Blue Ram Help/20 gallon Planted

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Nils

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Aiight, here's my problem,


I am going to upgrade to a 20 gallon soon:brows:, probably a 20 long, and a nice centerpiece fish would be a GBR. I have heard that they are EXTREMELY hard to keep, and will seemingly die of nothing in even the best of tanks. :( This would be my first cichlid, and I want to know if I COULD keep it alive for more than a few days. Feeding would be no problem, as I have experience with picky eaters (my dwarf puffer only eats live black worms). I need some expert opinion on whether or not I could do it. Oh, and the only other tank mates would be 5x cories and maybe some shoaling fish. (probably going to be tetras) Are they really that hard to keep? I would be doing regular water changes, and the tank will be planted moderately. As always, thank you for the replies!!!

Nils :thanks:


PS: The picture that might be attached is of my current 10 gallon, don't know if it is going to work
 
A 20 long planted would be perfectly fine for a pair of GBRs. Add 2-3 caves for them to hide/spawn in.

They're fragile fish, and this is exacerbated by the fact that most LFS stock is from breeders in Asia who inbreed and inject juveniles with hormones to get their colors to show earlier. You'll also want to introduce them into an established tank (at least a couple months old, with a really good BB colony), so I'd introduce them last. They like high temps (82-84 F is considered optimal, but I've heard of people keeping them at 79 F), so you'll want tankmates that can accommodate that. Cardinal Tetra and Sterbai Cory would be good examples. You'll want to do regular WCs (~50% per week) and keep the nitrates definitely below 20 ppm, with 10 ppm being much better. They don't respond well to sudden changes in water parameters or temperature. Feed them a diet of high-quality flakes, bloodworms or baby brine shrimp a couple times a week, and a vegetable once a week. It's probably good to let them fast one day a week, as I've heard of them bloating (possibly due to overfeeding).

The key seems to be finding a quality breeder. Yunite Sdrams is pretty reputable and they also ship next-day or two-day mail. There may also be other good sources out there.
 
Sweet, that is a great site! If I were to add all of the gravel and water from the 10 gallon into the 20 gallon, and then let 10 other gallons of water sit for a few days with conditioner, and THEN siphon the water that sat a few days in to the tank, would that process work fine for them? Lol, probably going to take a while to understand what I just said! I have a local fish store that is not a chain like PetCo, and they have pretty healthy fish. They sell long finned GBR, very pretty. Also, would they breed alone without interference? Or would I have to do something with them?

Nils
 
You're going to have to properly cycle your 20 gallon. You can use filter media from your 10 gallon. Transferring substrate will help, but only a little. Make sure that your 20 gallon can fully convert at least 3 ppm ammonia into nitrates in less than 24 hours.

Ask your local store where they get their stock. If it's not from a reputable breeder, buy directly from a reputable breeder. Rams need to pair up on their own. If it's not obvious that they're a pair at the fish store, they may not get along. Some stores and some breeders sell confirmed pairs.

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Unfortunately, it seems that it will now only be 4 cories. My big egg laying female has contracted the "whirling disease". She is living her last moments on Earth right now, and I wish I could help her. Anyway, what do you mean by filter media? How long do I have to have the tank before I can add the fish? Since the GBR have to be acclimated to an aged tank, how old must that be? I hope the other cories aren't infected with the whirling disease to!

Nils
 
Sorry to hear about your cory.

Filter media are the sponges and other removable/replaceable pieces in your filter. I suggest that you read up on tank cycling, get your tank cycled, add some hardier fish (your corys, tetras, etc.), and look for a good source of rams a couple of months after your tank has been cycled. German Blue Rams are NOT for novices and may have problems in new tanks that lack a strong biological filter.
 
Well, I euthanized the fish. It was sad to see it going through all that pain. She want happily, and peacefully. So when I start cycling the tank, I will just add a filter from the running 10 gallon. Where should I place this filter? Also, what plants do you recommend? Should I get sand? I have an anubias on a lava rock, tons of java moss, 3 bamboo plants, a small marino moss ball, a java fern on a ball of moss and roots, and an unidentified leafy plant. Also, hopefully getting some more plants for Christmas, and a lot of duck weed!

Nils
 
I personally had fantastic luck with GBR. They are pretty hardy fish if you get them wild caught or from a good breeder. Mine survived through a tank crash and through a period of high nitrates. Mine were wild caught.
 
Sweet! I'm glad that you were able to keep them alive! I hope I have the same luck! Can someone answer my questions please??

Nils
 
Well, I euthanized the fish. It was sad to see it going through all that pain. She want happily, and peacefully. So when I start cycling the tank, I will just add a filter from the running 10 gallon. Where should I place this filter? Also, what plants do you recommend? Should I get sand? I have an anubias on a lava rock, tons of java moss, 3 bamboo plants, a small marino moss ball, a java fern on a ball of moss and roots, and an unidentified leafy plant. Also, hopefully getting some more plants for Christmas, and a lot of duck weed!

Nils

Depends what lights your using and if your dosing ferts. I would choose plants you like, and make sure your lights and ferts are ok with it.
 
Sand with easy plants will work well for Cories.
Crypts are nice. Several types. They just need root tabs every 4 months or so.

My heavily planted 10g
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1417743874.231419.jpg

The big brown leaf isn't normally there. That's an Indian Almond Leaf. My Shrimp love them [emoji106]


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Well, I euthanized the fish. It was sad to see it going through all that pain. She want happily, and peacefully. So when I start cycling the tank, I will just add a filter from the running 10 gallon. Where should I place this filter? Also, what plants do you recommend? Should I get sand? I have an anubias on a lava rock, tons of java moss, 3 bamboo plants, a small marino moss ball, a java fern on a ball of moss and roots, and an unidentified leafy plant. Also, hopefully getting some more plants for Christmas, and a lot of duck weed!

Sorry to hear about that.

I would begin cycling with a piece of filter media (or all of the filter media, if you're not using the 10 anymore) and follow the cycling instructions in the link that I posted earlier. The filter media will make the cycle proceed much more quickly - probably a week and a half or two weeks. A month or two after your tank cycles (two is better), your tank should be ready for GBRs.

I'd definitely get sand. Lava rock is bad for corys. Duckweed is invasive and difficult to get rid of. I'd suggest hornwort instead.
 
What is a cheap, but effective, non-carbon filter that i can pick up without spending over $40? According to the article about cycling, carbon filters are pretty much the worst thing that you can do to yourself.

Nils
 
AquaClear 50 costs ~$50 and it's arguably the best cheap filter you can get for a 20 gallon. You don't need to use the carbon media that comes with it.


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+1 on the aquaclear. Lots of room for additional filter media--I can even fit my Purigen in there without issue.


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So what would I use instead of the carbon filter? I don't want to spend to much money on a filter, but I found an aqua clear 50 on amazon for around $30.00 Might be able to get it at my LFS.

Nils
 
AQ filters also come with sponge and porous ceramic media. Use these.


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Are the canisters loud? Also, how big? I don't have a ton of space, and the 20 will be in my room. I love fish tanks, but not to the point where I can't make it so school because I'm so tired. I think I'll stick with the aqua clear

Nils
 
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