Hi folks -
I'm not new to fishkeeping, but I'm new to cichlids. I have brought home a beautiful pair of German blue rams for my 25 gallon tank. They have settled in nicely and are eating well so far. My fish store guy bred them, so I know their history. They're about 5 months old, and they were raised in a tank with ember tetra fry.
I've read as much as I can read about them, but I wanted to get any advice from people with experience. I've added peat carefully to my tank to slightly lower the pH for them to about 6. I'm feeding a combination of live blackworms, NLS cichlid forumula, brine shrimp (live), and bloodworms (frozen). Their staple is the pellets. It's definitely a male and a female pair. They have a "cichlid stone" cave, and I just ordered a flat piece of slate to put in for a breeding area should they need it.
Anything else I should know about their care? They seem to be healthy and friendly little fish, beautiful bright colors. Their tankmates are sparkling gourami, kubotai rasboras, and ember tetras. They are buddies with the sparkling gourami - they follow them around like part of the gang.
So far so good, but I thought I'd pop on here and make sure I'm not missing anything. I have read that the rams can be sensitive to water quality and sudden water chemistry changes, so I am doing two smaller water changes per week for the tank rather than the large one I'd normally do. I've also been testing every other day since I got them, although I do overfilter and keep my tanks very clean, and it's well-planted.
Thanks in advance.
I'm not new to fishkeeping, but I'm new to cichlids. I have brought home a beautiful pair of German blue rams for my 25 gallon tank. They have settled in nicely and are eating well so far. My fish store guy bred them, so I know their history. They're about 5 months old, and they were raised in a tank with ember tetra fry.
I've read as much as I can read about them, but I wanted to get any advice from people with experience. I've added peat carefully to my tank to slightly lower the pH for them to about 6. I'm feeding a combination of live blackworms, NLS cichlid forumula, brine shrimp (live), and bloodworms (frozen). Their staple is the pellets. It's definitely a male and a female pair. They have a "cichlid stone" cave, and I just ordered a flat piece of slate to put in for a breeding area should they need it.
Anything else I should know about their care? They seem to be healthy and friendly little fish, beautiful bright colors. Their tankmates are sparkling gourami, kubotai rasboras, and ember tetras. They are buddies with the sparkling gourami - they follow them around like part of the gang.
So far so good, but I thought I'd pop on here and make sure I'm not missing anything. I have read that the rams can be sensitive to water quality and sudden water chemistry changes, so I am doing two smaller water changes per week for the tank rather than the large one I'd normally do. I've also been testing every other day since I got them, although I do overfilter and keep my tanks very clean, and it's well-planted.
Thanks in advance.
