Feeding German blue rams

I was wondering if mature German blue rams need hatched brine shrimp in their diets and what other foods should they be fed?

 

@Toby

If you mean "freshly hatched brine shrimp" the answer is No. Rams are way too big to eat that. They should be fed a good varied diet, and being a very problematic fish, they require good care, great water conditions and warm temperature. Imported rams are very difficult to keep alive and you should at least attempt to give them perfect conditions, thats the best chance you have at keeping them alive. They are notorious for seeming perfect today and being dead tomorrow! Its all related to bad breeding, poor water quality and incorrect feeding. A good diet would include a high quality dry food (flake), frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp and limited quantities beef heart. If you can provide live foods such as mozzie larvae, brine or daphnia, it will also be appreciated.

Rgds

Marco

 

Thanx for the info, heard about the dying from one day to another thing already but im holding thumbs

 

I agree with Marco, and would say that the foods you give must be of top quality, and always be carefull not to overfeed. If you do overfeed, always try to remove any leftovers, but just make sure you leave enough time for the Rams to actually eat. They can be fussy and cautious, and won't usually eat as soon as the food is added.

Whilst live BS, Mosi's and Cyclops would be great, if you want excellent quality Frozen foods, speak to the Prof @Dirk Bellstedt (althogh he will be away from tomorrow, so will not be able to assist until he is back), as he imports stuff from Germany, and I only use his foods now (both Frozen and Dry foods), as I noticed a significant difference in quality compared to the asian stuff found in our LFS's here (at least the ones I go to). The only other foods I use are Omega one tablets or granulates, but they are more for specific fish, and to suppliment the rest of their diets.

I feed a variety of frozens to my Apistos (and other fish too), which mainly is based around Artemia (Brine Shrimp) as the main food, but then I suppliment with White Mosquito (these mostly float so can be awkward for bottom dwelling fish like Rams/Apistos - depends how skittish they are feeling on the day?), Euro Bloodworm (Red mosquito - These should be fed at most twice a week. They are very fattening!), Mysis Shrimp and Cyclops. It would seem though that I spoil my fish a little, but I have seen the results of this, and I say its worth it! What a difference I saw from the old foods compared to when I switched over!

Just remember to always give a day off each week with no food (except fry, and maybe Discus?). This just helps clear their systems.

I have not tried the beef heart, as it can be a little too course for Dwarf Cichlids, but Rams do have fairly large mouths for their size, so they may be ok? As Marco suggested, I would not feed large quantities of this though, as it can be a messy food!

Hope that helps?

Regards
G!

 

Ok well il do my best, they were kinda unexpected because they were a gift, but they look so great

 

oh and I also wanted to ask, how often should I feed them?

 

I find rams not that hard to keep, but have always stuck to high quality food and water.

Depending on where you rams came from it may determine how hardy they are.
Seems like the rams out of the east and I am uncertain which countries raise
the rams pretty much in a pool of hormones etc, that is where that dead the next day come
from. Rams from other sources are a bit more hardy.

They are excellent and beautiful little fish. Have 5 electric blue rams in quarantine at the
moment.

 

Ok well il try my best, If they do happen to not make it though, where could I get a good pair of easier to care for ones, if such a species exists?

 

Have a look at some apisto cockatoo pairs. Easier and also very beautiful.

 

Ok will do, only prob is that most pet shops dont label their fish properly, any easy way to identify them?

 

Hi Toby

Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi) are my favourite species. If you do really like these fish, your best chance for obtaining 'good quality stock' would be by purchasing them from a South African based breeder, not from your local shop. Many shops import from Singapore / Malaysia, as these are cheaper, but the quality is shockingly bad. Some import from Europe or Israel and whilst these are better quality (and more expensive) they are unlikely to be as good quality as those from a Hobbyist Breeder. In the UK, there are a small number of places and breeders who also sell 'Wild Rams' which have been imported directly from Colombia, where the fish live in their natural enviroment. I'm not sure if these are also available in SA, but these would be the best fish if you could get hold of them, but your water conditions need to be very good, and soft.

Good luck with your Rams.

Mark