Are German Blue Rams Really Difficult To Take Care Of?

[lillykinloo]

Hi again! I was wondering what your opinion is of care for the German Blue Rams? I think this fish is quite lovely, and I'm wondering if these might be a good option for me? I have a 37 gallon Eclipse "show tank." So far, it only has 5 Diamond Tetras in it. I am also planning on adding 3 Pearl Gouramis (1 male and 2 females). Would the German Blue Ram be a good addition for this community? Also, I've read that these fish can be difficult to take care of (but the article I read did not explain why). Is this fish too difficult for a beginner? Thanks again for your time!

 

[Rugby]

it depends on how begginer u are. i have found that they are not the best choice for beginners. if u want to go with a ram, go with the bolivian ram, it is much more forgiving but less colorful. rams like a lower ph and require very good water. if u did decide to add a ram, then wait till after it is done cycling, but i would be hesitante to add a ram.

 

[lillykinloo]

it depends on how begginer u are. i have found that they are not the best choice for beginners. if u want to go with a ram, go with the bolivian ram, it is much more forgiving but less colorful. rams like a lower ph and require very good water. if u did decide to add a ram, then wait till after it is done cycling, but i would be hesitante to add a ram.

Honestly, this is my first fish tank (besides a 10 gallon tank I had as a child-my father helped me with this one tho, so I can't claim the credit ). Thanks for your advice!

 

[Rugby]

no problem, sry i kinda burst the bubble.

lol
Rugby

 

[thegnu]

hi,
I've heard of people keeping blue rams in water with ph8 but i think this is ridiculous when you consider the number of fish which would prefer this type of water. its like putting the square peg into the round hole. possible to be done but doesn't look nice.
check your waters ph and if its under ph7 its acidic and likely to be soft and you could add some sphagnum moss peat in a stocking in you water to soften it more which the rams and alot of tetra's like cardinals and rummy-noses would like. also they don't like medication, dirty water (high nitrates) bullying tank mates stress. they love bogwood lots of live plants and places to hide. they are demanding fish to keep WELL. this is why they aren't good fish for beginners.

 

[lillykinloo]

no problem, sry i kinda burst the bubble.

lol
Rugby

It's ok, Rugby! I'd rather have an honest opinion than a dead fish.

 

[lillykinloo]

hi,
I've heard of people keeping blue rams in water with ph8 but i think this is ridiculous when you consider the number of fish which would prefer this type of water. its like putting the square peg into the round hole. possible to be done but doesn't look nice.
check your waters ph and if its under ph7 its acidic and likely to be soft and you could add some sphagnum moss peat in a stocking in you water to soften it more which the rams and alot of tetra's like cardinals and rummy-noses would like. also they don't like medication, dirty water (high nitrates) bullying tank mates stress. they love bogwood lots of live plants and places to hide. they are demanding fish to keep WELL. this is why they aren't good fish for beginners.

Hi, thegnu! Thanks for your response! The pH in my tank is 7.2-7.4. I use a product called "Wardley 3in1 7.0pH Water Conditioner" to buffer the pH of my water. It doesn't get the water to a perfect 7.0, but it at least gets close. I also added a piece of driftwood to try to get the pH down a bit further (because my Diamond Tetras do not prefer a high pH). The driftwood really didn't seem to change anything, but it looks nice! However, because I am a beginner, I did not choose to use live plants (kind-of regretting this decision a bit now). My tank is somewhat heavily "planted" with fake plants (including a floating plant to provide some shelter from the lighting). I tried inserting a picture for you to see, but it didn't work. I'll have to go read up on how to do this.

 

[TerraDreamer]

I wouldn't consider adding rams until your tank is thoroughly matured and stabilized, as they are extremely sensitive to water conditions. You should try asking the ram fans in the cichlid forums...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=28

Regards,

Steve

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Rams are sensitive to water temperature change, and pinicity about lots of other factors hang off untill you have experience, but then they look amzing

 

[lillykinloo]

I wouldn't consider adding rams until your tank is thoroughly matured and stabilized, as they are extremely sensitive to water conditions. You should try asking the ram fans in the cichlid forums...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=28

Regards,

Steve

Thanks Steve! I posted my topic there with some more specific questions. I appreciate your help!

 

[lillykinloo]

Rams are sensitive to water temperature change, and pinicity about lots of other factors hang off untill you have experience, but then they look amzing

Thank you for your advice, Colonel Mustard! This seems to be the consensus. So, it sounds like I should hold off for at least 6 months to a year before trying any Rams. Maybe I'll just stick with the tetras, pearl gouramis, and add some cories to the community for now. That might be more appropriate for the time being. But, some day, I'll hope for a Ram pair. Maybe in my next tank!