Description

The German Blue Ram or Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlid (also known as Blue Ram, Dwarf Butterfly Cichlid) (Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi), is a freshwater fish endemic to the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Colombia, South America. The species is a popular aquarium fish, however, wild German Blue Rams or Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlids are often more colorful than tank-bred fish. While some larger cichlids are not well suited for a community tank, if a male and female pair of German Blue Rams or Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlids are placed in a community tank, they can do well.

When close to spawning, female German Blue Rams or Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlids have a pink or red blush on the abdomen, and have a blue sheen over the spot just below the dorsal fin, or a sparse scattering of blue scales in the upper half of the dark spot. Males do not show this trait and are slightly larger than females, with German Blue Ram or Ramirez’s Dwarf Cichlid reaching 1.6″ inches.