German Blue Ram Cichlids are known throughout the aquarium hobby not only for their fantastically iridescent colors, but also for their charming and playful personalities.  These little beauties feature yellow-green bodies dotted with stunning electric blue markings.  These fish also have a dark stripe that runs vertically through their blood red eyes, which is sometimes accompanied by more vertical stripes across the body.  Some specimens also have shimmering pink bellies.  Their large, spiky fins are trimmed in red and black, which may make these friendly fish appear much more intimidating than they actually are.  German Blue Ram Cichlids range from 1 to 2 inches in length.

 

These cichlids hail from the river basins of Venezuela and Colombia, so their natural environment consists of warm and slow-moving waters.  When keeping these fish, it is very important to maintain high quality of water in your tank and to keep it within the recommended water parameters.  Like most fish, they do best in tanks that have live plants, rocks, or driftwood that provides them with cover.  Under ideal conditions, German Blue Ram Cichlids may mate with each other and will try to lay their eggs in a secure hiding place, such as a cave.  If no hiding places are provided, they may become aggressive toward other aquarium inhabitants in order to protect their eggs.