Apistos or Rams?

[Sumpin'fishy]

I'm planning a 55 gal tank in the future which will be heavily planted. I would like to stock it with about 15 Neon or Cardinal Tetras, possibly a pair of gouramis, 8 Albino Corys, and 4 (2 pairs) Rams or Apistos. Which do you all think would work out better in my setup? please give details if possible. I really like the looks of most Apistos and the Microgeophagus Ramirez. I have done plenty of research and most seem like they would work out in my water chemistry, but I need some opinions from experienced keepers.

My water is currently pH 7.6 -7.8, with a KH of 5.4 in my 55, and 6.1 in my 10 gal. Don't know why they differ. I actually have Limestone in the 55, but I have some bogwood too. I don't have plants in any tank yet.

I do plan to inject CO2 and that will lower the pH some. I have looked at the charts and with a 5 KH I should have about 15ppm CO2 at a pH of around 7.0 . I assume I need a fish that will be OK at pH around neutral. I will also put my bogwood into this tank.

Apistos or Rams as my feature items?

 

[Cichlid Woman]

How about a pair of each? Putting two pairs of the same species in there might cause aggression problems.

By the way, it's probably the limestone driving up your pH. And Rams don't like that. I keep one successfully in a pH of 7.8, but if I ever get him a female, they won't be able to successfully produce fry in a pH that high, from what I've read.

I'm trying various methods to lower the pH, but, predictably, it's pretty much a mess and not too successful.

-- Pat

 

[Sumpin'fishy]

Actually, my tap comes out at about 7.7 or 7.8 and it doesn't change. My comment was that my 55 gal tank with the Limestone (large piece) and 2 medium pieces of bogwood has a lower KH than my 10 gal with no Limestone or bogwood. After a water change my KH seems to go up to about 6.7, but then settles and stays at 5.4 in the 55 gallon. I don't think I'll use any Limestone in the tank when I plant it, but I'm trying to pick out my fish list ahead of time. I know that CO2 will drive my pH down anyways, so I'm looking for a group of 4 fish (2 pairs) suited to my tank parameters.

Thanks for the opinion on 2 different pairs, but isn't it difficult to find a pair of these species without getting several and letting them "pair up" themselves. I just felt it was easier to get about 6 of one type and let them choose. I may loose one or two to aggression, sickness, or (fill in the blank), so I figured it was easier to get more and return any that I don't need for store credit. Any other opinions?