Golden Rams And Shelldwellers..

[fishstick]

Its a funny old (fishy) world. I had what must have been 2 male golden rams. One started to bully the other to such an extent that the bullied one lost all his colour going almost transparent. As I have only two tanks I regretfully (knowing he wouldn't like the ph change) put the bully into my hardwater tank where he suprisingly appears completely comfortable. He swans and sparkles about, doesn't seem to be lonely and greets me as I come into the room. When he does this my shelldwellers now also rise up to be fed... I don't like having 'wrong' fish together but find it interesting that in the short term or an emergency it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[thegnu]

 

[Miss Wiggle]

just shows, fish don't read rule books!!

it's pretty easy to see if a fish is healthy and happy or not, if it works for you then it's all good!

 

[mark7616]

Also most fish that you by are tank bred and you have to go quiet a way down the line to find the origional wild caught ones which is why they adaprt far easily to a broad range a parameters.

 

[thegnu]

yes a lot of fish this applies to but rams some tetras discus and so forth is unusual. most community fish do well in a pH of between pH6.5-7.5 then you have your hard water fish the mbuna and livebearers and such that need hard alkaline water and your soft acidic water fish. these type of fish have lived in a specific water parameter of one or another extreme for thousands of years and wont breed successfully in the "wrong" water and definitely don't last as long nor do they show their true colours as their body cells have grown to deal with and extract what they need from their water. as for the old saying "match your water to that of your lfs" is rubbish. if a fish is wild caught it has come from its "right" water. if its been tank bred and its an extreme water fish it has been bred in its "right" water. then the wholesaler gets it. does he match the "right" water, no. he sells it on to your lfs. does he match the "right" water, no. he sells it on to the fishkeeper. then the fishkeeper gets it. is he suppose to match the water to that of the lfs. bah. extreme water fish end up in water that is meant for your avarege community fishes instead of the pH8+ or pH6- it should be in. then people wonder why their fish dies, then they blame the fish. i wonder how many million fish die an early death or cant behave like they do in the wild because people are either too ignorant to do the best for their fish or just cant be bothered

 

[fishstick]

I agree with the points you are making, thegnu, and like you feel it's not 'good fishkeeping' to ignore the fact that fish don't all come from the same type of water, if they did there would not be the variety that there is. That my ram is perky and in full colour in very hard water is, however, interesting.

 

[Griz]

edit: Upon further reflection, I'm staying out of this.