Blue Ram Help/20 gallon Planted

[Nils]

Yeah, I think I'll probably just add one more to each group so that they can mix groups. But other than that, I think I'll be fine. And don't worry, I don't have cats, only catfish

Nils

 

[PNWaquarist]

Nils the footprint in a twenty isn't optimum for full size corydoras species, a single group of a Pygmy species would be best. If they have to be the ones you mentioned, instead of doing four and four I would choose one species and do six.
I don't know much about killis, sorry.
For hatchets make sure you have a secure lid, not too much surface agitation as mentioned, and floating food.
I'm not sure if it's a 20 long or tall, I'll go back and read the full thread

It's a 29" x 10" footprint. Odd dimensions, but it should be a fine for a shoal of six 2" corys (Julii, Sterbai, etc.) if nothing territorial occupies the bottom. Peppered and Emerald cats will probably be too big.

I don't know much about killis either, but have heard that they also jump a lot. If it were me, I'd do either killis OR hatchets, not both, and would do a shoal of mid-dwelling tetras. As it is, the tank will won't have much action in the middle, which is not what you want in an 18" tall aquarium. Also, killis and Marbled hatchets are both sensitive to water parameters, so add those last.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Killis definitely are top dwelling.

Take note that clown killis are rather shy and harder to keep.

 

[jvdb]

I was hesitant when I went out and bought a GBR pair a month ago due to hearing about them "just dying". Anyways I had perfect water conditions, open space complete with good hiding planted areas. Super peaceful well established 30g community tank. I figured why not? I have the perfect set up for them.

For the first few weeks they appeared to absolutely thrive. Their colors were glowing, they explored the planted areas, nested in the gravel, swam in the open when they felt like it and then even spawned! ....a week later my female died out of nowhere. I tend to believe the theory of hormone treatment making them fragile. I won't be replacing her since I know there was absolutely nothing wrong with my tank. Maybe I'll get a female bolivian instead.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I was hesitant when I went out and bought a GBR pair a month ago due to hearing about them "just dying". Anyways I had perfect water conditions, open space complete with good hiding planted areas. Super peaceful well established 30g community tank. I figured why not? I have the perfect set up for them.

For the first few weeks they appeared to absolutely thrive. Their colors were glowing, they explored the planted areas, nested in the gravel, swam in the open when they felt like it and then even spawned! ....a week later my female died out of nowhere. I tend to believe the theory of hormone treatment making them fragile. I won't be replacing her since I know there was absolutely nothing wrong with my tank. Maybe I'll get a female bolivian instead.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I would not add the Bolivian while the male GBR is still around. Differing species of cichlids tend to not get along in small/medium tanks.

Where did you purchase the ram pair?

 

[jvdb]

Sorry to hear about your loss.



I would not add the Bolivian while the male GBR is still around. Differing species of cichlids tend to not get along in small/medium tanks.



Where did you purchase the ram pair?

Bought at a local fish store, not sure where their stock comes from, scared to ask. They have some interesting stock but are in a shady area & my husband is convinced it is a money laundering setup haha. Not going in there asking for a refund

You don't think a Bolivian female would do well with my GBR male? I might be wrong but I though I even heard that occasionally they make hybrids.


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[Brookster123]

What a great front for laundering.. losing $23373738 worth of fish a month...

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[PNWaquarist]

Bought at a local fish store, not sure where their stock comes from, scared to ask. They have some interesting stock but are in a shady area & my husband is convinced it is a money laundering setup haha. Not going in there asking for a refund

You don't think a Bolivian female would do well with my GBR male? I might be wrong but I though I even heard that occasionally they make hybrids.


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GBRs pair up at 3 months or so and mate for life. They're not down with "arranged marriages." Even getting different cichlid species to coexist in the same tank is iffy.

If you want to try GBRs again at some point, there are some very reputable breeders out there with quality stock. Some ship out-of-state.


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[Brookster123]

GBRs pair up at 3 months or so and mate for life. They're not down with "arranged marriages." Even getting different cichlid species to coexist in the same tank is iffy.

If you want to try GBRs again at some point, there are some very reputable breeders out there with quality stock. Some ship out-of-state.


