We present you the Ramirezi Fish care guide, so that before you buy it you can know its needs and if it is suitable for your aquarium.
What is the Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi Fish?
The Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi Fish is a South American dwarf cichlid that goes by many common names, including Ramirezi Fish, Ram Cichlid, Blue Ram, German Blue Ram, Butterfly Cichlid, and Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlid.
Where does the Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi fish come from? Contrary to the name, Ramirezi cichlids originate from the Orinoco River Basin, in Colombia and Venezuela.
The name German Blue refers to a color variation of the Ramirezi Fish that was selectively bred in Germany and became popular throughout the world in the aquarium trade.
What are the different types of Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi cichlids? In terms of body shape, there are common, long-finned Ramirezi (Ramirezi veil) and Ramirezi Ballon fish on the market.
The most common color varieties include the German Blue Ramirezi, Golden Ramirezi (Golden Ramirezi), and Electric Blue Ramirezi. A black version of the Ramirezi Fish has recently been developed, but is still hard to find.
How big is a Ramirezi? Regular-sized Ramirezi typically reach a length of between 5 and 6 cm in length, making them slightly smaller than their cousins the Mikrogeophagus altispinosus cichlids.
How long does the Ramirezi Fish live? Due to poor husbandry practices or improper care requirements, these cichlids have a reputation for being less hardy compared to other species. If they are given high-quality food and clean water at the right temperature, they can live up to 4 years.
Where can Ramirezi fish be purchased?
Ramirezi cichlids typically come from three sources: overseas fish farms, domestic fish farms (from your own country), or local breeders. If you buy them at a fish store, the fish most likely have been imported from abroad.
Cichlids may appear to have brighter colors or longer fins, but beware that overseas farms sometimes use hormones that artificially enhance their appearance, but also negatively impact their health.
Ideally, they should be purchased from a local breeder because Ramirezi fish are kept in water parameters more like yours and therefore have a better chance of thriving.
How do you choose a Ramirezi Fish? When shopping at a fish store, be sure to select a robust and active Ramirezi that feeds well. Do not choose a skinny one, especially if he has a very thin belly. Sick Ramirezi with these symptoms rarely recover, so choose the healthiest specimens possible.
If you are looking for a Ramirezi pair to breed with, I recommend choosing a colorful male with extended dorsal fins and nice pectoral fins. If you can find the female he is already mated with, you have a higher chance of breeding success.
Ramirezi females can be easily identified by the fact that they have small bright blue dots within the large black spot on the side of their bodies, while males lack any sequins on their black spot.
How to set up an aquarium for a Ramirezi Fish?
Most beginners are not aware that the most critical component of their breeding involves keeping Ramirezi at high temperatures, ideally between 29-30°C. If you want to add live aquarium plants to your tank, make sure they can tolerate hot water.
Ramirezi also like to dig, so you may want to choose plants like java fern and other mosses that don’t need a substrate and can cling to rocks and driftwood.
Good water quality is also essential. Give your Ramirezi partial water changes at least once a week because they need plenty of fresh, clean water as they are quite intolerant of ammonia and other toxins. Allowing water quality to decline can lead to illness and potentially death.
Regarding the chemical parameters of the water, the Ramirezi fish adapt quite well to a wide range of pH levels, but they perform better in soft water or in low GH conditions.
If you have hard tap water, try diluting it with some RODI (reverse osmosis deionized) water, or add Indian almond leaves and driftwood to help soften the water.
How many Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi should be kept together? A pair of Ramirezi fish can live in a 20-gallon community tank or a 10-gallon breeding tank without any other fish. If you want to keep two pairs, increase the tank size to 150 liters so that each set has enough territory.
Give the Ramirezi Fish several places to hide from each other in case one of them decides they want to be the tank boss.
Can the Ramirezi live alone? Yes, if you have an overly aggressive individual who doesn’t get along well with others, he may be happier on his own as the leader of a community aquarium without any other dwarf cichlids.
Is the Ramirezi Fish peaceful fish? Like many cichlids, Ramirezi can be a bit feisty if the tank is too small or if they are guarding their eggs. But in general, they are relatively peaceful and are often kept in a community tank with other fish of a similar size that enjoy the same water parameters.
Can Ramirezi fish live with tank mates? Yes, they can live with almost any fish in the community that can tolerate the same high temperatures, such as Tetras, Corydoras, Plecos, Discus, Angelfish, and other Dwarf Cichlids. But don’t put them with super-fast eaters that out-eat them or larger fish (like Oscars) that might consider them food.
What do these cichlids eat?
In my experience, Ramirezi cichlids are not very picky eaters, so you can feed them any dry food from the pet store, such as sinking pellets, freeze- dried mosquito larvae, and freeze – dried tubifex worms.
They also love frozen foods such as brine shrimp, cyclops, bloodworms, and Mysis shrimp for the larger adults.
Give them a wide variety of foods to ensure they get all the essential nutrients and vitamins they need to stay healthy. I like to feed my Ramirezi Fish twice a day, especially as they grow, but once they reach adulthood, once a day is fine.
What do the Ramirezi need to breed?
Chances are if a male and female are kept together, even in a community tank, they will end up spawning somewhere (usually in a secluded corner where they can protect the eggs).
However, if you want to set up a specialized Ramirezi breeding tank, get a 10-gallon tank with a lid and bottom to make them feel more secure. Some experts use bare bottom tanks with no substrate, but you can add some gravel if you want.
Get a soft sponge aquarium filter (or a small hanging filter with a pre-filter sponge to keep the fry from being sucked in), as well as an adjustable aquarium heater.
In the corners of the tank, place various spawning sites, such as flat river stones or small terracotta pots and saucers. Add a large clump of java moss or java fern to the wood to provide cover for the Ramirezi Fish and to grow infusoria for the fry to feed on.
Prepare the adult Ramirezi Fish for breeding by feeding them high quality food as well as some live brackish shrimp every day.
In my experience, having plenty of food for Ramirezi fry in the water signals to the parents that it is a good time to spawn and they are then more likely to tend to the young.
New Ramirezi parents may eat the first two or three spawns they lay, so if you want to save the eggs, place them in a separate container with a few drops of methylene blue to prevent fungal growth.
Once they hatch in 3-5 days, do a 50% water change each day to gradually weed out the medication and make sure to feed them infusoria several times a day as their first meals.
If the parents of Pez Ramirezi can take care of the fry themselves, then your job is much easier. Start feeding the fry live brine shrimp and powdered fry foods like Hikari First Bites and the parents will guide their fry to where the food is.
This is as far as the Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi.We hope we have helped you with this Ramirezi Fish care guide.
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