Rams In Comunity Tank?

There are a couple of problems with rams in your tank.
First it may be a tad on the small side for them.
Second is that rams do much better at 28 to 30^oC, too high for your other fish.
Rams also need soft acidic water. If their water and temp requirements are not met, they often die withing a month or two of purchase.
You will read of people who keep rams successfully in community tanks in slightly hard alkaline water, but you'll read of many more who have bought rams only to have them die within weeks.


When I say rams, I mean the ones called rams, German rams, blue rams, gold rams, electric blue rams, balloon rams and so on. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi.
There is another species of ram - bolivian rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus, which prefers 25^oC and can live in harder, more alkaline water. But they are bigger, so need a bigger tank than the other rams, and aren't quite as colourful.