12 gallon - keep 2 dwarf rams in it?

[RedFish]

Re - Dwarf South American Cichlid Microgeophagus (formerly Apistogramma, Papilochromis et al.) ramirezi, the Ram:

I have a 12 gallon eclipse (with a 12gallon fluval filter instead of the eclipse filter) that I keep thinking about selling, but can't seem to part with it.  (Anybody want it?)

I was thinking that rather than let it sit unused, I should get it going again.
I used to have little friendly schooling fish in it, which I moved to a 29 gallon.

Now I would like something different, some bigger fish, and was wondering if it is ok to put a pair of rams and nothing else so the tank won't be over loaded.

It has flourescent lighting and grows low light plants nicely.

I've just started researching rams so would appreciate any suggestions, and if they are appropriate, is there a best place to get them?

Btw, the filter for the 12 gallon has been running in my 29 gallon, so it should be fairly easy for me to get the tank cycled.

Thanks!
Lynn

[BigDaddy]

A pair will do fine in a 12 gallon, assuming you have decent cover for one of them to hide out at should the other get a bit aggressive.

You can put some otos in the tank for clean up, they are small and won't affect the bio load

Best place to get rams are people who are currently breeding them.  Stong stock, unlike what you might get at the major stores.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes the stores get some good rams, but overall a breeder is best for GBs.

My fry aren't sellable size yet, I'm not sure if babblefish1960 or Toss have any to spare.  Can't think of anyone else off the top of my head...

[Adam]

You could do the pair of rams, 3 otos, and maybe 5 or 6 schooling fish like neons or rasboras.  That's on the light side, and I don't think your bioload would be that large.

Adam

[beowulf]

I kept a breeding pair in a 10g so I certainly do not see a problem in a 12g.

[RedFish]

Thank you all for your replies - I'm getting a little excited about this now!