Aquariumcichlid · freshwater
German Blue Ram: adult size, tank size & tankmates
The German Blue Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) grows to about 1.9 in (4 cm SL). It needs a tank at least 24 inches long and about 14 gallons. It doesn't need a group of its own kind, at 81–86°F.
How big it really gets
Drawn to scale against common tank lengths. Green bars meet the minimum tank length from our sources.
Needs special care. Frequently sold to novices as a general community fish despite demanding elevated warmth and pristine water chemistry.
Will it fit your tank?
Quick facts
- Adult size
- 1.9 in (4 cm SL)
- Minimum tank
- 24 inches long and about 14 gallons
- Temperature
- 81–86°F
- pH
- 4–7
- Hardness
- 1–10 dGH
- Group size
- 1 (solitary or pair)
- With other fish
- peaceful
- With its own kind
- semi-aggressive
- Swims
- bottom of the tank
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- advanced
- Lifespan
- not stated in sources
Watch for: may eat baby shrimp
German Blue Ram tankmates
Checked with the same rules as our tank builder: temperature overlap, pH and hardness, predation and mouth size, fin-nipping and temperament. Tank size is left out here; check it in the builder.
Good tankmates
Use caution
- Harlequin RasboraGerman Blue Ram and Harlequin Rasbora only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- Ember TetraGerman Blue Ram and Ember Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- Chili RasboraGerman Blue Ram and Chili Rasbora only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- Cherry BarbGerman Blue Ram and Cherry Barb only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window.
- Black Neon TetraGerman Blue Ram and Black Neon Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- Glowlight TetraGerman Blue Ram and Glowlight Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- Lemon TetraGerman Blue Ram and Lemon Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
- GuppyGerman Blue Ram and Guppy only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.
Avoid
- Neon TetraGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Neon Tetra (70–77°F) need different temperatures.
- Celestial Pearl DanioGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Celestial Pearl Danio (68–79°F) need different temperatures.
- Rummy-nose TetraGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Rummy-nose Tetra (73–79°F) need different temperatures.
- PlatyGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Platy (68–79°F) need different temperatures.
- Panda CoryGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Panda Cory (72–77°F) need different temperatures.
- Pygmy CoryGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Pygmy Cory (72–79°F) need different temperatures.
- Julii CoryGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Julii Cory (72–79°F) need different temperatures.
- Kuhli LoachGerman Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Kuhli Loach (70–79°F) need different temperatures.
All 105 species we checked against the German Blue Ram
| Species | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Boesemani Rainbowfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Cardinal Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Clown Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Discus | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Japanese Trapdoor Snail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Moonlight Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pearl Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Angelfish | Caution | Angelfish can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Bala Shark | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bala Shark only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Bamboo Shrimp | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bamboo Shrimp only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; German Blue Ram may eat baby Bamboo Shrimp. Adults are usually safe, but expect fewer shrimplets. |
| Betta | Caution | Betta can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Black Neon Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Black Neon Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Bleeding Heart Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bleeding Heart Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Bolivian Ram | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bolivian Ram only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Bronze Cory | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bronze Cory only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window. |
| Buenos Aires Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Buenos Aires Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Buenos Aires Tetra can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Bumblebee Goby | Caution | German Blue Ram and Bumblebee Goby only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Cherry Barb | Caution | German Blue Ram and Cherry Barb only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window. |
| Cherry Shrimp | Caution | German Blue Ram and Cherry Shrimp only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; German Blue Ram may eat baby Cherry Shrimp. Adults are usually safe, but expect fewer shrimplets. |
| Chili Rasbora | Caution | German Blue Ram and Chili Rasbora only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Clown Pleco | Caution | German Blue Ram and Clown Pleco only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Congo Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Congo Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Diamond Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Diamond Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Dwarf Gourami | Caution | German Blue Ram and Dwarf Gourami only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window.; Dwarf Gourami can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish | Caution | German Blue Ram and Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Electric Yellow Lab | Caution | German Blue Ram and Electric Yellow Lab only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Electric Yellow Lab can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Ember Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Ember Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Endler's Livebearer | Caution | German Blue Ram (1–10 dGH) and Endler's Livebearer (15–35 dGH) prefer different water hardness. |
