German Blue Ram fish are beautiful fish that are relatively easy to care for, but if you wish to create a community tank with them, you need to choose suitable tank mates that can survive in the same conditions as your Blue Rams. So, what are the best tank mates for German Blue Rams?
The best tank mates for german blue rams include gold tetras, bristlenose plecos, rummynose tetra, bolivian ram cichlids, dwarf gourami, honey gourami, and kuhli loaches.
We will look at each one of these ideal tank mates for German Blue Rams (and a few more) and see exactly why they make perfect tank mates. We will also go through which ones are recommended for beginners and which ones you may need some experience with before you consider adding them to your community tank.
Celestial Pearl Danio
Celestial Pearl Danio fish are the perfect tank mates for German Blue Ram fish. These fish are active, peaceful, hardy, and can find a place in any aquarium community. This fish also goes by the name Galaxy Rasbora fish, and they are a bit more exotic than their cousin fish, the Zebra, and the Giant Danios.
These fish have a vivid pattern that reminds some people of a galaxy, hence the name. These fish are a bit shy, but they offer a nice color boost in your aquarium. You need to keep at least six Celestial Pearl Danio fish in the same tank as schooling fish.
If you’re interested in them, you can see more fish that work well with them here.
Silver Dollar Fish
Silver Dollar fish are a highly popular freshwater fish that have been included in many community tanks without much trouble. These are low-maintenance fish that live for a long time if they are cared for well.
These fish are great tank mates for German Blue Rams as they require the same tank conditions to survive, and these fish are calm and active and do not show much aggression. These fish look like a silver dollar, which is where they get their name.
And they are schooling fish, so be sure to buy at least five together. If you do not let them swim with their buddies, they will become timid and will most likely hide all the time.
Apistogramma Dwarf Cichlids
Apistogramma Dwarf Cichlids are native to South America, just like the German Blue Rams, making these fish highly compatible with each other. These fish are micro predators, so they will require a variety of small frozen and live invertebrates for food.
These fish are territorial and will chase any threat or intruder like Blue Rams from their territory, so you do need to ensure you have a tank larger than 20 gallons with plenty of rocks and plants in the community tank. But these fish will add a splash of color to your community tank as they have a salmon-colored tail and dorsal fins and a black stripe running down the side of its body.
Honey Gourami
These fish are considered one of the most beautiful freshwater fish you can get for your tank. Honey Gourami fish are easy to care for and are even great for beginners. These fish are peaceful and tend to get along well with most other community fish.
Adult male Honey Gourami fish are a light orange color, with the tips of their fins being a deep orange. The females are a silvery color with light grey tips on their fins. These fish can be shy and get scared easily by the other fish, so it is better to keep them in a community tank with plenty of plants to hide.
Killifish
Killifish are the most unusual fish on this list as they have short life spans and different breeding habits, making annual Killifish a bit of a rare find in the aquarium hobby. Due to their different breeding habits and harsh native ponds and streams, the annual Killifish mature in just a few weeks after hatching.
You get some varieties of this fish that are semi or non-annual, and these live longer than the annual variety. These fish are carnivores and will eat worms, small crustaceans, and plankton. These fish are striking to look at as they have bright red stripes and dots on their body with some neon blue mixed in.
But these fish make excellent tank mated to Blue Rams as they live in the same water conditions, and they are easy to care for, but you need to ensure they are kept in a tank larger than 20 gallons.
Bristlenose Pleco
These fish are also known as Bristlenose Catfish or Bushy Nose Plecos. Bristlenose Plecos are unique creatures that are highly popular in community freshwater tanks. Bristlenose Plecos have bristles on their noses, which are more prominent in the males as they use these for impressing the females during mating season.
These fish are bottom dwellers, and they are peaceful, so there will be no trouble between them and your German Blue Rams. Your Blue Rams may not even know they are there as these fish are so docile. Apart from their bristles, they look just like other plecos, a black body speckled with white.
Betta Fish
Betta Fish are a highly popular fish, and they do exceedingly well as a tank mate for German Blue Rams. Bettas are seen as aggressive fish, but they are only aggressive towards other Betta fish, mainly male to male, and they tend to leave other fish alone.
You may even find that you need to stand up for your Betta fish as other fish nip at their long, flowing fins quite regularly. If your Blue Rams are on the aggressive side, then pairing them with female Bettas or wild-type Bettas maybe your best option.
Cory Catfish
Cory Catfish are one of the most recommended freshwater fish as they are easy to care for and are great for beginners. Cory Catfish are surprisingly friendly fish, and they look beautiful as they have a speckled body, and most of their fins are transparent. They generally get along with most other fish.
But there are many different types of Cory Catfish that you can choose from; each one is different in appearance from the other. Cory Catfish spend their time at the bottom of the tank, so they will not bother your Blue Rams. It is better to have these fish in a small school of at least four or five.
