Giving up on GBRs

[adeebm]

Well this was the third time I've tried to keep a GBR. He'd been doing great for a month, eating well and coloring up. I fed him just yesterday, and there was no abnormal behavior. Come home today and he's dead. Same as the previous two. I guess GBRs and my water just aren't meant to be....

--Adeeb

 

[Fishkeeper26]

What were your nitrate?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Can't say that I blame you. I hate fish that die for no reason over and over. I've pretty much given up on GBR's and apistos as well.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Sorry to hear about that. I've given up on fish too. Rummies were my bane of the tank, I guess yours are GBRs.

 

[needmorecowbell]

I'm sorry to hear that but if you ever want to do it again there are their hardier lookalikes, the Bolivian ram. I've heard they are easier. Just don't give up if its what you want to do.

 

[jpchin]

Well this was the third time I've tried to keep a GBR. He'd been doing great for a month, eating well and coloring up. I fed him just yesterday, and there was no abnormal behavior. Come home today and he's dead. Same as the previous two. I guess GBRs and my water just aren't meant to be....

--Adeeb

if you don't mind my asking what was the ph of your water ? also gbr's like soft water. i have had mine for 11 months but i have to mix ro water with my tap to get a ph of about 6.4 and to keep my water soft. i'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your gbr's but they do require extra care i think. also very frequent water changes. i do one every 3rd day.

 

[jetajockey]

I'm with ya on the ram thing, I've kept and bred them successfully for a while and out of all of the fish I've kept both they and discus are extremely finicky and really have no place in the kind of tanks I keep, if I treated fishkeeping like work it would no longer be fun.

 

[adeebm]

My pH is 7.4 with CO2 injection, but what matters is that it's on the hard side. So probably not ideal for them. The oddest part is how they can show great coloration and be eating one day and dead the next.

--Adeeb

 

[jpchin]

yeah i've read about a lot of rams that have died for seemingly no reason. i feel lucky that mine have been doing so well. when i decided to keep rams i really built my entire aquarium around them. all the fish i selected do well in the low ph and soft water. the reverse osmosis water helps to soften the water i use and it also lowers the ph. i use a mix of about 60% ro and 40% tap. that works well for me. i really love messing with my aquarium so i don't mind the extra water changes and the mixing . i enjoy this hobby very much.

 

[lego7979]

So how does the R/o work , do u have your own system?

 

[jpchin]

no i get my water from a machine outside a grocery store. a lot of stores have them in this area. i have a 5 gal. bottle that i use. you can get a 5 gal. water bottle with spring water in it at lowe's or home depot. you can use the spring water in your aquarium. mix with some tap or just use the spring water by itself. remember when you mix tap water with your ro water you still need to treat any tap water with water conditioner. the ro water doesn't need to be treated.so after you get the bottle you use that to fill at the machine.it costs $1.50 for 5 gals. here in pennsylvania. then experiment with your ro and tap water. i use a 60-40 mix. 60% ro and 40% tap. you'll have to experiment with your ph. do a 60-40 mix and then test the ph. you want a ph of about 6.4 for the rams.and a gh of about 3-6 drops. do you test your water's gh and kh? rams like soft water. i know this sounds confusing but once you get your mix it's easy. it took me awhile to feel comfortable mixing my water but i really think it allows your rams to be the best they can be and reach their full potential as far as health and color. i'm attaching pics of the babies.lol

 

[ashleynicole]

I really like my bolivian ram. I guess pet stores don't sell them because they aren't 'colorful' enough. But when mine gets "worked up" (chasing a fish out of his territory or something) The edges of his fins will turn bright pink and his skin sparkles. When he's just grazing through the tank with no interaction his colors are pretty bland. I did buy two, but I lost one during a case of ich sadly... at least that's what I attributed it to because he died while I was treating the ich, although he never showed any signs of infection. But the other one is doing great.

 

[needmorecowbell]

I really like my bolivian ram. I guess pet stores don't sell them because they aren't 'colorful' enough. But when mine gets "worked up" (chasing a fish out of his territory or something) The edges of his fins will turn bright pink and his skin sparkles. When he's just grazing through the tank with no interaction his colors are pretty bland. I did buy two, but I lost one during a case of ich sadly... at least that's what I attributed it to because he died while I was treating the ich, although he never showed any signs of infection. But the other one is doing great.

+1
This is what I meant.. They aren't as colorful but they are easier than a gbr. Still get the same great behavior though

 

[kdpuffer]

Sorry to hear about your gbr, more so to hear your giving up but I can't say I blame you. They are said to be hard to keep but in my opinion they are totally worth it. If you are willing to give them another go I'm sure everyone here would go along with me in saying that we would gladly help out. I'm by no means an expert but I have done alot of research on gbr and would be happy to help where I can.

 

[adeebm]

Thanks guys. Probably the only way I'll be able to successfully keep them is using RO to lower my TDS. I do have an RO system which I use on my SW tank. But using RO for my 46g tank would be a pain in the butt. I do weekly 50%s and that's no fun without a python.

--Adeeb

 

[kdpuffer]

Well if have rodi in place it won't be as bad as hitting the supermarket. Cheap fix is to get a waterbed maintenance kit, it's the same thing as a python but like 1/4 the price.

 

[lego7979]

no i get my water from a machine outside a grocery store. a lot of stores have them in this area. i have a 5 gal. bottle that i use. you can get a 5 gal. water bottle with spring water in it at lowe's or home depot. you can use the spring water in your aquarium. mix with some tap or just use the spring water by itself. remember when you mix tap water with your ro water you still need to treat any tap water with water conditioner. the ro water doesn't need to be treated.so after you get the bottle you use that to fill at the machine.it costs $1.50 for 5 gals. here in pennsylvania. then experiment with your ro and tap water. i use a 60-40 mix. 60% ro and 40% tap. you'll have to experiment with your ph. do a 60-40 mix and then test the ph. you want a ph of about 6.4 for the rams.and a gh of about 3-6 drops. do you test your water's gh and kh? rams like soft water. i know this sounds confusing but once you get your mix it's easy. it took me awhile to feel comfortable mixing my water but i really think it allows your rams to be the best they can be and reach their full potential as far as health and color. i'm attaching pics of the babies.lol
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=16302&c=member&imageuser=36993
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=16299&c=member&imageuser=36993

Beautiful rams , I think when it comes to rams it depends if you got a good colorful pair in the first place.

 

[absolutangel04]

Well if have rodi in place it won't be as bad as hitting the supermarket. Cheap fix is to get a waterbed maintenance kit, it's the same thing as a python but like 1/4 the price.

That is excellent advice about the waterbed kit. I have never heard about that before!

 

[KatieJ]

This may sound like a really stupid question, and I'm sorry if this kinda jacks the thread. >.< But what does TDS stand for? Isn't it total dissolved stuff, or something like that? How does it affect the hardness of the water?

 

[absolutangel04]

This may sound like a really stupid question, and I'm sorry if this kinda jacks the thread. >.< But what does TDS stand for? Isn't it total dissolved stuff, or something like that? How does it affect the hardness of the water?

Total disolved solids. Water hardness comes from the amount of minerals in the water. TDS is of course disolved, so it is sort of like a build up of stuff in the water.