Best set up for GBR's?

[Aqua315]

Hi everyone! Ok so i have a 28gal tank and my stock is going to be 8 neons, 1 blue gourami, 3 nerite snails and 2 dwarf cichlids. Originally I was thinking about getting cockatoo apistos but my mom went to our lfs with me and fell in love with the german blue rams. If I decide to get them, I'd be getting a pair. Are there any additions to my tank that I can make in terms of decorations or plants that are recommended for them?

 

[reefdiver]

They said that these are sensitive fish. I have 5 at the moment, 3 are new additions. They will need a cave.

 

[siva]

Nothing in paticular, just some good hiding spots. All of my rams nibble at the java moss quite a bit, so it would be nice to add some if you don't have any, but not crucial. Your other stock looks like good tankmates for the timid rams. Make sure the tank is well established with a stable pH as they are very sensitive. I would recommend, as others have to me, that you find a breeder. LFS stock is usually very poor quality. So far I have purchased four from two reliable mom and pop lfs'. First one never seemed right after acclimation and lived 6 days, second one seemed great the whole time I had it yet only lived a month, third one never seemed right after acclimation and died after two weeks, and the fourth one...well we are on week 3 now. I was well prepared for this going into it from other members on here that have lots of experience with them. I haven't been able to find a breeder locally or one selling singles online. Definitely find a breeder if you can. Otherwise hopefully you will get lucky with lfs stock.

 

[jpchin]

i have 2 blue rams and they are doing great. i think the most important thing is to keep the water fresh with frquent water changes. i take out about 15% every 3rd day. another thing is ph. they like a ph at around 6.4-6.6. they are south american cichlids. their ph is different than african cichlids. you should search this site for more information before you buy. your ph from the tap might be too high for them and if it is you will have to use reverse osmosis water or spring water and mix it with your tap water to get the proper ph. that's what i do. it's a bit of work. if you don't want to do all that there are lots of beautiful fish that can take a higher ph water. also you could ask the lfs what their ph is in the tank. whatever you do don't start to change your water's ph with chemicals. that is a bad idea and i think almost everyone on this site will agree. if the lfs tells you that you can use a ph adjuster, i would back away from that advice. if you use the chemicals it will lower the ph but only for a certain amount of time and then it will rebound quickly and that is very dangerous to your fish. good luck and do the research before you buy.

 

[siva]

I've been advised from members on here that good stock GBR's will be able to adapt to a higher pH. As I haven't had much success with them myself yet, I can't speak from experience, but wanted to pass that on anyway.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

You don't need to change the pH for this fish. My GBRs are doing fine and I don't change pH at all. Really it's more about the pH being stable than changing this for the fishes needs. As for as hardiness, I must have the best LFS to myself, the GBRs there are hardy and I've had mine for about a year now without any problems, except aggression between two males and sometimes Cory cats during feedin time.

 

[jpchin]

Ram Cichlid, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, also called Blue Ram, German Ram, Butterfly Ram, or Golden Ram

here is a great site to learn about the care and requirements of rams.

 

[Aqua315]

They said that these are sensitive fish. I have 5 at the moment, 3 are new additions. They will need a cave.

I was going to get some unpainted clay pots anyway because I still may decide to go with cockatoo apistos. Will the pots be good for rams too?

 

[mfdrookie516]

clay pots will be good for apistos or rams. driftwood will serve the same purpose, and look better IMO. I think apistos have a better chance of survival than rams though. I've heard so many people, who I know take good care of their tanks, that have had them die off for no apparent reason, even months after getting them. That said, I'll be getting some soon... but I know to expect some random deaths, as I have had with angels.