Question about blue Rams.

stingray4540

Hello, Hello, Helloooo!
Oct 18, 2005
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San Jose, CA
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I was going to get a german blue ram today, and I've been doing a lot of reaserch, but every source contradicts the other. Half say they are difficult to keep and are sensitive to water quality, soft water, and slightly acidic. The other half say they are easy to keep and can be in more alkaline and harder water. What is it?! If any body who has or had german blue rams could tell me what they have learned from experience, I'd apreciate it.
My water is as follows: ph 7.5-8, slightly hard, 0 ammonia and nitrites, < 20 nitrates. I have some small river rocks piled in one corner, and a big red and white rock whith a large hole in it, like you see in pet stores, Two anubius fenzie (something like that) plants, one java fern and one small anacharis, and two small pieces of driftwood. There is a link to pics in my sig. look at tank with plants pics.
I have two dwarf gourami's, 8 white clouds, 1 aggezi cory, 1 emerald cory, 2 bumble bee gobies ( yes I know they are brackish, that is beside the point) in a 29 gallon tank.
What does everyone think about my set up and info on blue rams is appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Whats the tank size? Rams should be alright in your water as long as you acclimate slowly.

I have had some problems with Rams and Cories together...so may be something to wacth out for.
 
I bred rams for about 18 months. Still keep a couple of pair about all the time. Love the fish. They may even be my favorite.

Here is a quick write-up I posted somewhere else (i hope this board does not mind a reference to somewhere else--i know i route people to this site periodically).

http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/message_board/messages/32748/42093.html?1083616992

Here is a link to a google page that should give you more links than you ever wanted to read:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=microgeophagus+ramirezi&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Basically keep the water clean (at least weekly 50% water change), ph below about 7.4-7.6, planted environment, avoid large fast moving and aggressive tankmates and you should be fine. Breeding may not happen at that ph but the fish should do okay. I know several people that have kept the rams in 8.0+ ph ranges. Life expectancy was shortened and they saw a bit more bacterial disease, and a perceived rapidity of gill action not observed in lower ph water.
 
I also have bumble bee gobys in a freshwater. So far they are ok till I can figure out what to do with them, I dont want to just euthanise them for no reason.
 
I have german blues in soft high PH water (7.8-8.2) and I have had no problems with these fish at all.

They spawn all the time and I have raised one batch and sold them to an lfs. The only issue I have ever had with them is that they really stress out alot in the acclimation process and you have to go slow getting them used to your water.

I have read about folks who have had bad luck with them because of poor stock. Apparently I managed to get a good group of them.

Hope you find a some good ones, they are a very cool fish !!
 
I just bought a pair for my 55g yesterday. I have 7.5-8.0 pH hard water. I sure hope they do well, they're beautiful. I think that the LFS was chemically lowering the pH at the store so I acclimated them to my water very slowly. So far they're okay but I'll have to keep an eye on them.
 
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