The darkest of the ram lines, running from smoky charcoal to nearly black, with blue speckling still showing through. Depth varies between suppliers and within a batch, and the darkest strains are sold as dark knight. Both sexes go dark at maturity, so the usual color cues for telling them apart are muted. Newer and less common than blue or gold, and usually priced above both.
In the wild
A recent line, built by darkening ram stock over successive generations rather than by any cross to another species. Breeders in more than one country have worked on it and no single originator is confirmed. The darkest strain circulates under the dark knight name, and jet black and black knight cover much the same fish. Nothing black occurs in wild ram populations.
Good to know
The look is the opposite of the gold line. Dark pigment is increased and spread across the body instead of reduced, so it covers the usual bars and flank spot. Blue sparkle still shows over the dark ground, so the reflective cells are not lost with the change. Darkness is not fully fixed in most stock, so a spawn gives a range and the darkest fish are bred on.
Did you know
Two black rams from one spawn can look like different fish depending on the tank they end up in. They read almost solid over dark sand and turn gray over a light substrate, which is why shop tanks and online photos rarely agree.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Black ram is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
3.1 in (8 cm)45 gal (170 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)
2.2 in (5.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
3.5 in (9 cm)20 gal (75 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
3.9 in (10 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
3.9 in (10 cm)55 gal (210 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)