| Firemouth Cichlid | Caution | Firemouth Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Forktail Blue-eye | Caution | German Blue Ram and Forktail Blue-eye only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; German Blue Ram (1–10 dGH) and Forktail Blue-eye (15–30 dGH) prefer different water hardness. |
| Ghost Shrimp | Caution | German Blue Ram and Ghost Shrimp only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; German Blue Ram may eat baby Ghost Shrimp. Adults are usually safe, but expect fewer shrimplets. |
| Glowlight Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Glowlight Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Guppy | Caution | German Blue Ram and Guppy only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Harlequin Rasbora | Caution | German Blue Ram and Harlequin Rasbora only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Head-and-tail-light Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Head-and-tail-light Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Honey Gourami | Caution | German Blue Ram and Honey Gourami only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window. |
| Kissing Gourami | Caution | Kissing Gourami grows 6× longer than German Blue Ram and may treat it as food.; Kissing Gourami can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Kribensis | Caution | German Blue Ram and Kribensis only share 81–81°F. That's a tight window. |
| Lambchop Rasbora | Caution | German Blue Ram and Lambchop Rasbora only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Lemon Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Lemon Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Marbled Hatchetfish | Caution | German Blue Ram and Marbled Hatchetfish only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Molly | Caution | German Blue Ram and Molly only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; German Blue Ram (1–10 dGH) and Molly (15–30 dGH) prefer different water hardness. |
| Pea Puffer | Caution | German Blue Ram and Pea Puffer only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Penguin Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Penguin Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Pristella Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Pristella Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Ramshorn Snail | Caution | German Blue Ram and Ramshorn Snail only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Serpae Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Serpae Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Silver Hatchetfish | Caution | German Blue Ram and Silver Hatchetfish only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Silver Tip Tetra | Caution | German Blue Ram and Silver Tip Tetra only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Sparkling Gourami | Caution | German Blue Ram and Sparkling Gourami only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Sterbai Cory | Caution | German Blue Ram and Sterbai Cory only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Swordtail | Caution | German Blue Ram and Swordtail only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Three-spot Gourami | Caution | Three-spot Gourami can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Upside-down Catfish | Caution | German Blue Ram and Upside-down Catfish only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Yoyo Loach | Caution | German Blue Ram and Yoyo Loach only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Yoyo Loach grows 4× longer than German Blue Ram and may treat it as food. |
| African Dwarf Frog | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and African Dwarf Frog (74–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Amano Shrimp | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Amano Shrimp (70–80°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram may eat baby Amano Shrimp. Adults are usually safe, but expect fewer shrimplets. |
| Assassin Snail | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Assassin Snail (75–80°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram (pH 4–7) and Assassin Snail (pH 7.5–8) prefer different pH. |
| Black Skirt Tetra | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Black Skirt Tetra (68–79°F) need different temperatures.; Black Skirt Tetra can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Blood Parrot Cichlid | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Bristlenose Pleco | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Bristlenose Pleco (70–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Celestial Pearl Danio | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Celestial Pearl Danio (68–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Chinese Algae Eater | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Chinese Algae Eater (72–79°F) need different temperatures.; Chinese Algae Eater grows 7× longer than German Blue Ram and may treat it as food. |
| Clown Killifish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Clown Killifish (68–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Common / Comet Goldfish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Common / Comet Goldfish (68–75°F) need different temperatures.; Common / Comet Goldfish eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Common Pleco | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Common Pleco (70–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Convict Cichlid | Avoid | German Blue Ram and Convict Cichlid only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Convict Cichlid is aggressive toward tankmates. German Blue Ram is peaceful. |
| Crystal Red Shrimp | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Crystal Red Shrimp (71–76°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram may eat baby Crystal Red Shrimp. Adults are usually safe, but expect fewer shrimplets. |
| Denison Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Denison Barb (59–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Electric Blue Acara | Avoid | German Blue Ram and Electric Blue Acara only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Fancy Goldfish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Fancy Goldfish (50–70°F) need different temperatures. |
