Info on blue ram chichlids
 

I have a 29 gallon aquarium and I was wondering what I need to take care of them?

filter, airpump, heater, light, decorations(fake plants, caves, etc). oh and food. check list?
Q #1 how many blue rams do you have?

None yet, I just want to get one.

Please have a read of our profile, click the shaded name: Blue Ram. This is not always an easy fish. For one thing, it must have warmth, no lower than 82F, which will limit other fish as many cannot last this warm.

Byron.

you have a point to an extent. but it really depends on what enviroment they were raised on. most pet stores keep multipul breeds of fish around the same temp and ph. simply because theyre all ran off of one huge sump pump. but studied in the wild the average temp is 82 to 86. most fish u get from the pet store are good around 76 to 80. i keep my african cichlid tank at about 82 in the summer and 78 in the winter.

i would get multiple. they do better in groups of about 3 or 4

One fish you might want to consider instead is the Bolivian Ram cichlid. They're a bit more tolerant of water variations, and once settled in, develop very nice colors. They also do well in a community tank.

I'm on board with Byron, and also with info in the fish profiles here.
Warm,soft water will give the blue ram(s) the best chance.
Majority of these fish will fail to thrive in alkaline water or temp's lower than 82 degree's F.

I realize there is a difference--sometimes--between wild caught fish and commercially tank-raised fish. With respect to water parameters other than temperature, i.e., GH and pH, the tank-raised blue rams should be maintained in water close to what they were raised in; while wild caught fish of this species must be kept in very soft and acidic water.

But when it comes to temperature, there is no give. Warmth which means 82F or higher is mandatory for this species, whether wild or tank-raised. And this is long-term, which brings me to the stores.

Stores expect to keep their fish short-term, they want to sell them. They may have "warmer" tanks for discus, rams, and such fish if they are a mainly "fish" store. Or they may have all their tanks running consecutively and maintain a "middle" ground respecting temperature, and GH and pH for that matter. Short term this may be OK, though there is still the unknown factor of what internal damage may have been done. When these fish do not live to their normal lifespan, it is often due to some earlier issue that "left its mark," so to speak.

Whatever a store may do, there is no excuse for the home hobbyist not providing what a fish requires. If one can't do this, then one should not acquire that species. The blue paragraph in my signature block says it.

Additional comment on the number; this is a species that is best in a bonded pair. Males select their females, and bond for life. A group is possible, but not within the confines of a 29g tank. A bonded pair is best here. Or, as someone mentioned, the Bolivian Ram which works very well alone (one fish), as it is believed to live in nature [see the profile].

Byron.