Butterfly Cichlid

COMMON NAMES: Ram, Butterfly Cichlid or Ramirez Dwarf Cichlid

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Microgeophagus ramirezi. SYNONYMS: papili Ochromis ramirezi, Apistogramma ramirezi.

DESIGNATION: Tropical.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Orinoco basin. SIZE: Up to around 7 cm (2.8 in).

WATER PREFERENCES: Soft, acid water. Temperature range: around 25°C (77°F)

DIET: Although live foods are preferred, driedfoods are also accepted

BREEDING: This is a substrate spawner which requires a slightly elevated temperature -around 28°C (82°F).

DESCRIPTION: In addition to the wild-type, there are now at least two other types of Ram: a larger-than-normal Asiatic Ram developed in Singapore, and a golden variety which is less robust.

Another species, M. tiltispinosti, the Bolivian Ram with which M. ramirezi is sometimes confused, is a much larger fish with seven, as opposed to six, vertical bars on the body.

Much debate has surrounded the correct scientific naming of this species, and it is only in the last few years that the consensus of opinion has settled quite firmly on Microgeophagus.

Butterfly Cichlid Information

• This variety of fish is of pair forming variety and one can even try out in breeding in a community tank.
• Unlike other cichlid fish this fish does not originate in the popular rift valley zones of the African continent. The fish is rather found in wild in the streams of the Sierra Leone, southeast Guinea, western Liberia and in the western parts of the continent.
• To keep the fish as pet you need not have to arrange for a big aquarium as the male fish can grow not more than 4 inches in length. The fish is quite peaceful in nature and it can be kept easily in a community water tank.
• The fish does not have the habit of digging in the ground and you can easily keep the fish in a planted aquarium.
• To differentiate the sex of the fish is quite tricky as one can hardly distinguish between the two apart from the breeding season. The fish of both the sexes are of amber color with blue hues at the lateral sides, in between the eyes and the caudal peduncle. The ending of the dorsal fins are of red and white. They have dark colored cheek stripes and a black opercular blotch.
• The only way to identify the male from the female is by noticing the size of the fish. A male fish generally grows up to about 4 inches in length while the female does not usually exceed 3 inches in length. The black blotches that generally grow on the body of the fish are due to the mood changes. But it has been noticed that the black blotches are more distinct in females than in male fish.