| Giant Danio | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Giant Danio (61–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Glass Catfish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Glass Catfish (68–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Gold Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Gold Barb (61–75°F) need different temperatures. |
| Hillstream Loach | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Hillstream Loach (68–75°F) need different temperatures. |
| Iridescent Shark | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Iridescent Shark (72–79°F) need different temperatures.; Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Julii Cory | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Julii Cory (72–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Kuhli Loach | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Kuhli Loach (70–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Malaysian Trumpet Snail | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Malaysian Trumpet Snail (70–80°F) need different temperatures. |
| Mystery Snail | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Mystery Snail (70–78°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram (pH 4–7) and Mystery Snail (pH unknown) prefer different pH. |
| Neon Tetra | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Neon Tetra (70–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Nerite Snail | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Nerite Snail (72–78°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram (pH 4–7) and Nerite Snail (pH 8–8.4) prefer different pH. |
| Odessa Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Odessa Barb (61–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Oscar | Avoid | German Blue Ram and Oscar only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Oscar eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Otocinclus | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Otocinclus (70–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Panda Cory | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Panda Cory (72–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Paradise Fish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Paradise Fish (50–72°F) need different temperatures.; Paradise Fish can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Pearl Danio | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Pearl Danio (61–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Peppered Cory | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Peppered Cory (72–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Pictus Catfish | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Pictus Catfish (72–77°F) need different temperatures.; Pictus Catfish eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Platy | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Platy (68–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Pygmy Cory | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Pygmy Cory (72–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Rainbow Shark | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Rainbow Shark (68–79°F) need different temperatures.; Rainbow Shark can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Red-Tail Shark | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Red-Tail Shark (68–79°F) need different temperatures.; Red-Tail Shark can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Rosy Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Rosy Barb (61–75°F) need different temperatures. |
| Rummy-nose Tetra | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Rummy-nose Tetra (73–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Scissortail Rasbora | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Scissortail Rasbora (72–77°F) need different temperatures. |
| Siamese Algae Eater | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Siamese Algae Eater (68–79°F) need different temperatures. |
| Tiger Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Tiger Barb (68–79°F) need different temperatures.; Tiger Barb can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Tinfoil Barb | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Tinfoil Barb (72–77°F) need different temperatures.; Tinfoil Barb eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Variatus Platy | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Variatus Platy (68–79°F) need different temperatures.; German Blue Ram (1–10 dGH) and Variatus Platy (14–30 dGH) prefer different water hardness. |
| Weather Loach | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Weather Loach (64–74°F) need different temperatures. |
| White Cloud Mountain Minnow | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and White Cloud Mountain Minnow (57–72°F) need different temperatures. |
| Zebra Danio | Avoid | German Blue Ram (81–86°F) and Zebra Danio (64–77°F) need different temperatures. |
Care notes
Needs: Requires continuous high thermal baseline (81-86 F), soft acidic water, fine sand for sediment sifting, and extreme sensitivity to nitrate accumulation.
Group: Kept as a solitary specimen or as an established, compatible male-female pair.
Temperament: peaceful toward other fish, semi-aggressive toward its own kind. Lives in the bottom of the tank.
Common questions
How big does a German Blue Ram get?
About 1.9 inches (4 cm SL) as an adult, according to seriouslyfish.com.
What size tank does a German Blue Ram need?
At least 24 inches long and about 14 gallons. The smallest standard tank that meets that is a 20 gallon long.
How many German Blue Rams should be kept together?
It can be kept on its own. Kept as a solitary specimen or as an established, compatible male-female pair.
What fish can live with a German Blue Ram?
Species that passed every check include Cardinal Tetra, Pearl Gourami, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Discus, Moonlight Gourami, Japanese Trapdoor Snail.
Gear for a German Blue Ram setup
TankSmallest standard tank that meets its minimum: 20 gallon long (30 in long).Find on Amazon →HeaterAbout 100 W for 20 gallons, holding 81–86°F.Find on Amazon →SandSoft sand protects barbels and lets it sift.Find on Amazon →FoodSinking food reaches the bottom before tankmates grab it.Find on Amazon →Test kitCheck ammonia, nitrite and pH. Cycle the tank before adding fish.Find on Amazon →
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Related guides
Sources
Values come from these pages, in our own words. Status: verified. Last reviewed 2026-10-12.
- seriouslyfish.com /species/mikrogeophagus-ramirezi