Will my water perameters work with blue rams?

naturegrl

naturegrl

AC Members
Sep 29, 2008
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I would like to add a pair of german blue rams to my stock but I'm not sure if they will do well with my perameters.

Amonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
pH: 8.3

55 gal tank, planted. I have softened water though the tap. I really have no way to get around the softened water. Not sure why my PH is so high. These perameters have been consistant for about 7 weeks.

I'm afraid of disaster if I try to add rams, kribs or cardinal tetras to this high ph water.

Also, I've been eyeing a beautiful piece of driftwood at my LFS. Would this help with the ph?

Thanks everyone. Love this Forum!

Tina
 
Any ideas what could be causing my high ph?

Peat moss? I guess I've never seen it. Is this something that is readily available at most pet stores?
 
I disagree as far as rams needing below 7 pH - I have a tank bred gold ram who is just fine, in fact thriving, in my tank with pH of 8.0. Wild caught or Asian farmed rams may be more sensitive, but I know several people who keep them in pH of 7.5 to 8.0 successfully. Further, far more important than pH for those species is gH/kH, but because of your household water softener you might run into a problem with high TDS even if you have soft water. The driftwood and peat will likely help as far as pH goes. If you can find healthy, tank-bred specimens, and acclimate slowly, you might be alright the way you are though.
 
Can someone post a link for some reading on ph, gh/kh, how water softener affects these? I've tried to do a little reading on the subjects but my eyes begin to roll back in my head.

Maybe some of you know a great article that is not written for the chemist?

What would I be looking for in my fish if the higher ph is affecting them negatively?

It seems like most people I talk to say not to worry about my ph as long as it is not fluctuating, but I am begining to worry. I'm not comfortable with using other chemicals to try to adjust the ph. I'd rather get to the bottom of why it is so high.

Thanks for the help.

Tina
 
i'm no expert, but i'll give it a shot. hard water contains certain minerals. water softeners switch out those minerals with other minerals which make the water "act" soft. it's all those minerals which raise the pH.

i think.

imo, you'd be better off setting up a water softener bypass and using the naturally hard water rather than the artificially softened (but still hard) water.
 
Water softeners strip the water of calcium and magnesium ions and replace them with sodium and potassium ions. So while your water is "soft" it is still high in dissolved solids, which is what actually matters to fish. By softening your water you have no reliable buffer, which can cause things to go out of whack easily. Usually a kitchen sink will not be connected to your softener. I'd test that water.

Rams are not as delicate as people think they are. It all depends on the stock. As lucy said the asian bred rams are more sensitive because of how they are pumped up with hormones at such a young age in order to appeal to the customer. I suggest finding a local breeder or a LFS that imports from Europe to ensure quality fish. I keep my rams above 8.0 pH and in very hard water without problems. Fish adapt.
 
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