Butterfly Cichlid DNZ XL - Microgeophagus ramirezi

With its great colors, the butterfly cichlid lives up to its name. The also called Microgeophagus ramirezi cichlid originates from South America and enriches the aquarium hobby for quite some time. Its easy care and breedability make it particularly attractive, it is also available in other color variations in the store.

You get adult animals, which were bred in Germany(DNZ).

With its bright red eyes and the different color patterns on the otherwise rather gray base color the Rami is a great eye-catcher in the tank. Especially the males provide a carnival of colors during the mating season, whereas the females remain somewhat paler. The males also show pointed  dorsal fins, those of the females are rounded, so you can easily tell them apart. In addition, the males grow to about 7 cm in size and high-backed, the females reach only 5 cm, but rather with belly. They live about 2-3 years.

"Microgeophagus" means earth eater- and that's exactly what your animals do in the tank, cleaning up the substrate. Especially live food like Tubifex, Grindal or shiny worms they like to eat for their life. Therefore you should use a sandy or at least fine-grained substrate, because they chew through it. Plants can be placed at the edge and in the background, so that your fish can retreat but still have enough swimming space. It is also recommended to have a good structure with roots or rock structures that are secured against falling over. Also shade the aquarium a bit, you can do this well with floating plants. With liquid preparations, but also with foliage, you support the input of humic substances, on which it depends. As in its habitat it prefers acidic and very clean water.

The aquarium for your darlings may be 54 liters, if you keep a pair. You can also keep them together with other peaceful fish that can cope with their water values. For this purpose tetras, livebearers but also danios are suitable. Invertebrates like shrimps, snails, mussels or crayfish should not be added.

You can also breed your favorites, but you need very acidic water and temperatures between 27-229 degrees. Feed them properly with live food to get them in the mood. Put a harmonizing pair in a prepared spawning aquarium that has shallow rocks, because they are open breeders, sometimes the females also dig bottom pits. The parents do the joint brood care and are very stressful- then they feed their own clutch. When breeding butterfly cichlids, it has proven successful to choose a long tank for several breeding pairs as the breeding aquarium. They are separated from each other with glass panes. Visual contact seems to strengthen the willingness to breed. Even after hatching, the parents still take care of their offspring. If the young fish then swim independently in the aquarium after a few days, it is best to catch the parents out. Young Ramirezis are very fond of eating artemiauplia, cyclops, infusoria and microworms.  

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, perfectly meeting their dietary requirements. The tasty pearls are also very well eaten by larger cichlids. Thanks to their soft texture, NatureHolic Cichfeed food pearls are gentle on the mouth and can be eaten very well by the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.