A Little Eager With Rams

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PaulEbs

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Hi,

I have been looking around for a decent pair of German Blue Rams for a while, and today have bought a beautiful pair that seem to be doing extremely well in my current water stats;

40 gallon tank

Ammonia & Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5ppm
Ph: 7.5/8
Kh: 110mg
Gh: 240mg

Pair of German Blue Rams
10 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Zebra Loaches
Breeding pair of bristlenose catfish
30+ mini bristlenose catfish


After reading many people's rants & raves about the fish on the net, I knew that a pair of farmed rams could quite possibly adapt to the more nuetral Ph. But after digging deeper after buying the fish, I've realised that Kh is whats important, not just Ph alone. So I measured the Kh and got a very high reading, higher than the chart said was 'hard water'.

On this note, I tried to find a cost-effective way of turning the tank water soft, but also maintaining a constant softness. I came across several methods, including; using RO water / rain water, using an 'earthy' substrate, resin, Co2 injection, adding bogwood [I have a tonne of the stuff], and using the chemical filtration of peat to add acidity to the water.

I read more about adding peat to the filter as this seems like a brilliant idea, people's reviews on the net seem very positive with good outcomes with this method. Does anyone here have any recommendations while using this method?

The other fish in the tank would benefit from softer water too, so I really feel this is a necessary step. I don't like messing with Ph, especially as this is a mature tank - does anyone have any advice on adding peat to a Fluval canister?

Any replies much appreciated,
Paul
 
I've just bought some Fluval peat granular and media bags, and will rinse the granules and boil them in the bag to ensure a minimal particle pollution.

The rams are going strong, eating well and enjoying the large tank - I've also bought a mini plant pot for them, just hoping the catfish don't over throw them [there's so many!].

I'll post pics and progress in a short while.

Regards,
Paul
 
The peat is currently being filtered and the current water readings are as follows:

Ph 7
GH: 100mg
KH: 180mg

Regards,
Paul
 
The rams are still seeming to be extremely healthy and happy within my provided environment..

I've tested the water once again, as the peat has been cycling for over 24hrs now;

Hardness of water is dropping further [Gh - 90mg] - yet buffer capacity has remained stable [Kh - 180mg]

Ph has remained stable too, at neutral.

I'll update the figures again tomorrow - as I don't think there are enough extensive tests available on the net relating to the adding of peat to your filtration [Please advise me if I'm wrong]. Plus I hope to get some pictures up as the pair of Rams I have bought have caught my attention far more than the many fish I've kept over the past 10 years.

The characteristics and personality of the Ram are so incredible to watch, it's such a stunning fish.

Regards,
Paul
 
I returned home from work today to see the male Blue Ram absolutely lifeless - dead.

Checked water stats:

Ph - 7
Kh - 80mg
Gh - 180mg
Ammonia & Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0.5
Temp - 80F

I'm annoyed at myself for the death of the most fascinating species I've kept, and really hope the female doesn't go the same way.


I thought I'd be ok, with such a good buffering capacity, and the fish seemed extremely healthy [full of colour, movement, and eating well] - but obviously it all comes down to actual water hardness.

Please if anyone has any other suggestions to improve the tank for the remaining Ram I would be very grateful. Are Blue Rams okay on their own?

Thanks,
Paul
 

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