I'm also new but I did a good deal of reading about German Blue Rams before getting my one, and I must say that there are a few basic things to do that should go a long ways toward improving your experience and the fish's life.
1. If possible and reasonable, attempt to find a ram that is in water that's similar to yours. Sure, the majority of fish can adapt, but with a fish that is generally a little more sensitive everything working in your favor can help.
2. Don't just buy the first ram you see. I spent more than a month waiting & working with my favorite fish store to buy a ram that was doing well. They were regularly getting shipments with rams, but just as regularly within a week or so some of those rams were showing problems. Over a particularly slow 2 week period, they had 5-6 rams that didn't sell and didn't show any problems at all... finally! I watched the fish interact with each other and the other fish in their tank, and chose the dominant, brightest one. A couple months later, my ram is one of my favorite fish.
3. Take care of your aquarium! 30 to 50% water changes every week are second nature to me. My aquarium is very clean, clear and enjoyable, and my fish are all colorful, active and apparently healthy. Of course, running an Aquaclear 70 and a Rena XP3 on just a 36 gallon aquarium helps a lot too.
