20G Long Stocking...

[DieselJunki]

I found ember tetras around here! I'm so excited!

I will be putting my betta back in his old home so I can get the rams. I figured I would run what I want my final stocking to be with you guys just to be sure I wasn't overdoing it. Filtration will be the Eheim 2213.

2 Bolivian Rams or German Gold Ram or German Blue Ram (They have all of those at the store so whatever one you guys think would fit best I'll take cuz I like em all. Would you guys recommend 2 or only 1? I'd love to get 2 of them but don't really want aggression issues)
12+ Ember Tetras (Unless I can have more... or maybe I have to have less.)
2 Jhuli Corys
4 Panda Corys
3 Platys

Does that sound like a good stocking for a 29 gallon? If I am understocked I'd love to be able to get more ember tetras or more corys.

 

[DieselJunki]

I got my Eheim 2213 today. The directions suck, but nothing a little online research couldn't fix. I absolutely love it, it's so quite. I still have my little filter on the back and I figure I'd keep it there for about a week so it can seed my Eheim.

So now that I have the new filter I figure I'm ready to start adding fish in about 2 weeks or so. The post above me is what I want to put in my tank. Do you guys think this is good or to much? I'd like to have 12 ember tetras or more if I am able too but I also really really want the rams. Although I'm not sure which type of ram I should get.

 

[DieselJunki]

Well I went out and bought

3 Panda corys (brings my cory school up to 5)
3 Ember Tetras (it was all they had I want 12 of them though)
2 Bolivian Rams... Or what I thought were 2 Bolivian Rams but now that I look more closely one looks like a German Blue Ram.


This one I figured for sure was a Bolivian Ram


This one I think is an actual German Blue Ram since the red pigment on his tummy


Here he is again without the flash on my camera

or maybe I'm just seeing things. Also the Betta fish is still in there and will remain until I see aggression issues. Right now the rams are just sitting on the bottom, I think they are a little stressed.

The filtration is now a Eheim 2213

 

[Chrisinator]

Well I went out and bought

3 Panda corys (brings my cory school up to 5)
3 Ember Tetras (it was all they had I want 12 of them though)
2 Bolivian Rams... Or what I thought were 2 Bolivian Rams but now that I look more closely one looks like a German Blue Ram.

A little too much for the first day, but the Corydoras and Embers don't take up that much bioload. Just make sure to keep an eye on the German Blue Rams since they are pretty sensitive.

View attachment 114759
This one I figured for sure was a Bolivian Ram

View attachment 114760
This one I think is an actual German Blue Ram since the red pigment on his tummy

View attachment 114761
Here he is again without the flash on my camera

I think you did indeed get German Blue Rams. All of them look like GBRs.The first picture shows the blue pigments. In the third picture, I also see the Blue tinge that GBRs have in the tail.


or maybe I'm just seeing things. Also the Betta fish is still in there and will remain until I see aggression issues. Right now the rams are just sitting on the bottom, I think they are a little stressed.

The filtration is now a Eheim 2213

That's a pretty good stock so far! You should add more fish in abotu 2-3 weeks. Congrats on the new fish!

 

[DieselJunki]

Well it wasn't the first day my tank was setup but I do agree that it was a little much but they usually don't have pandas or ember tetras so I grabbed them and then I saw the rams and was like what the heck it's only 50% water changes everyday for possibly a couple weeks right :screwy:. I will be watching my params closely... I just couldn't help myself :

Well shoot I figured atleast one of em would be a Bolivian Ram. Oh well I was trying to decide between the 2 type anyways... I figured Bolivian Rams would be less aggressive and hardier fish, or so I've read. But if this is not so I will happily keep the GBR. For me it is so hard to tell them apart in the fish store and the people in the fish store don't know whether one is a GBR or a Bolivian.

A little update also one of the rams has passed away. Within a couple hours of me buying him (the first picture I showed is the one that passed on). I checked my params Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate-20. Must have been weak stock.. I made sure I acclimated them to my tank water for an hour and the rest of the fish are doing fine so far. It stinks he was the more friendly one that would come out and swim around instead of hiding in his tree stump thing.

Can Bolivian Rams and GBR be mixed? Like say I got another Bolivian Ram and I already had a GBR. Just curious, cichlids are very new to me.

 

[Chrisinator]

Yep, weak stock always comes unexpectedly. How many do you have left? You should wait to get another one when your tank is all done.

 

[DieselJunki]

I just have 1 left now. Yes I will probably wait until my tank is all done it's mini cycle (it was already cycled).

Do you know if GBR and a Bolivian Ram can be housed in a 29g tank together? or if the GBR is more aggressive then the Bolivian Ram?

 

[Chrisinator]

The Bolivian Ram is relatively more peaceful than the GBRs. As long as the bottom has enough room, they should be fine together.

 

[DieselJunki]

Well my other GBR died aswell.... No sign of any Ammonia spikes at all, I've been testing. I seeded my filter with lots of extra media from my gold fish tank and my tank was cycled before this... I guess they really are sensitive fish. So for now I will get my money back for them and just up my school of ember tetras... Maybe later on down the road I will try GBR again.

Can anyone think of a nice centerpiece fish that would do well in my 29g tank? The betta can be moved to a different tank so it doesn't have to be compatible with him.

 

[andyjs]

How warm is the tank? Blue rams like it pretty warm.

Blue rams are very hit or miss. For some reason, some stores have them and they look terrible in the store, but you take them home and they do great. Some, they look great, but you take them home and they die very quickly. In general though, I don't think they are as fragile as people make them out to be. If you get healthy ones from the start, they are pretty hardy.

I ran into a tank of great looking rams the other day at a store and decided to take the plunge again. I only got one though because I was nervous they might not be as healthy as they looked, and now I'm kicking myself for not getting a pair because the female I got is doing great.