Electric Blue Ram vs German Blue Ram: The Detailed Comparison!

Electric blue ram vs German blue ram is one of the most common comparisons in the fishkeeping world. They are beautiful fish to keep as pets.

However, some confusion revolves around these, such as whether they are from the same species and if they can live together or interbreed.

The answers to these questions might require quite a bit of research but fret not – just read this guide to learn everything about them. 

Electric Blue Ram vs German Blue Ram Comparison Table

Features 
Electric Blue Ram
German Blue Ram 
Scientific name 

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

Origin 

Color variety developed in captivity 

Orinoco drainage basin in South America 

Colors

Neon blue

Yellow, with blue and black

Life Expectancy

3-4 years

2–3 years

Size

1.4-1.6 inches 

2–3 inches

Temperament

Peaceful 

Peaceful 

Minimum aquarium size

10 gallons per fish

20 gallons per fish 

Temperature

78 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit

80 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit

What Are the Differences Between the Electric Blue Ram Vs German Blue Ram?

The main difference between the Electric blue ram and the German blue ram is their size and color. Electric rams are smaller than German cichlids. Electric rams are fully covered in blue, whereas German ones are a striking combination of white, blue, black and yellow.

Here are some major differences that can help you determine which suits you best.

– Size Differences

German and Electric rams differ in size. On average, an electric ram is likely to grow up to 1.6 inches. The standard purchase size of EBR is 1-1.2 inches, which keeps growing with time. On the other hand, the German ones are relatively larger, having the adult size of German blue rams at 2-2.5 inches.

It means GBR are larger than electric rams, and the latter can be easily filled in a medium-sized aquarium. When it comes to German blue ram male vs female, males are larger than females. In the wild, the adults are likely to attain a larger size.

Mostly the specimens are sold at their juvenile stage, so they are considered small but will grow into their adult size soon. So ensure that you provide them with the right-sized aquarium with enough space to accommodate the adult fish peacefully.

– Color Variations

The difference between German blue ram and electric ram is quite visible in appearance. Even though both fish share the same finnage and body shape, a huge color difference makes them unique. GBRs are more vibrant and colorful than EBRs. They are a striking combination of several bright colors, such as black, blue, white and yellow.

The fish has blue and white color merged on the tail side half portion of the fish body. The front part is more on the yellow side, with all the fins having a yellow color.

The rest of the body is yellow, having a blue shade all around the body. On the other hand, the electric blue ram is completely blue, with a gray shade covering the anal fin portion.

The rest of the fish is blue and looks spectacular, with red eyes that look intimidating for the predators, if any.

– Origin and Habitat

German blue rams live in South America, where they have inhabited the slow-flowing waters of Venezuela and the Orinoco River basin in Colombia and Venezuela. These water bodies are warm, soft, highly vegetated and acidic. These fish prefer tannin-infused environments shielded from the sun and predators.

On the other hand, electric rams are a captive-bred strain of the German ram. They prefer quite the same water bodies as GBRs, having fast-moving and soft water filled with thick vegetation.

Fortunately, the German blue rams have a stable population and do not fall into the categories of threatened and endangered species. Since these fish are super easy to breed, many of these are also bred by keeping them in captivity. 

Manuel Ramirez discovered electric blue rams. Soon he imported these fish to Germany, where German blue rams were produced by line breeding. Now there are lots of German blue ram for sale.

– Aquarium Size

Requirements

Despite being small, both fish need plenty of space to swim and grow properly. For the EBRs, the aquarium should be around 10 gallons for a single fish. This is because they are active swimmers and need an open space to swim around. If you want to keep more than one fish, the tank’s size can be around 20 gallons.

For instance, if you intend to keep five fish in the same tank, the tank size should be no smaller than 50 gallons. Not having enough swimming space can make them stressed out and trigger aggression.

The same 20-gallon tank suits the best for GBRs. They might be bigger than the EBRs, and they also need space to swim and grow properly. The bigger the tank is, the better it will be for your fish. Also, ensure that your tank has plenty of hiding spaces and vegetation so the fish can take refuge whenever needed.

