Blue Rams

[Julie]

I saw some the other day and their colours were showing very nicely.  I have a few questions:

1. Can they be community fish?  
2. What are indicators of inbreeding
3. How many can be kept in one tank?
4. Nitrates?

Julie

[mseguin]

The problem with inbreeding is that it can be completely invisible. Usually, one would hope the breeder culls out obvious things such as deformities. But a lot of times it can be immune problems, or chemical pathways, or other things that physiological in nature and that you cannot tell from looking at the fish.

[Julie]

So it's trial and error, the ones that almost die immediately in a fully healthy tank are definitely weak.

Julie

[mseguin]

Or hormonally enhanced, or overcrowded at the breeders, etc. But yes its generally somewhat of a crapshoot, other than looking for general illness symptoms at th LFS.

[BigDaddy]

Other than that....

Yes they can be put in a comunity tank.
A pair to two square feet of tank space (without competing fish, rams tend to hang mid to lower most of the time)
Good water quality (rams do very well in discus tanks).

Big colourful males at an early age are usually hormone injected.

[zapisto]

Big colourful males at an early age are usually hormone injected.

most of the time yes
but i see some gorgious wild specimen who have nothing to hide in coparaison with the breed one.
amazing
i want only wild now

[mseguin]

Definitely, if u can get wild fish, then go for it, they're much less likely to be inbred, and very likely more hardy.