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They do not mate/pair for life according to other forums.. have you witnessed this first hand?? I'm curious now..i certainly witnessed an odd girl out get exiled to death..

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[Sillyfishies]

They do not mate/pair for life according to other forums.. have you witnessed this first hand?? I'm curious now..i certainly witnessed an odd girl out get exiled to death..

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GBRs do for sure. I believe its possible for widow GBR to find a new mate, but I'm not sure on the part.

 

[PNWaquarist]

They do not mate/pair for life according to other forums.. have you witnessed this first hand?? I'm curious now..i certainly witnessed an odd girl out get exiled to death..

That's from the literature that Yunite sent after I ordered mine:

"German Blue Rams form monogamous pairs and their bond lasts a lifetime... Please rest assure that the pair’s bond lasts a lifetime..."

I'm not sure if losing a spouse can change their mind or not.

 

[Gillie]

That's from the literature that Yunite sent after I ordered mine:

"German Blue Rams form monogamous pairs and their bond lasts a lifetime... Please rest assure that the pair’s bond lasts a lifetime..."

I'm not sure if losing a spouse can change their mind or not.

This is where the confusion, is pair bonding is the formation of a monogamous pair for the life of one or both fish, it by no means implies that if upon the loss of one of the paired fish, the other will not take a new mate. If nature worked the same way as the popular thought on this subject, most life would be extinct.

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[PNWaquarist]

This is where the confusion, is pair bonding is the formation of a monogamous pair for the life of one or both fish, it by no means implies that if upon the loss of one of the paired fish, the other will not take a new mate. If nature worked the same way as the popular thought on this subject, most life would be extinct.

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Right, but that doesn't mean that the widow(er) will mate with a random GBR of the appropriate sex that is introduced into the tank. One may choose to harass the other to death instead. And it's extremely unlikely that a GBR will mate with a Bolivian.


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[Gillie]

Right, but that doesn't mean that the widow(er) will mate with a random GBR of the appropriate sex that is introduced into the tank. One may choose to harass the other to death instead. And it's extremely unlikely that a GBR will mate with a Bolivian.


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Their behavior is no different than any other pair forming cichlid, harassment is just the nature of the beast. It's easy enough to witness incompatible pairs in others species so it cannot be solely attributed to the pair bonding of rams.

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[PNWaquarist]

I never argued that it was.


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[Nils]

Wow, pretty intense I think I will just keep my Cories on the bottom, add one to each group, and then keep the mid dwelling fish as 6 Harlequin Rasboras. And for the top, I'll keep 7 Hatchets up there because they seem easier and less expensive than the Killi's. That sound alright?

Nils

 

[Sillyfishies]

Wow, pretty intense I think I will just keep my Cories on the bottom, add one to each group, and then keep the mid dwelling fish as 6 Harlequin Rasboras. And for the top, I'll keep 7 Hatchets up there because they seem easier and less expensive than the Killi's. That sound alright?

Nils

That stock list sounds great to me.

 

[Nils]

Alright cool, that's what I'll stick with then. I just went out to pick up some filter media biomax from Petsmart. Pretty good. Anyway, I am going to start running my filter with the media on the mature tank for a month or until I have all my gravel and driftwood in the 16. The filter I am running is the Aqueon 10 because it came with the kit. Would that be enough filtration? I think so because it says up to 20 gallon aquariums, and my better media will help. I think. If not, please say so.

Nils

 

[PNWaquarist]

You should get a better filter. The ones that come with the kits tend to be small and their sponges don't pick up much. AquaClear makes really good HOB filters. For your tank, I'd go with an AquaClear 30 or 50. That's about $50, but well worth it.

Good call on the biomax media. AquaClear filters come with ceramic porous media as well, which really helps.

 

[Nils]

Lol, you don't know how much I've tried to get my mom and dad to let me get a bigger filter for this tank, but my dad says that if it came with the kit, then the company isn't dumb enough to put a filter rated for smaller aquariums int here. But the truth is, they area. Big companies like Aqueon are cheap and do everything they can to save money, including putting filters to small for the aquariums in the kit. But I think I'll have to stick with the PowerFlow 10 anyway because I have a small bioload in the tank. Also, would adding 5 Amano shrimp once the tank is established be okay?

Nils