Reccomended Temperature Advice

[fishstyles]

Hello there, I have a fully cycled 300 litre tank which consists of Colombian Red Fin Tetras, Black Phantom Tetras, Golden Barbs and Albino Corydoras.

I however just added some Bolivian Rams in which the store I got them from claimed they'll be well suited for that tank. The question I have is he told me to have the temperature to about 27 - 28 Celsius. I am curious what your opinions on this is and what temperature you think I should leave the tank running on to suit all the fish I have. Before adding the Bolivian Rams I had it on 25 Celsius

 

[seangee]

If you are certain it is a Bolivian ram (Microgeophagus altispinosus) you should go for a temp of 24-25. 27-28 is needed for a German ram (Microgeophagus ramirezi ) but that is too warm for your barbs and corys on a long term basis.

Never trust someone who is paid to sell things, especially not fish . www.seriouslyfish.com is a reliable site for checking species profiles and requirements.

 

[Colin_T]

I would set the temp on 25-26C

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Rams are not suited for that temperature. I would return the Rams, and look into something else.

 

[Essjay]

Bolivian rams are fine at the same temperature as the other named fish. It's 'ordinary' (non-Bolivian) rams which need a warmer temperature.

The way to be certain which they are is to look at the eye rings. All varieties of 'ordinary' ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) have bits of red in the eye ring; Bolivian rams (M. altispinosus) have no red.

 

[fishstyles]

Bolivian rams are fine at the same temperature as the other named fish. It's 'ordinary' (non-Bolivian) rams which need a warmer temperature.

The way to be certain which they are is to look at the eye rings. All varieties of 'ordinary' ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) have bits of red in the eye ring; Bolivian rams (M. altispinosus) have no red.

Here are the Rams I have. Hope this helps in some way

Also thank you to everyone who has replied so far, greatly appreciated.

 

[fishstyles]

Here's another if the first wasn't clear enough

 

[Colin_T]

Normal rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi), one is a female (has a pink belly) and they like warm water (26C +).

 

[fishstyles]

Normal rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi), one is a female (has a pink belly) and they like warm water (26C +).

Thanks for the clarification! So I should be fine in keeping my tank set at 26C you would think? I don't want to be cruel and set a temperature that could harm the others

 

[Colin_T]

26C is what I would set the temperature on.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the clarification! So I should be fine in keeping my tank set at 26C you would think? I don't want to be cruel and set a temperature that could harm the others

This is not going to work. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi needs warmth, and a temperature above 27C/80F, preferably a couple of degrees above, is essential for the long-term health of this fish. It will not be healthy or live close to its normal life span in cooler water.

This is way too warm for any Corydoras, even the so-called "warm water" species should not be this warm permanently. It is also too high a temperature for the Colombian Tetras (Hyphessobrycon columbianus) and the Gold Barbs (Puntius semifasciolatus). All three of these species will literally slowly melt (weaken) and succumb to this or that. M. ramirezi cannot be housed with these species.

I would certainly not rely on any advice from the subject store.

 

[fishstyles]

This is not going to work. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi needs warmth, and a temperature above 276C/80F, preferably a couple of degrees above, is essential for the long-term health of this fish. It will not be healthy or live close to its normal life span in cooler water.

This is way too warm for any Corydoras, even the so-called "warm water" species should not be this warm permanently. It is also too high a temperature for the Colombian Tetras (Hyphessobrycon columbianus) and the Gold Barbs (Puntius semifasciolatus). All three of these species will literally slowly melt (weaken) and succumb to this or that. M. ramirezi cannot be housed with these species.

I would certainly not rely on any advice from the subject store.

Thanks for the reply and most importantly the honesty. It is disappointing after purchasing them knowing I'd realistically need to give them back as they cannot be compatible to the ones I already have although if that's the case then I'd do so.

This would be my fault for not doing the appropriate research as I am a newbie in this hobby and keen to learn. You'd also like to think seller's of the fish would at least point you in the right direction.

It's always good having others opinions especially those who are far more experienced in this department.

So the verdict seems to be taking the rams back as opposed to finding an appropriate temperature for all the fish.... It just wouldn't work.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the reply and most importantly the honesty. It is disappointing after purchasing them knowing I'd realistically need to give them back as they cannot be compatible to the ones I already have although if that's the case then I'd do so.

This would be my fault for not doing the appropriate research as I am a newbie in this hobby and keen to learn. You'd also like to think seller's of the fish would at least point you in the right direction.

It's always good having others opinions especially those who are far more experienced in this department.

So the verdict seems to be taking the rams back as opposed to finding an appropriate temperature for all the fish.... It just wouldn't work.

Correct. Unless you have a separate aquarium for the rams, for their sake they need to be returned. You can verify all of my former post on Seriously Fish, just search the species by their scientific name (I always give these in posts to avoid any confusion).

Most of us upon entering this hobby were misled by store staff. It is an unfortunate truth that most have no training in fish biology, and many are only interested in selling fish and "stuff". I lost so many fish in the early years, when there were few stores (only department stores as well) with no knowledgeable fish people, and no internet to turn to.

Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[seangee]

You can verify all of my former post on Seriously Fish, just search the species by their scientific name (I always give these in posts to avoid any confusion).

This is quite important. There are different common names for the same species and sometimes fish shops just make up names. Case in point: Bolivian rams and German rams have significantly different needs. These days I usually go into a store knowing exactly what I want. If I am just browsing I will make a note of something that catches my eye and come back once I have checked it out. I have been caught out the same way too many times.

Hint: I always ask for the scientific name in the store. If you ask to see the Poecilia reticulata (that's a guppy ) and the assistant runs off to find the manager, chances are their advice won't be very useful. And you are much more likely to get someone who at least has an interest in fish that way.

 

[fishstyles]

Once again thanks for the replies guys. I will take the Rams back tomorrow and explain it was my error. I will look into getting some other fish which with compliment the others. Any suggestions is always welcome.