– Water Temperature and pH level

The water parameters required for both fish are similar as they belong to the same species. They’re sensitive to changes in water conditions, so you must ensure that the water conditions are always stable. Both fish prefer water temperatures ranging between 78 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Moving on to the pH levels, both species can live comfortably in a slightly acidic environment with a pH ranging from 5.0 to 7.0. They prefer slow to moderate water currents. The water hardness should be within the range of 6 to 14 dGH. Make sure that the water you keep in the tank is freshwater with frequent water changes in a week. 

If your aquarium is heavily stocked, water will need to change more often to retain the quality of the tank conditions. The lighting in the tank should be milder. Keep it dim, and the addition of floating plants in the tank will make it easier to diffuse heavy lightning to get into the tank.

– Temperament

There is not much difference in the behaviors of both fish. EBRs and GBRs are peaceful, highly social and active fish that love to explore the mid and bottom levels of the tank, and they make great community fish together. On top of that, they love exploring hiding spaces and roaming around vegetation. 

These fish get along very well with their tank mates, especially if they are of the same kind, as long as the water conditions are stable, water is well filtered and there is enough space to swim freely.

However, German and electric rams experience a lot of mood swings during their breeding season. They are more likely to stay aggressive, and if there are not enough hiding spaces, their aggressiveness can increase as they are possessive in keeping their eggs protected. Moreover, try to keep more females in the tank than males to reduce hostility.

These fish have brilliant minds and can recognize their owners very well. So whenever their owner approaches, they swim to the top of that tank in anticipation of food.

 

What Are Important Features of Electric Blue Rams?

The important features of electric blue rams are their breeding habits, feeding behavior and lifespan. These fish can live for up to three or four years. They can eat just about anything as they are omnivores, and females can start laying eggs after reaching 4-6 months.

– Diet

These fish are omnivores and love feeding on invertebrates, insects and plants. When kept in aquariums, their diet mostly consists of frozen, frozen dried and live food to strengthen their immunity and enhance the vibrance in their body color. You can also feed them high-quality food such as brine shrimp, tubifex food, bloodworms and leafy green vegetables. 

Make sure that the food you provide them is smashed into small sizes that they can easily eat and chew. You can easily feed them 2-3 times per day. Avoid overfeeding and provide them with enough food at one time that they can eat up in 2 minutes to avoid leftovers.

– Tank Setup

The right aquarium setup is as important as the aquarium size. Around 10 gallons should suffice for one individual, and 20 gallons might be suited for a single pair. Since these fish are native to warm waters, try to ensure that your aquarium is equipped with a heater to maintain an adequate temperature. 

There should be dense vegetation and fine sand or gravel as substrate, as these fish love to stay on the bottom of the tank searching for food. On top of that, dark substrates make your fish color look brighter, so it can be a great choice.

– Lifespan

Electric blue rams don’t have a very long life expectancy compared to some fish, and the average lifespan of these fish is 3 to 4 years. However, with optimum tank conditions and great care, you can help them reach the maximum life expectancy that can be extended even further.

– Breeding Habits

These fish breed very easily as males and females in the tank naturally pair off with each other effortlessly. They are monogamous and reach their sexual maturity within 4-6 months. Once they mature, they begin to spawn. When females are ready to spawn, they become larger because their stomachs are filled with eggs.

They become more vibrant and display a pink patch on their stomach. Breeding electric blue ram eggs takes around 40 hours to hatch.

Until then, they guard their eggs against predators turn by turn and fan their fins over them, which helps to prevent bacteria and fungal infections. The fry becomes an independent swimmer after 5 days, after which they get ready to eat micro worms and infusoria.

Because it’s difficult to tell an Electric blue ram male vs female, you might not be able to breed these properly if you don’t have individuals of both sexes in the same tank.

– Tank Mates

Due to their peaceful nature, EBRs can be housed with several small fish species with similar water needs in a tank.

