Rams

[Becks1985]

Was thinking of getting 4 german blue rams was wondering if my set up would be ok

Tank 350 litres
Ph 7.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10 ppm

Mostly all small tetras in my tank

Help would be good thanks....

 

[leighton_87]

What other Tetras do you have?

Tank size is fine - stats look fine - PH is a little high but if they are slowly acclimatised they should be fine.

My concern would be the high temperature they require - many other fish are uncomfortable in temperatures that high.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Which tetras do you have?

 

[Becks1985]

I have
20 cardinals
10 rummy nose
10 serpae tetras
4 sterbai cory
4 oto cats
3 platies

I'm temperature is 26 degrees

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They should all be fine at that temp, except for the platies.

 

[Becks1985]

The platies seem to be happy have them few months...
What do you think if I was to leave the rams out an get a male dumbo betta seen some lovely ones

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The temp for the rams should be up to 28C, and that's a bit higher than the platies prefer.
 
http/www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/platy.php
Platy preferred conditions:

Water parameters: pH 7.0-8.0, temperature 20-26°C / 68 - 79° F

 
 
http/www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/germanblueram.php

The German blue ram lives is the Orinoco River basin, in the llanos of Venezuela and Colombia. Los llanos means “the flat plains” in Spanish and is a large area of tropical grassland plain located east of the Andes in north-western South America. In this area, the water is warm and the temperature will typically stay within the 25.5-29.5 ºC (78-85 ºF) range. The water is soft and acidic with a pH-value around 5.

 
 
So, you see that 26 is the top level that the platies should be kept at, meanwhile its the lowest for the GBRs.  To be fair to the rams, the temp should be higher, and to be fair to the platies the temp should be lower.  The tetras should all be fine at either temp, they can handle the wider range.


There are some sources that will cite that GBRs are "ok" at lower temps, and/or that platies can handle higher temps. But, the issue is that the platies and/or GBR also prefer much different water in terms of hardness and pH as well. So, it isn't just a matter of temp. For GBR, I'd suggest a lot of driftwood, and even some peat to lower the pH, even if it's just a few points.

 

[r.w.girard]

If you want rams but don't want a tank that is so warm, just get Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus. 26º would be perfect.  Anyways, it is said they are easier to keep.  And rams really are more interesting than bettas [not to knock them, I keep both].  They are easy to breed and beautiful.

 

[Becks1985]

Yeah think ill go for rams if they had baby's would any of them survive in my community tank. Have a list of what's in my tank above.....

 

[CezzaXV]

Rams are very protective parents. Whereas most fish just lay eggs and leave them, rams protect their young, so there's a reasonable chance they could survive.

 

[r.w.girard]

Becks, the corydoras will probably get them. But maybe not right away. And make sure you go with Bolivian rams and not German Blue Rams because the latter do not handle high pH or low temperatures well.  Bolivians will be better in both.  And while they are less colorful, it would be hard to say that they are less attractive.  Tend to be a little less expensive, too.

 

[Becks1985]

A local fish shop breeds the german blue rams an they said they have adapted them from they were fry to a neutral ph of bout 7 ..... An temperature of bout 26 to 27 degrees... They are now nearly adult size in the tank so was thinking maybe I might get away with them....

 

[r.w.girard]

Really, GBRs are said to require very specific water requirements, which, in nature, is simply impossible - water temperatures constantly change as does pH through any number of factors - and as such means that the fish will probably do fine, if not thrive, in a larger range of conditions than are commonly accepted, baring of course poorly breed and thus weaker fish, which will be more likely to become sick in less than ideal conditions.  Bolivian Rams are known to tolerate a wider range of conditions but GBRs will probably be fine as well.  Give it a shot and keep us in the loop about how it goes.  We'd all love pictures once they are in the tank...

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I respectfully disagree with the previous post... You are correct when you say that in nature the conditions are not constant.  Variations in pH and temp do happen, but they are not long lived...  The key element is that these changes from the norm are temporary.  Most fish in the trade can handle temporary increases or decreases in temp, but aren't supposed to be exposed to temp at their extreme tolerance for extended periods of time as these are, in fact, stressors to the fish (they can survive brief periods, but extended exposure makes them more susceptible to disease, parasites, etc.).

 

[r.w.girard]

No, you are right. But then you are not so much disagreeing with me.  German Blue Rams would not be ideal for the tank in question.  Simply, one could probably get away with it, which is what was in question.  Ideal no longer seemed to be relevant.