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Fish · Freshwater (Tropical)

German Blue Ram

WaterFreshwater (Tropical)
Adult size2–3 in
Temperamentpeaceful (dwarf cichlid)
Socialpair
Min tank20 gal

Colorful nano cichlid; needs warm, stable, mature tank

Overview

The German Blue Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) is a Freshwater (Tropical) fish growing to about 2–3 in and living 2–3 yrs. It's peaceful (dwarf cichlid) and best kept in a pair or small group. Plan a tank of at least 20 gal. With a typical lifespan of around 3 years, it's a shorter commitment.

Is the German Blue Ram right for you?

A good match if — you want a calm community tank.

What a German Blue Ram needs from you

The ongoing work is water quality: filtration, regular water changes and stable parameters. As a tropical fish it needs a stable, heated tank. Don't undersize the tank (minimum about 20 gal).

Key facts

Water type
Freshwater (Tropical)
Scientific name
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Adult size
2–3 in
Life span
2–3 yrs
Temperament
peaceful (dwarf cichlid)
Social needs
pair
Min. tank
20 gal
Care level
intermediate
Notes
Colorful nano cichlid; needs warm, stable, mature tank

What it needs from you (at a glance)

Space neededmoderate
Experience neededmoderate
Maintenancehigh
Time per daylow
Need for companymoderate
Handling / closenessvery low
Cost levelmoderate

What it costs

Scaled to this breed’s roughly 10 g and a ~3-year life, keeping a German Blue Ram works out at about:

Setup & first year
$403 – $1,462
Over its whole life
$778 – $2,509

Rough cross-breed averages in USD — a planning guide, not a quote. Break it down by life phase in the Cost Calculator →

Temperament (at a glance)

Affectionno data yet
Energyno data yet
Vocalnessvery low
Trainabilityno data yet
Tolerates aloneno data yet