German Blue Rams In Higher Ph?

[missgingersnap]

Hi all! I have a 48 gallon tall tank with angelfish, neons, cory cats, a couple guppies and a bristlenose pleco. The ph in the tank is around 7.8. I put a piece of wood in so it may go down a bit. So, can german blues tolerate a higher ph as long as the nitrates etc are good? Also would they get along with the fish I have in there now? Can I just get one female or is it better to try and get a male/female pair. Thanks in advance!

 

[ppipanman]

IMO they will probably be ok because most gbr's are tank bred in a nuetral to high ph, but i would ask your lfs what ph they keep them in at the store and as for the tank mates they will get along good just keep an eye out for the angels i had one kill one gbr and get along fine with the other 3

best of luck

just out of curiosity what are your water stats and temp

 

[minxfishy]

They should be fine in that ph, mine is 7.8-8.0 and my GBR and Bolivian rams (plus every other fish Ive ever kept) are absolutely fine with it, even those Ive sourced from LFS whose ph is as low as 6.0 (I always check). Take care to acclimatise them slowly and they should be fine, obviously keep on top of water quality as they dont tolerate any ammonia or nitrIte and yes, low as possible nittrAtes.

 

[Truck]

as above should be fine, just make sure you acclimatize well 1 hour at least using drip method.

 

[TigerIssey]

Regarless of the pH the fish have been kept in I always acclimatise these fish for 1 hour. They are so sensitive to water quality that it really pays to ensure they are well acclimatised.

As long as they are Tank / Captive bred they will be fine. Wild caught may struggle so I would stick with tank bred.

EDIT

Watch the rams with the corydoras, they both inhabit the same area of the tank and rams will knock them out of their way. Just make sure the rams are not bullying them.

 

[Truck]

also get your GH tested. if its above 10 degrees, i wouldnt keep them

 

[missgingersnap]

ok....thanks everyone. I won't be getting any for a bit. I'm having an ick outbreak in my tank right now so I need to get that cleared up.
My water stats are...A-0, nitrite 0, nitrate between 10-20. I don't even know what GH is but I'll ask at the fish store.
Do the rams always stay at the bottom? Are they shy? My neons dart off and hide at the slightest movement. I want something sort of social like my angels. Thanks!

 

[Truck]

ok....thanks everyone. I won't be getting any for a bit. I'm having an ick outbreak in my tank right now so I need to get that cleared up.
My water stats are...A-0, nitrite 0, nitrate between 10-20. I don't even know what GH is but I'll ask at the fish store.
Do the rams always stay at the bottom? Are they shy? My neons dart off and hide at the slightest movement. I want something sort of social like my angels. Thanks!

rams hang around the bottom. as there name suggests (mikrogeophagus) theyre mini earth eaters. they will sift through sand, which i point out at this point is the best substrate for them and it should be used.

there generally well behaved but they may chase neons occasionally.

 

[missgingersnap]

I may have to skip the rams then. I have gravel. Too bad....they are such pretty little fish. They won't do well with grave at all?

 

[Truck]

I may have to skip the rams then. I have gravel. Too bad....they are such pretty little fish. They won't do well with grave at all?

they dont do well with gravel, because they dig in the substrate, it can cause facial injuries and lesions.

 

[missgingersnap]

ok...no german blue rams then. boohoo! Are there any other pretty cichlids that will get along with my community fish? Angels, guppies, neons, cory cats, bristlenose pleco? I know most cichlids are supposed to be a bit agressive but are there any nice ones that are peaceful and are ok in gravel? thanks!

 

[minxfishy]

Mind had gravel, albeit very fine gravel, didnt bother them one bit. But its your choice, also they dont just stay on the bottom, they will swim all over, very social little fish, full of fun.

Your other choice could be apistogramma's (many varieties of), maybe keyhole cichlids, both peacful fish.

 

[ppipanman]

i agree with minx
as long as your gravel isn't super sharp they should be ok
i know sand is best but if you have gravel it doesn't mean you can't keep them i have 4 gbr's with natural colored pea sized gravel and they breed like crazy my pH is also 7.4 so gravel can't be all that bad
also as minx stated they will swim at all levels and mine even know me and come beg for food when i go by the tank but if my wife is by them they ignore her LOL

 

[TigerIssey]

Whilst you can keep them without sand, it precludes them from showing their natural behaviours that are actually such a part of these fish. They are completely different bought up on sand and really do play about with it.

Whilst on the subject sand would be a much better option for your corydoras too, there barbels can be eroded by gravel as these fish search amongst the substrate for left overs. The natural action of corries is that of sand sifters and sand does get blown out from their gills. Once the light comes on in a morning you can see where the corries have left trails of their activity the night before.

IMO with you stocking and potential stocking I would change to sand and watch these natural behaviours first hand. It truly is a sight.

 

[Truck]

IMO with you stocking and potential stocking I would change to sand and watch these natural behaviours first hand. It truly is a sight.

could not agree more. nobody realises how important it is to provide the right conditions for rams.