Balloon Ram
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
The Ram Cichlid is one of the best known and most popular cichlids in its many colour forms.
The Ram is known as being one of the best "beginner" cichlids in the hobby due to its ease of maintenance, beautiful colors, and peaceful nature. They are easy eaters and will readily accept almost anything fed to them. They do not have very stringent water condition requirements and mostly just require routine water changes, but are sensitive to sudden changes in water conditions.
Current Size – 2cm - 3cm
Adult Length – 7cm
Temperature Range – 24 – 30 °C
pH Range – 5.5– 7.5
Special Requirements - The Ram prefers lighting to be subdued and this will help them become less timid. They like surface plants and this can help encourage them to breed. The water should be kept soft for the Ram to thrive.
Tanks Mates and Compatibility - These little cichlids are timid fish and tank mates should be chosen to compliment this. If any tank mates are too boisterous, the Ram will hide perpetually and will not thrive.
Feeding - Rams are omnivores, eating both vegetable and animal foods. They take any sort of small live food and will eat most prepared foods with few problems. When kept over a sand substrate they spend hours sifting the sand through their gills filtering out any food bits they find.
Please note – Some images used are library photos and will show the colour potential at a fully mature size, as our fish are juvenilles they may vary.
We always aim to supply the fish as close to the purchase size as possible. However if this is not possible, we will always contact you to discuss.
The fish are selected at random however you are welcome to make a note on the order and the fish manager will do his best for you. This is dependent on current stock at the time of your order.