kribensis or GBR? and what can i put w. them

[PlatyLover91]

i was thinking of getting 2 GBR for my tank when it is finished cycling i did some research and they can be hard to keep there is the the possibility of 2 bolivians but im not sure what should i do GBR or kribensis the guy at a LFS would sell me a pair for 17$

also if i get any of those what could i keep them with?

:newbie:

[180gz71]

Not the same as GBR, but I have bolivians with: gold dwarf acaras, discus, various cories, ottos, SAEs, loaches. They seem to be only aggressive towards each other, and really not that bad even.

[guppygirl123]

I have a pair of GBRs in my community tank (see signature) and they aren't that hard to keep if you have clean water, a well-planted tank, and you buy healthy fish to begin with. I do frequent partial water changes, feed them a variety of both sinking and flake foods, and I've not had any problems. Just make sure the fish you get are healthy and eat well- you could always have the store owner feed them a bit to make sure they eat well.

How big is your tank?

[jm1212]

kribs wont fit in a 12 gallon.

[PlatyLover91]

so0o GBR it looks like ima be getting two =]!!

[guppygirl123]

That's cool. :) They're really pretty fish... You'll like them alot.

[PlatyLover91]

lemme be sure can i put them ina 12g i don;t wanna start a OMG NO OVERSTOCK BLA BLA thread

if i can't do those wutd be some good fish to stock my 12g with some colorful and interesting fish i would like BTW!

?

[PlatyLover91]

also if i do end up getting the GBRs how good are they w. bettas i have a female betta ina small little betta bowl and would love to put her into the tank shes awsome =]

[guppygirl123]

I have rams with a female betta, and they do fine. But I think it really depends on the personality of the betta, females are alot less aggressive than males, but you still never know... I'm pretty sure 3 fish (2 rams, 1 betta) could go in a 12 gallon, but you would need to keep the water quality very good, so water changes would be really important. But I think it would work. If you don't get rams, you could still put the betta in and add some cory cats, tetras, livebearers... The list goes on...

[PlatyLover91]

okay thanks for the info i do w/c about every week or so i am currently cycling prolly been 2 and a half weeks =/ but anyways my water is crystal clear i rinse the filters and clean the impellor when i do w/cs

i would love 2 rams and my betta in there

btw what is the preferred PH for a ram and temp ?

[guppygirl123]

Honestly, I don't know.... My tank is around 80 degrees... pretty warm... And, okay, I know people will get mad at me for this or something, but I've honestly never checked my pH before so I couldn't tell you. :) I hope people don't think that's awful...

[Dread]

I'm biased.. I HATE my Kribensis. He's a little jerk. I got him home, put him into his to-be 20long tank, and within 2 hours, my school of 15 Cardinal Tetras (WHICH WERE BREEDING CONSTANTLY! $$$) had most of their stomaches chewed out, and they were sitting on the bottom of my tank, dead. Friendly. My. Butt.

My German Blue Ram, on the other hand... was alone in a 10g for a long time, until he got some Corydoras friends, and I'm getting him a mate soon. I LOVE this little guy. He has a great temper with other fish, but he'll nip and bite my fingers if I touch his rock. Kinda like Wilson from Castaway, sorta, and he's really protective. He's really personable, and is gorgeous. His fin extentions are huge, and he's got some great streamers, about 1/2 inch long, which is huge considering he's only about an inch. However, he's reall sensitive to water quality. I keep him in super soft water, with quite abit of Black water extract in it, and I let the tannins take over the water, so it's always abit tea colored. It's reall low on the pH scale (like way low. I think 5.3 last time I checked). He's diggin it, and when he gets a mate, it's almost garunteed success for some fry.

If you do decide on GBRs, either get ones that are local bred for some time, so they're used to your water, or if you get F1s or Wildcaughts like I did, make sure you can soften your water and give them what they need. My guy (named Butch Cassidy Sound System, by the way ^^) refuses anything but live daphnia, bloodworms, white worms, and fined chopped earthworms, and he likes some peas and brine shrimp, or any kind of shrimp really, except Glass Shrimp and Red Cherry Shrimp (which he's kept with.. so it's good he doesn't snack). With Blue Rams, it's 1000% better if you can heavily plant their tank. A GBR in a non-planted tank (in my opinion anyways) is like a car with no engine; pretty, but what for? It ain't going anywhere.


Hope this helps abit.

[PlatyLover91]

aha my tank is about 80 on average too i do need to get a heater tho before mid september and i will my ph is about 7.0 so idk if thats good
btw
my betta just will not eat betta bites =/ i bought them she doesnt like em...

[PlatyLover91]

Dread thanks for the info would it be okay to have 2 GBR in my 12g i want to breed them

DRead any chance of some photos of the GBR?

[guppygirl123]

It's wierd. I feed my fish those multicolored fish flakes and my betta will only eat the pink ones! If she accidentally eats a green one, she spits it out.

[guppygirl123]

Well, I have to go, I hope everything works out for you!

[PlatyLover91]

also i intend on buying him Bloodworms as many ppl have told me to get them

do you think the ram will like my aquascape of my tank

(pictured in avatar)

?

[PlatyLover91]

thanks for the help guppy girl i just want my cycle to be over =/

but Thanks,

[Dread]

Dread thanks for the info would it be okay to have 2 GBR in my 12g i want to breed them

DRead any chance of some photos of the GBR?


Yeah, I think 2 in a 12g would be alright, just make sure there's alot of cover, and probably no other fish in the tank. If the GBRs get to spawning, anything in the tank will get very picked on, since 12g is so small. Rams are small, but they are still Cichlids, and they still have all the breeding drama that comes along with Cichlids. Plus, alot of fish can't really handle the conditions GBRs spawn under. High tempatures, really low pH, conductivity levels (really only matters in wild-caughts) and super soft water, etc.

And I only have an older photo of him, before his tank remodeling, and before his streamers really grew in. I can get a newer one tonight, but for now, here's the old one (this was about 2 seconds after the lights came on, so his colors aren't like they are normally):

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2800/picture39014dr6.jpg

[PlatyLover91]

thanks you looks awsome i just want my cycle to complete so i can get my rams i know were i am going to get them Tripocal Isle in Frammingham, MA

but i absolutly can't wait also love to c the pic when u take it

thanks