Want To Try Some Rams..

[csm84]

ok i am thinking of trying out some rams. i don't know if i'll pick the blues or bolivian. it may depend on what the pet stores around here have in stock. anyways, i have a fairly heavily decorated 30L with black sand as a substrate. how does this sound for rams? my tap water has a pH of around 6.2-6.4, but can easily be raised (i'm used to keeping puffers). i was hoping to start with several rams until i found a pair...then getting rid of all but the pair. i was hoping at that point i could add some giant danios or buenos aires tetras, and hopefully some cories, oh and i have 2 (4") bushynose plecos for cleanup as well. how does this sound to everyone? what am i missing? is there anything i should know? i've never kept rams or any dwarf cichlids before...only the tankbusters :D

[PumaWard]

Just one question, is it a 30 long (as apposed to liter)?

Bushynoses will be fine, and your idea on getting a well suited pair will also.

I wouldn't use the buenos aires or giant danios with them. I would pick a calmer specie better suited to the temps you'll want for the rams (at least the blue rams) which will be 80-86F. Some good options would be cardinals, glo-lights, pencil fish, or harlequin rasboras.

Your tap water is in the perfect/ideal range for rams (although I will add they do fine in hard, alkaline water as well).

If you get blue rams, I might suggest looking elsewear than the pet store. Most people don't have very good luck with them in even the most well suited conditions. They are more expensive, but you might try http://southernapistos.com . My brother bought 2 pairs from this guys and both pairs were spawning within 2 days after they arrived. They are also the european type so they are prettier and hardier than those commonly seen in pet stores, which are usually farmed in asia and aren't nearly as hardy or pretty.

They don't always have them in stock either, so also check out http://aquabid.com , there are usually some good rams on there as well. I'll post some pictures of european and asian bred rams so you can tell the difference.

HTH

[PumaWard]

Asian bred ram:
http://www.thebudmaster.btinternet.co.uk/fish/fish_Images/neilram.JPG

European rams:
http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/ramgreat1.jpg

[Emg]

I guess I lucked out when I bought my rams. I got them at a PetCo in Ct and they are the European variety. I bought 5 all together at two seperate purchases.....one died during the acclimation process (but that fish I know I shouldn't have bought..it looked a bit weak).....one died from camelanus nematodes(which the ones from the second batch came with...luckily I live near a university and was able to get some levasol to treat them..it was too late for the one)

The other three have thrived and are doing quite well. I have a pair that I kept from one batch of fry that I raised from the original pair...and those two are now raising a batch of fry of thier own. My PH is way above what the typical info about them says you should have (7.8-8.2)..., but they breed and are colored up very nicely.

Acclimate them slowly to your water.....I noticed that they REALLY stress out when you bring them home and need lots of adjustment time to the new water...but after that if you have good stock, they should do quite well.