German Blue Rams

[laughing]

I really would love some of these guys. But, I am curious if I could successfully keep 2 in a 10 gallon?

I do regular water changes. The tank will be cycled, fully planted, have soft and acidic prepared (aged) water, and will stay about 80*. I am a betta keeper so I am no stranger to slow moving water! Therefore the filter intake will be baffled with pantyhose and the outtake will be baffled with aquarium sponge. As well, the water I will add some light tannis to for more 'cover'.

I know they need more bold tank mates so I am thinking 3 pygmy cories could go in with them. Then there wouldnt be a food problem either.

So, is it possible?

(By the way, im not looking to breed! I am just dying to have some!)

 

[Homedog98]

you could do one, but they really need more like a 20-30.

 

[eco23]

I really would love some of these guys. But, I am curious if I could successfully keep 2 in a 10 gallon?

I do regular water changes. The tank will be cycled, fully planted, have soft and acidic prepared (aged) water, and will stay about 80*. I am a betta keeper so I am no stranger to slow moving water! Therefore the filter intake will be baffled with pantyhose and the outtake will be baffled with aquarium sponge. As well, the water I will add some light tannis to for more 'cover'.

I know they need more bold tank mates so I am thinking 3 pygmy cories could go in with them. Then there wouldnt be a food problem either.

So, is it possible?

(By the way, im not looking to breed! I am just dying to have some!)

Welcome to the site . First, I think it's great you're doing a fishless cycle to prepare your tank. However, I've gotta say your stocking idea (while awesome fish) isn't going to work. GBR's need an absolute minimum 20 gallons, and Corys are suggested for 30 and up. Corydoras also should be kept in a group of at least 4-5 (the more the merrier).

What is your waters hardness and pH directly from the tap? In 99% of cases it is best to keep the natural levels of your tap water and not alter it. Most fish will acclimate and adapt to different levels, but altering the waters pH or hardness can cause stress on the fish. The rule I go by is to select fish that are suitable for your water...don't try to suit the water for your fish.

There's a site called Aqadvisor.com. It can give you a good idea of what will be suitable for your tank...but take what they recommend with a grain of salt. It is not always accurate, and the members here are your best resource for choosing fish.

 

[rich311k]

I would not do it. They are active little fellows who need pristine water. The more water you have the easier it is to keep clean.

 

[laughing]

I asked because u don't understand why you need 20 gallons.

I thought, maybe for space? But they get about 3 inches.

I thought, maybe for cover? But with driftwood, plants, and darkened water that's a lot.

I thought, the need for clean water? And I do frequent water changes, I never have cloudy water or high ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate levels.

I thought, maybe for breeding? But I don't plan on breeding.

That us how this question came about!

 

[laughing]

I am a freak when it comes to aquarium cleanliness. Freak!

Pygmy cories only get to an inch in size, thy are much smaller than other cories!

Out of the tap, 78-82*, extremely hard, and I cannot tell you pH. I plan on using my grandmas reverse osmosis water, though, which is very soft, and. About the same temp. I use pH stabilizers for all my tanks and it is about 7.2, so I have no idea if I have acidic water or not! I wouldn't have to mess with any parameters.

 

[Homedog98]

I asked because u don't understand why you need 20 gallons.

I thought, maybe for space? But they get about 3 inches.

I thought, maybe for cover? But with driftwood, plants, and darkened water that's a lot.

I thought, the need for clean water? And I do frequent water changes, I never have cloudy water or high ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate levels.

I thought, maybe for breeding? But I don't plan on breeding.

That us how this question came about!

it's for space mainly, they're active, and territorial if you have 2.

 

[laughing]

They're territorial even with driftwood, caves, and heavily planted areas? I must've been misinformed previously, then.

 

[Homedog98]

They're territorial even with driftwood, caves, and heavily planted areas? I must've been misinformed previously, then.

hiding places don't really prevent aggression, they just break it up. fish have a very "out of sight, out of mind" attitude, which hiding spaces make possible.

 

[mommytron]

i wouldn't put a ram of any kind in a 10 gallon tank. it's just too small. a betta is really the only fish of that size i'd recommend for a 10g. pygmy cories, however, should do fine. you'd want to get like 5 of them so they don't get too stressed. if you had a 20g you'd be good to go for a GBR, IMO.

 

[laughing]

I do have a 20 gallon, but isn't set up. If I it them it would be temporary, I wanted to upgrade to a 40 gallon with 6 pygmies, 4 rams, and about 9 betta females.

 

[jetajockey]

A pair of rams will be okay in a 10g, it's just not an ideal tank size for them, especially as a long term setup. Another reason is because of the smaller amount of water, slight changes in chemistry are more exaggerated, and rams are already extremely sensitive as it is, so more water volume the better.

 

[ejaramillo01]

A pair of rams will be okay in a 10g, it's just not an ideal tank size for them, especially as a long term setup. Another reason is because of the smaller amount of water, slight changes in chemistry are more exaggerated, and rams are already extremely sensitive as it is, so more water volume the better.

+ 1 to jetajockey. Smaller tanks require more attention to the maintenance, you can not skipped. Larger tanks are more forgiving, doesn't mean that the proper maintenance (PWC, Vaccum, etc) is not important. This just means that bigger tanks are more tolerant to mistakes.

 

[laughing]

I am incredibly diligent and frequent with water changes.

I might just wait for the 40 gallon.

 

[Homedog98]

I am incredibly diligent and frequent with water changes.

I might just wait for the 40 gallon.

good idea.