Encyclopaedia
German Blue Ram
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
The 'Jewel Box' of the Amazon (5-6 cm / 2 inches). Arguably the most breathtakingly gorgeous and intensely colorful freshwater dwarf cichlid in the hobby. It shimmers with a glowing neon indigo-blue body, an intense golden-yellow head, and a striking black 'unicorn horn' spike on its dorsal fin. However, it is infamous as the 'Heartbreaker' fish: it demands flawless, acidic, scalding-hot water (30°C / 86°F), massive tangles of jungle plants, and possesses a devastatingly high, immediate mortality rate if the aquarist makes even the slightest mistake with water quality.
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Sud America (Bacino dell'Orinoco, Llanos)
- Origin
- Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
- Tank use
- Used in 0 tanks
Share
27 °C - 30 °C
5.5 - 6.8
Freshwater
Bottom and middle
7 cm
Description
Geographic Origin and Biotope: Llanos (Flooded plains) of Venezuela and Colombia (Orinoco Basin). Inhabits very slow or stagnant sunny pools, with sandy/muddy bottom and dense submerged vegetation.
Taxonomy and Morphology: German Blue Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi). Beloved dwarf cichlid. Very colorful oval body. Despite the genus, the classic Ramirezi sifts the bottom much less than M. altispinosus.
Social Behavior: Forms extremely stable pairs but can be biting towards conspecifics if space is limited. Territorial only during the reproductive period; otherwise it is a peaceful tankmate.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Explosion of colors: golden yellow/green back, pinkish belly (especially in females), widespread electric blue iridescence. Prominent black spot on the flank. The male has the second/third ray of the dorsal longer (tuft) and the black spot does not contain iridescent blue scales (present instead in the female's spot).
Care and observations
Aquarium Setup: 60-80 cm (24-32 inches) tank (for a single pair). Requires fine sand, smooth flat stones for spawning and visual barriers (stem plants, woods) to reassure the pair.
Diet and Feeding: Mid-water micropredator. Feeds preferring falling food: high-quality micro-granules, freeze-dried or live brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia.
Water Quality: EXTREMELY delicate fish. Requires very warm water (27-30°C / 80-86°F), very acidic (Ph 5.5-6.5) and very soft. Intolerant to the slightest accumulation of nitrates (max 10 ppm) or fluctuations.
Compatibility and Tankmates: Excellent with Cardinals, Petitella, small warm-water Loricariidae. Corydoras are not recommended in tanks under 80 cm (32 inches), as they will constantly invade its bottom territory and be persecuted.
Aquarium Reproduction: Substrate-spawners (on flat stones or pits). They form devoted biparental pairs. Often, in hyper-commercial strains (badly crossbred in Asia), they have "forgotten" their maternal instinct and eat their own eggs on the first attempts.
Risks and Diseases: Immuno-compromise and Tuberculosis. Asian strains (doped with hormones to color them early) are very fragile. They die of mycobacterial tuberculosis (chronic wasting, sunken belly) if temperatures fall below 26°C (79°F).
Fish profile
- Temperament
- Territoriale ma tendenzialmente pacifico. I maschi fanno parate muscolari splendide, gonfiando la gola nera e vibrando. In riproduzione diventano diavoli in miniatura e scacciano ferocemente gli intrusi dal fondo.
- Diet
- Micro-predatore / Bentonico. Brucano il fondo. La loro bocca è minuscola e schizzinosa. Spesso rifiutano i fiocchi. Per non farli deperire occorre nutrirli quotidianamente con chironomus congelato, artemia e micro-pellet specifici per ciclidi nani morbidi e affondanti.
- Tank level
- Bottom and middle
- Minimum group
- 2
- Adult size
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 80 L
- GH
- 1 dGH - 5 dGH
- KH
- n/a
- TDS
- n/a
- Conductivity
- n/a
- Sex ratio
- Coppia stabile o Harem (1M, 2F). Il dimorfismo è sfumato: le femmine hanno la pancia gonfia e visibilmente rosa-fucsia brillante e spesso squame blu neon che coprono la macchia nera centrale (assenti nel maschio). I maschi hanno il secondo raggio della pinna dorsale lunghissimo (a spillo).
- Feeding frequency
- 1-2 volte al giorno, somministrando cibo esattamente dove stazionano.
- Bioload
- Basso
- Flow
- Corrente Nulla o Debole. Odiano i flussi forti che li costringono a nuotare costantemente.
- Reproduction
- Open spawners. Depongono centinaia di uova su una pietra piatta esposta al centro del loro territorio. Tristemente, i Ramirezi commerciali (ibridati da decenni) hanno spesso perso l'istinto parentale e divorano le proprie uova subito dopo averle deposte.
- Compatibility
- Mantenimento ottimale con Caracidi che tollerano le ALTE TEMPERATURE. Splendidi con pesci Discus (condividono esattamente gli stessi parametri estremi di calore e acidità), Cardinali (*Paracheirodon axelrodi*) o Rummy-nose. Pessimi con pesci freddi o frenetici.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.