (larger cichlids, and maintaining a large fish system at a pet store). Recently I set up a ten gallon tank for a pair of microgeophagus rammezi chichlids. The tank has a large peice of drift wood in it and is heavily decorated with artificial plants. All the plants are exact replicals of real plants such as rotila, money wort, amazone swords ect... I have three neon tetras, two serpae tetras, two small skunk cories, and a spectacularly collored male ram and a female ram. The problem is that the male is being quite aggressive to the female and all of the other fish, including the cory cats. For a fish that is suposedly peacfull he is doing a good job harassing and chewing the fins off of my other fish. I dont want to get rid of him because I isolated him in my display tank at work for two weeks while my tank cycled. My ph is 6.3 and there is not a trace of ammonia. I have a full house water softener and my water has a hardness of around 3 to 3.5
Any help would be greatly apreciated thanks

 

[Randall]

Ram Aggession

DearLeaffish,

Welcome!

Some may have very different experiences, but I have never had any luck keeping Rams in 10-gallon tanks. I believe that size tank is just too small.

In your case, it sounds like you have done everything necessary for a peaceful co-existance and husbandry. You have a well decorated tank, have added dithers and are keeping your fish in softer, acidic water. The wayward male may be hostile towards the female because he is ready to spawn and she isn't, or he may simply be a bully. His behavior my be different in larger quarters, but it is difficult to know for sure.

What temperature is the water? Rams tend to be hotter water fish and generally do well at 78 degress F for longterm husbandry and 80-82 degrees F for breeding. Raising the temperature may enable the female to come into season, as it were, and be more receptive to the male, thereby quelling some of his aggression. Successfully spawning the fish, however, will open up an entirely different can of worms. Aggression in that case will be directed toward heterospecifics.

Alternatively, you can invest in a larger tank, say a 20-long, or remove the male altogether.

Good luck!

 

[Leaffish]

My water temp is 80 and Im sure your right about the tank size. I have a 30 gallon that I will have set up and cycled soon. Would Apistograma Borelli do better in the ten, or should I just keep a school of neons in it? I am the manager at a pet store, so getting a different species of dwarf would pose no problem. Any sugestions would be greatly apreciated.

 

[Neil]

Leaffish,
A ten gallon tank is probably not the ideal sized tank for any Dwarf Cichlid, but it is what many of us use for breeding. Heck, I think that Zman uses 5g. tanks pretty often. So smaller tanks are not inappropriate for these fish, just a little more challanging. Aggression is part and parcel of a Cichlids life and part of the reason most of us are interested in them. They are more complex in their behaviors than many other types of fish. My rule of thumb is to try and give enough hiding spots and/or dithers to decrease some of the aggressive attention away from one part of the pair. If there is no serious damage done, they usually work things out themselves. Many times it is a rollercoaster effect with the male harassing the female when she is not quite ready to spawn, then when she is, the tides turn and the male is usually running! Many times this aggression is important to a stable pair-bonding. The fish are testing the merits of the others to determine the appropriateness of their possible choice for a mate and protector of their progeny.
Borellii are probably a very good choice for a ten, without excessive aggressiveness. However, as I have said many times on this forum, there is a very important individual "personality" factor in the equation. There is some borellii out there that would make a nijsennis' (a more aggressive species) life miserable, given the proper circumstances. That is the beauty of this hobby and these fish. It is much more than "do A and B will follow". There will always be a C, D... that may follow as well. So do A with the best information that you can get and be prepared to learn. I still am!
Neil

 

[Z Man]

Did I see my name mentioned? As for the 5 gallon tanks that I use for breeding Apisto's I have to say that they are not pretty at all! Bare bottom loaded with Java moss and 3 or 4 cut small flowerpots for hiding with a small bubble-up filter. I figure they have to find each other sooner or later in such small quarters. Once eggs are laid I most times remove the male. For show, I would say thay one pair of the calmer Apisto's would work fine in a well planted and decorated tank. "Don't do what I do; do what I tell you!" is what I tell new Apisto keepers.
"Z"

 

[Leaffish]

Good news, The male ram has finaly settled down. I think that it was a territory issue that was causing him to be so aggressive. He has taken up residence under a peice of drift wood and only show aggression when one of the other fish come to close. Unfortunately he killed two of the neons but the other fish are still in good shape. The serpae tetras seem to defend themself more than the neons, which is a pretty obviose detail, so I will probobly get rid of the remaining neon and get one more serpea. Of corse this will probobly disrupt everything, but the thirty gallon is well on its way to being ready for fish.