Territorial and aggressive fish can easily stress them out, so keep them away from such fish. Compatible electric blue ram tank mates include dwarf cichlids and gouramis, cory catfish, small tetra species, kuhli loaches and bristlenose plecos.

Brine shrimp and aquatic snails might not be good options as tank partners because they might be appetizing snacks for your fish.

What Are Important Features of German Blue Rams?

The important features of German blue rams relate to their diet, lifespan and breeding behavior. They are omnivores and can eat all sorts of live, frozen or dry food.

They can live for up to 3 years, and females can lay up to 200 eggs per spawn.

– Diet

German rams are also omnivores, and a significant portion of their diet consists of insects, plant matter, shrimps and other small invertebrates. Blue ram cichlids in the aquarium can be fed frozen and live food, flakes, pellets and leafy vegetables . They are not very picky in their diet, so any dry food from the pet store will do the job.

The most appropriate live and frozen food include cyclops, brine shrimp and bloodworms. Food should be crumbled into small pieces easily pelletable for fish. The best thing is that you don’t have to feed them now and then. 

Feeding them once or twice a day will be enough for them to lead a healthy life. Ensure you provide them with enough food to finish in three minutes. You can also divide this food into potions to feed them daily to retain water quality.

– Aquarium Setup

The tank requirements of GBRs are quite similar to electric cichlids. They like warm water so try to install a heater in the aquarium to maintain the temperature. Furthermore, setting up multiple hiding spots with plants, caves and driftwood will greatly provide them with natural habitat.

Don’t install filtration systems that generate strong water currents. Remember to add sterilized leaf litter on the top and a dark and soft substrate to provide a comfortable shelter and add to their vibrance.

– Lifespan

The average lifespan of GBRs is between 2 to 3 years and can fluctuate based on the quality of their environment, diet, health, genetics and other living conditions. Follow a good care guide to keep them healthy and feel at home.

– Breeding Habits

Breeding German blue rams is quite easy, and females can lay up to 200 eggs simultaneously. They readily form pairs and prefer to mate with the same partner for the rest of their lives. German blue ram pairing behavior is quite beautiful to observe. 

During spawning, females lay eggs while male cichlids guard and fertilize them. Some fish don’t hesitate to eat their eggs, so you must pay extra attention to them during this season.

Eggs take 60 hours to hatch, and fry become free swimmers within 5-6 days. Once they are transformed into fry, you can feed them brine shrimp, infusoria, micro worms, etc.

– Tank Mates

German cichlids are peaceful fish who love to get along with other docile species of the same size and temperament. Ensure that the mates you put in the tank are not large and aggressive and prefer the same habitat as theirs. 

Some include silver dollar fish, kuhli loach, bristlenose plecos, Bolivian rams, dwarf gouramis, corydoras, etc. You can also keep a German blue ram with Bolivian ram fish.

Frequently Asked Questions

– Can You Keep a German Blue Ram With a Bolivian Blue Ram?

You can keep a German blue ram with a Bolivian ram because of their similar tank requirements and temperament. However, they differ in a few differences as well. Bolivian rams are larger, stronger and calmer than German ones and don’t require high maintenance.

For a detailed Bolivian ram vs German blue ram comparison, you can read one of our other articles.

– How Can You Care For Your Blue Rams?

You can care for blue rams by being careful – it is not rocket science, even if it is more difficult. You need to follow tank size requirements and water parameters and feed them an appropriate diet. You should also add compatible tank mates, offer extra care during the spawning season.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the differences between electric blue rams and German blue rams. These fish are highly social and amazingly peaceful species that make wonderful additions to community tanks.

They are quite similar in so many characteristics with minor differences. German blue rams are more colorful than their captivity-bred cousins, the electric blue rams, so you can choose the former if you love vibrant colors.

Electric blue rams are smaller, so they’re perfect for smaller tanks. They can also live slightly longer, so some fishkeepers might choose these. They get along very well with other species of the same peaceful nature.

However, these ram cichlids can easily be stressed out if placed with big and aggressive fish in the same aquarium. So, ensure to provide them with the best possible ram care to get them a healthy and happy life.

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