Convict's First Go at a Planted Tank

[Sillyfishies]

Ok now.... You can jump down my throat if ya want I'm a big boy lol. The wife wanted them and they had them so.... I bought them. I got the pair for 15 bucks. Not sure if that's a good buy or not but she wanted them.

They're both females just btw.

I paid 45$ for my trio.

 

[MyanRan]

Wow! They look amazing!

 

[Rivercats]

Be sure to watch your nitrate levels. Mine do and look best when I keep my nitrates at 10ppm. Can't go lower because of the plants but I notice a big difference in color if they even get as high as 20ppm.

 

[Oohitsae]

Those are both female.
Sounds like a pretty good price though! I got mine for $5 a piece but had to pay $12 shipping on top of that both times so you're in better shape than me!

 

[redsea]

Ok now.... You can jump down my throat if ya want I'm a big boy lol. The wife wanted them and they had them so.... I bought them. I got the pair for 15 bucks. Not sure if that's a good buy or not but she wanted them.

Those are Bolivians, correct? They look great!

And aren't they more hardy than GBRs too? Sorry for all the questions, LOL.

 

[Convict2161]

Thanks everyone. So... 2 females are better? Confused. He said pair so I thought he meant M/F. Guess I was wrong or... He was... I'll be sure to keep checking nitrAtes like I've been doing. So far so good.

 

[Rivercats]

IMO two females are fine as you usually won't get as much territoral aggression, but remember I said usually... lol. If you get a M/F pair they almost always will pair up and often times claim a territory, which ends up in some aggression towards other fish entering in that area. But it's only chasing and not like you see in you African's.

 

[Convict2161]

IMO two females are fine as you usually won't get as much territoral aggression, but remember I said usually... lol. If you get a M/F pair they almost always will pair up and often times claim a territory, which ends up in some aggression towards other fish entering in that area. But it's only chasing and not like you see in you African's.

Oh whew... Ok, that makes me feel a little better lol.

Oh! No floaters today and I'm gonna try those plants again.

 

[spiketooth]

Ok now.... You can jump down my throat if ya want I'm a big boy lol. The wife wanted them and they had them so.... I bought them. I got the pair for 15 bucks. Not sure if that's a good buy or not but she wanted them.

There awsome

 

[Convict2161]

Thanks!! I may have asked but this tread grew faster then I thought. What's a good temp? I'm at 78, someone had mentioned 76...

Thoughts?

 

[tarheel92]

The rams look great Convict! 78 should be fine for them, it's just at the upper end of their temperature range I believe.

 

[Rivercats]

I run my tanks at 78. It's warm enough for everyone even tho Rams like the 80 and slightly higher temp range. They will do fine at 78F.

 

[spiketooth]

The temp sounds good, dont they like a higher ph tho?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Ok now.... You can jump down my throat if ya want I'm a big boy lol. The wife wanted them and they had them so.... I bought them. I got the pair for 15 bucks. Not sure if that's a good buy or not but she wanted them.

They are gorgeous! You will not regret them at all! I LOVE my Bolivians! I'm sure price varies by location, that's a bit more expensive than my LFS where they sell for $5.99 a piece, which isn't much of a difference. I want mine to brew very badly, wish I could've bought a pair out right!

 

[Convict2161]

The temp sounds good, dont they like a higher ph tho?

What pH do they like? Mine pH is 7.2 right now

 

[Convict2161]

I run my tanks at 78. It's warm enough for everyone even tho Rams like the 80 and slightly higher temp range. They will do fine at 78F.

Good to know... Thanks again for putting my mind at ease.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Those are German blues. Both females.

They like the temperature at 80-82. I have mine at 78 and their fine.

They like pH at around 6.5. Yours should be fine

Just because you have a m/f doesn't mean they'll pair. If you put 4 m/ and 4 f together you should be happy to get 1 or 2 pairs.

Great fish but hate nitrates. I have no issues with them even though my nitrates can get up to 40.

 

[Oohitsae]

What pH do they like? Mine pH is 7.2 right now

That'll work!
They like acidic water, anywhere from 5.5-6.5 but I have mine in 7.6-.8 and tey have done well for me so far.
Like someone already mentioned though, make sure you keep a very close eye on nitrates with them. They are very sensitive to them, and sensitive as a fish in general, especially to stress.

They also like temps in the 82-86* range, but mine are kept in 78-80* with no problem.

Much better to have 2 females than 2 males! They are still a bit aggressive, but won't stress each other out as much as 2 males or multiple pairs would.

 

[Rivercats]

They can acclimate to higher ph usually without issue but will rarely successfully breed which you aren't doing anyway. Most of my tanks with them run about 7.0.

 

[aqua_chem]

I've kept them in the high 7 range as well. If you can get good stock, they are deceptively adaptable.