German Blue Ram buddies

[Steven Fletcher]

So I finally got some German Blue Rams for a 40 gallon breeder tank. I was just looking for some suggestions for tankmates. I'm not going to be getting any until I know I am able to keep these rams alive. The main thing is trying to find fish that work in the same temperature range.

So far I am considering a school of either neon or rummynose tetras which both like the heat. I thought about a school of cory cats but I am not sure which do best with the higher temperatures. I believe sterbai do well with it? Or how about another type of bottom feeder you guys would recommend? I have plenty of cory cats in all my other tanks already. I also like to have a pleco in each tank, so maybe some type of smaller pleco that of course can handle the temperature as well. I thought about kuhli loaches but I believe keeping a group of them would be too much for a 40 gallon. 

Any and all recommendations are welcome! Thanks in advance!

[Daniel]

Corydoras sterbai are probably your best bet for a heat tolerant Corydoras. When I kept a tank with rummynose, rams, and cardinals (and Discus) the Corydoras sterbai were were my go to cory cat and they did great.

[Steven Fletcher]

3 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Corydoras sterbai are probably your best bet for a heat tolerant Corydoras. When I kept a tank with rummynose, rams, and cardinals (and Discus) the Corydoras sterbaiwere my go to cory cat and they  did great.

Awesome, thank you!

[CorydorasEthan]

11 minutes ago, Steven Fletcher said:

So I finally got some German Blue Rams for a 40 gallon breeder tank. I was just looking for some suggestions for tankmates. I'm not going to be getting any until I know I am able to keep these rams alive. The main thing is trying to find fish that work in the same temperature range.

So far I am considering a school of either neon or rummynose tetras which both like the heat. I thought about a school of cory cats but I am not sure which do best with the higher temperatures. I believe sterbai do well with it? Or how about another type of bottom feeder you guys would recommend? I have plenty of cory cats in all my other tanks already. I also like to have a pleco in each tank, so maybe some type of smaller pleco that of course can handle the temperature as well. I thought about kuhli loaches but I believe keeping a group of them would be too much for a 40 gallon. 

Any and all recommendations are welcome! Thanks in advance!

About the tetras: A lot of options here. Choose ones that are smaller so that food can get down to the bottom, while also great for higher temperature aquariums. Here are a few that come to mind: rummynose, cardinals, neons, lemons, glowlights, or pristella tetras.

About the Corydoras: Yes C. sterbai are a great choice for a warmer aquarium. Many of the more common species, such as C. aeneus (bronze/albino cory) and C. panda (panda cory) will also work just fine. I think dwarf species such as C. pygmaeus, C. hastatus, and C. habrosus would work fine as well. Avoid types like C. paleatus (peppered cory) and C. trilineatus (julii cory), as they prefer subtropical temperatures.

About the kuhli loaches: I believe a group of kuhlis would definitely work as well. They do not have a large bioload, and fill in a role similar to that of smaller Corydoras species, so I think they would work just fine in the aquarium. Keep in mind with these guys and the cories too that you might need to feed at night in case the rams are a bit territorial during daytime feedings.

About the plecos: Clown plecos and bristlenose plecos are both smaller species that might work well. Of course, you could always do a group of Otocinclus catfish for algae instead. Farlowella twig catfish might also work out fine.

While, I hope this helps, and good luck!

[Steven Fletcher]

7 minutes ago, CorydorasEthan said:

About the tetras: A lot of options here. Choose ones that are smaller so that food can get down to the bottom, while also great for higher temperature aquariums. Here are a few that come to mind: rummynose, cardinals, neons, lemons, glowlights, or pristella tetras.

About the Corydoras: Yes C. sterbai are a great choice for a warmer aquarium. Many of the more common species, such as C. aeneus (bronze/albino cory) and C. panda (panda cory) will also work just fine. I think dwarf species such as C. pygmaeus, C. hastatus, and C. habrosus would work fine as well. Avoid types like C. paleatus (peppered cory) and C. trilineatus (julii cory), as they prefer subtropical temperatures.

About the kuhli loaches: I believe a group of kuhlis would definitely work as well. They do not have a large bioload, and fill in a role similar to that of smaller Corydoras species, so I think they would work just fine in the aquarium. Keep in mind with these guys and the cories too that you might need to feed at night in case the rams are a bit territorial during daytime feedings.

About the plecos: Clown plecos and bristlenose plecos are both smaller species that might work well. Of course, you could always do a group of Otocinclus catfish for algae instead. Farlowella twig catfish might also work out fine.

While, I hope this helps, and good luck!

Wow, thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for! 

[Prochaska]

Pretty much anything that can survive a minimum tank heat requirement of at least 80F.