Gold Tetra
Gold Teras is an uncommon Tetra fish type that will defiantly make experienced aquarists swoon over your community tank, plus they make the perfect tank mated for your German Blue Rams. These fish have a golden color that comes from guanin secreted by some specialized cells in the fish that help the fish fight off skin parasites.
These fish can be slightly more sensitive to the water conditions in the tank as they are wild-caught fish, so these fish are not for beginners, as you need to monitor pH levels and temperatures closely to ensure their survival. It is best to have these fish in a small school of at least five, where they feel safer.
Dwarf Gourami
Dwarf Gourami fish are very popular freshwater fish that are colorful and get along well with Blue Rams. Dwarf Gourami are easy to care for and do not require a lot of your time, making them perfect fish for beginners, too.
These fish are considered a staple of any freshwater community tank as they are great with other fish and add color to the tank. These fish are almost translucent at their heads, but they have red stripes that get closer together as they go down the fish’s body. These fish are schooling fish and will require about six to be kept in the same tank together.
Rummy Nose Tetra
Rummy Nose Teras is an uncommon fish species that offers a different look to your tank than the usual Serpae or Neon Tetras. These fish are schooling fish, so you do need to keep them together, but they are peaceful, making them perfect tank mates for Bule Rams.
Rummy Nose Teras are blackwater fish, meaning they have some very particular care requirements as their tank water needs to be watched closely. Rummy Nose Teras are beautiful fish with translucent bodies and bright red noses.
These fish will get along with all the same fish neon tetras get along with.
Rubber Lip Pleco
Rubber Lip Plecos are an unusual freshwater aquarium fish that not many hobbyists know about. These fish are related to the more popular Bristlenose Pleco, but they are just as easy to care for, and they have a similar appearance as they have the classic pleco colorings of speckled black and white.
These fish are also bottom dwellers and will not be noticed by your German Blue Rams. These fish are peaceful and have a very mellow activity level, meaning they will move around the tank pretty slowly.
Kuhli Loach
There are other bottom dwellers that suit Blue Rams as tank mates, and the Kuhli Loach fish is one of them. This fish is an interesting choice to have in your community tank, as they are worm-like fish that love to burrow through the tank floor in search of lost pellets or Tubifex worms.
These fish are only active in dusk and dawn, so you may not see them much in your tank during the day unless they get hungry. As these fish are bottom dwellers and are active at night, they will barely come into contact with your German Blue Rams, making them the perfect tank mates.
If you want to get them, here are some more fish they get along with.
Bolivian Ram
Bolivian Ram fish are easy to care for fish mellow in temperament and are stunning to look at, making them a great addition to your community tank. These fish are one of the most recommended fish for beginners as they do not require much monitoring.
These fish have relatively muted colors, but they are a stunning mixture of tan or silver and yellow, red and black. These are peaceful fish, but they can show aggression during the breeding season, but this is generally aimed at other male Bolivian Rams. These fish are great with other fish, including German Blue Rams.
Gold Barb
Gold Barbs are a colorful fish that will eat just about anything as long as it is small enough, making it easy to care for as they are hardy and can thrive in several water conditions. These fish are highly popular as they are gorgeous fish that make for great community tank members.
These fish have a gold metallic sheen that does not fade over time like Gold Tetras. These fish can be shy, so they do need plenty of hiding spots in plants and rocks in the tank, and you should keep them in a school of about five or more per tank.
Dwarf Otocinclus
Dwarf Otocinclus fish are algae eaters and a great for community tanks as they help keep the tanks clean. These fish are generally easy to care for, with the only thing you need to worry about is supplemental feedings when the algae run low.
These fish prefer to be kept in small groups, and they will get along with almost anything. They do require thick living plants to be in the tank if you want them to breed. These fish are relatively small, and they are black and translucent in color.
Angelfish
Angelfish are an excellent addition to a freshwater community tank as they are peaceful creatures. Still, they can be semi-aggressive if they are overcrowded, so ensure you have a large tank. These fish prefer to be kept in small groups of at least four per tank, but this is not a requirement, as they can be kept separately.
You do get different kinds of Angelfish that come in various colors; every type will do well in a tank with Blue Rams, so you can pick the color palette you prefer for your tank. Angelfish are not recommended for beginners as they can be a bit picky with their water condition requirements.
Conclusion
German Blue Rams have many different fish that are compatible tank mates; you just need to choose wisely according to your experience level as there are some that are hardier than others. But no matter which tank mate you select from this list, you should not have an issue with your lovely community tank. Good luck just choosing one species, though!
Best Tank Mates for Gerban Blue Rams:
- Celestial Pearl Danio
- Silver Dollar
- Apistogramma Dwarf
- Honey Gourami
- Killifish
- Bristlenose Pleco
- Betta
- Cory Catfish
- Gold Tetra
- Dwarf Gourami
- Rummy Nose
- Rubber Lip Pleco
- Kuhli Loach
- Bolivian Ram
- Gold Barb
- Dwarf Otocinclus
- Angelfish
