Ramirezi fish (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) in the aquarium, our advice to deal with this elegant fish
Peaceful and calm, the Ramirez
(Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) is small groundfish very popular with audiophiles. It
is simple to breed, not very difficult, and adapts easily to all fresh waters,
as it is subject to great climatic variations in its natural environment.
Sociable, it supports many other species and willingly shares its space, except
with the shrimps it tends to take for its meal. Discover the characteristics
and farming conditions of this small ovoid fish in this complete file.
Who's the Ramirez?
Ramirez (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) is
a fish from the Cichlid family and native to the fresh waters of South America,
including Venezuela and Colombia. It lives in the wild in clear, slow waters of
streams with thick vegetation and muddy soils, but also in lakes with warmer,
more troubled waters.
This small fish has an ovoid-shaped
body and is colored yellow, orange, and blue. Its skin may have purple or
iridescent reflections depending on the light. It has an average life
expectancy of three years, like many other fish species.
It is in Asia that several strains of
Ramirez have been developed to present very varied shapes and colors, capable
of responding to the desires of audiophiles. Unfortunately, these manmade
changes greatly reduce the health and fertility capacities of some subspecies.
In particular, male infertility is becoming more common.
This fish, which is widely used in audiophilia,
is named after Manuel Ramirez, a collector naturalist who first brought these fishfish to Europe from Bolivia in 1948, but was not given the name Mikrogeophagus
until 1998 by the Swedish ichthyologist Sven O. Kullander.
The character of Ramirez and possible cohabitation
Ramirez is a calm fish that can
coexist with many other species, including groundfish like Corydoras. However,
avoid the shrimps, because as they share the same environment as the Ramirez,
they will probably sooner or later serve as meals for your little guests! Avoid
too sharp or aggressive species, as they can cause great stress to the Ramirez,
which will tend to let it wither.
The Ramirez will fit very well with
the following species that are present in its natural habitat: Corydoras,
Platyrodiras, Hemigrammus, etc.
Reproduction of the Ramirez
Ramirez tends to be shy; so it will
need a bin with stalls and shelters to facilitate reproduction. The female lays
her eggs directly in the gravel; choose a soft sand-type substrate and
reproduction will be facilitated.
The male and female are easily
recognizable. The male is more colorful and has dorsal and anal fins in the
shape of a tip. In addition, the rays of its dorsal fin are longer and darker
than those of the female. As for the latter, it is identifiable by its rounded
shape and its pink belly.
Breeding is facilitated by living
food and water renewed in small, well-osmosed portions. The male becomes more
territorial and begins the courtship to seduce his female.
The female lays 150 to 300 or even up
to 500 small sticky eggs with diameters ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 mm. It takes
turns with the male to take care of them, namely to aerate them well with the
help of their fins and protect them from different predators. The eggs hatch
after about 40 hours of incubation and at a temperature of 29°C. The larvae can
swim alone after 5 days and melted within the group to feed and be protected.
The Ramirez is monogamous and
faithful, but it can happen that a young couple does not get along very well
after laying and that its members end up devouring the fruit of their lost
loves.
How to raise Ramirez in an aquarium?
The ideal Ramirez aquarium
Ramirez is used to living in very
variable conditions in the wild. It is subject to large temperature
oscillations depending on the season, which allows it to be very tolerant in the
aquarium.
Its water should have a pH between
4.8 and 6.8 ideally, but it can quite withstand a pH of up to 7.6 if necessary.
As for water hardness, it is not a very important factor in the well-being of Ramirez.
However, if you wish to reproduce it, it should be kept below 10 gH, and
ideally below 5 gH.
The water temperature must be around
26 to 27°C, this is its only real requirement. In addition, the numerous
selections made the species very sensitive to the physicochemical composition
of the aquarium water. Therefore, avoid changes that are too sudden to cause
premature death of your fish.
Ramirez’s diet
Being omnivorous, Ramirez must be fed
with mud worms, artemia, tiny shrimps, and even mosquito larvae and water
fleas. Since it has a small mouth, do not hesitate to chop its food to
facilitate its ingestion. If you can occasionally replace this live food with
frozen or freeze-dried equivalents, still prefer this form for the well-being
of your fish and to promote reproduction.
Finally, you can supplement his
rations with small flakes or granules adapted to his needs