gbr's and ph

[gummibear]

Hey... I have an established 45 gallon tank with a ph in the high 7s. Other parameters: 0 ammo 0 nitrite and less than 5 nitrate. The gbrs at my lfs are locally raised...I was wondering if they can survive in this high of a ph if all other parameters are good? Really want one but don't want to kill it...I've heard they can be senaitive

 

[twoodrough]

It is my belief that fish can adapt to most things if you acclimate them slowly and keep it steady. But I have limited experience with rams.

 

[Hobgob]

They will be fine. A stable ph is way more important then a perfect ph. YouTube or google drip acclimation and do what they do. This is the best way to acclimate your fish to the new ph. Then just make sure it stays stable. Gbr are a little sensitive to nitrates but like you said yours were farm raised so are probably hardier. What ph are they kept in?

 

[gummibear]

I asked the guy at the fish store to test the gbr tank and it came back a high 6 and they appear to be thriving...I ordered drfosterandsmith acclimation kit so i will give it a try. thanks

 

[Hobgob]

I had mine in 7.5 and the were awesome! They colour up so nice in the tank after the settle in. Are you getting a pair or just one? Of you get a pair it's really hard to sex them. A good lfs will know how to do it but others will just give you to of them and say they are male and female...

 

[gummibear]

I don't want to breed them. I love their color! What would you suggest getting to keep the stress levels low..a pair or just one male? I currently have 3 black tetras, 2 white tetras, 1 koi angel, 1 red tail shark, and 1 siamese flying fox

 

[gummibear]

Are males or females typically more colorful?

 

[Dreadz]

Are males or females typically more colorful?

There's very little difference that i can see between my two other than the bright pink belly that the females develop when they are ready to breed. She does appear to have more visible black bands along her body which became more apparent at the time her belly coloured up, also the tiny blue spots that give them their blue sheen seem to extend further into the area of the large black spots on her side than they do on the male but it seems these traits aren't universal. I read a post on here very recenly from someone with many years experience of gbr's who's experience had disproved almost all the common tips to differentiate male from female (dorsal fin ray lengths, pectoral fin colours, blue spot coverage etc) other than the pink gravid spot and if i remember correctly, the fact that the females do tend to be plumper.

 

[Hobgob]

You can use the plump thing for almost any fish. Ones that get gravid that is. The females have a bigger stomach because they need to hold the eggs... There is no difference as far as coloring goes. Just makes sure your have great water parameters and there ya go. And I woe probation just get s ingle one then, how big is the tank? If you have enough hiding spots and enough space you might be able to get away with two of the same sex. But I would probably just go with one of them , the might nip your angel... Remember angels are cichlids and do get aggressive