First off. Rams like aged, soft water as they live in very slow flowing streams where the water is coloured by decomposing leaves. You can simulate this environement by seeding a thick layer of pea gravel over an aquarium safe peat soil which has been given time to settle. If you already have soft water, idealy around pH6 for breeding, (The lower the better for spawning) you can further simulate the South American "black water" effect by adding some comercial peat extract which won't alter your pH if your water is already soft.
If keeping rams in a softwater community tank, aviod nippy active fish like tiger barbs. Dwarf gouramis, neons etc make good companians.
IME, rams are very hardy fish once established.
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If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded:
Serrasalmus
Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the
exception).
I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families:
Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.
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