German blue ram
A small, brilliantly coloured dwarf cichlid that is far less hardy than its size suggests. It needs water above 26 °C and a mature, stable tank; commercially farmed stock is notably fragile and short-lived.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
- Adult size
- 5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
- Lifespan
- 2–4 years
- Temperature
- 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
- pH
- 5–7.2
- Hardness
- 1–10 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 75 L (20 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Pair
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Overall confidence
- high confidence
What keeping this species involves
Needs high temperature, very clean stable water and a mature tank. Farmed stock is fragile and losses are common regardless of husbandry.
Warm, shallow, very soft, still savannah streams and pools with sandy bottoms.
Identity and names
- Common name
- German blue ram
- Scientific name
- Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- blue ram, ram cichlid, butterfly cichlid
- Former or synonymous names
- Papiliochromis ramirezi, Apistogramma ramirezi
Varieties and strains
| Variety | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Electric blue ram | A line-bred colour form; noticeably less robust and often shorter-lived. |
| Balloon ram | Selectively shortened spine. AquariumHQ does not recommend deformity strains. |
Adult size and growth
5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 2–4 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Water and tank requirements
A pair needs a defensible area of sand with sightline breaks; 60 cm is the minimum in which a pair and other tankmates can coexist.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 26–30 °C (79–86 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 5–7.2 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 1–10 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 75 L (20 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 60 cm long | A pair needs a defensible area of sand with sightline breaks; 60 cm is the minimum in which a pair and other tankmates can coexist. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Fine sand, flat stones for spawning, and planted cover to break up sightlines. |
Behaviour
- Sifts sand for food.
- Pairs are devoted parents and will defend fry against much larger fish.
Telling males from females
Males are larger with an extended second dorsal spine; females show a pink or red belly patch.
Feeding
Often refuses dry food initially; frozen foods are usually needed to get it feeding.
- Diet type
- Omnivore
- Staples
- Frozen bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp, Small sinking granules, Live foods
Breeding
- Strategy
- Substrate spawner on a cleaned flat stone; both parents guard
- Difficulty
- straightforward
- Parental care
- guarding
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | low | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | high | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | low | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | occasional | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Assessed pairings
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- The 26–30 °C requirement conflicts with many popular community fish, corydoras among them.
- Not a beginner fish, despite being sold as one on the strength of its size.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Orinoco basin savannahs — Venezuela and Colombia
- Habitat
- Warm, shallow, very soft, still savannah streams and pools with sandy bottoms.
What the checklists say
11 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Native | 1 | A checklist states the species occurs here naturally. |
| Introduced | 3 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 7 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Mikrogeophagus ramirezi | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Orinoco basin savannahs — Venezuela and Colombia | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 5–7 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 2–4 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 26–30 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 5–7.2 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 1–10 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 75 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 60 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-11. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 11 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — native in 1, introduced in 3 countries. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeOne sourceBased on a verified authoritative source.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 4.2 cm — FishBase · Maximum recorded · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. One authoritative source, which is what this kind of claim requires. Independent replication would be welcome and is not the standard.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureOne sourceAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 27–30 °C — FishBase · Tolerated range · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. Derived from the observed range rather than copied from it. The advised band reaches past the observed envelope and carries no individual review. Commercially bred stock is generally more tolerant than wild records suggest, which is the usual explanation, and it has not been established for this species.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
phOne sourceAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 5–6 pH — FishBase · Tolerated range · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. Derived from the observed range rather than copied from it. AquariumHQ advises pH 5.0–7.2; FishBase records 5.0–6.0. The lower bounds agree exactly and the advice extends 1.2 units higher. Commercially bred rams are raised in water considerably harder and more alkaline than the wild Llanos populations FishBase describes, and refusing to acknowledge that would leave the advice describing a fish almost nobody actually buys. The wild figure is the more interesting one and is kept; the advice covers the animal in the shop.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
general hardnessOne sourceAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 5–12 °dGH — FishBase · Tolerated range · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. Derived from the observed range rather than copied from it. The advised band reaches past the observed envelope and carries no individual review. Commercially bred stock is generally more tolerant than wild records suggest, which is the usual explanation, and it has not been established for this species.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Group size and social behaviour
Kept as a pair or singly. Two pairs need a considerably larger tank with clear territory boundaries.