Tropical Fish Keeping banner

German Blue Rams and pH

18K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  lorax84 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm looking for a medium sized and colorful fish and noticed the German Blue Ram at the LFS.

I've read that this fish MUST have low pH (under 7.0).

I have somewhat hard water (about 180) and my pH is around 8.0.

Would I be able to keep this type of fish without having to adjust and of my parameters?

65g Tank
- 9 Zebra Danios
- 5 Black Phantom Tetras
- 1 Bleeding Heart Tetra
- 1 Clown Pleco
- 3 Powder Blue Dwarf Gouramis
- 3 Cloan Loaches (newest additon - babies)
 
#3 ·
I agree with Cody on the Blue Rams. As an alternative you could look into Bolivian Rams. I keep Bolivian Rams and while not as colorful as the blues they are still a very attractive fish with the added benefit of being hardy. My ph sits at 8.0 and my "guys" do just fine.
 
#7 ·
I keep German blue rams and golden rams in a tank with a pH around 6.5. I would not recommend this fish to a newcomer but rather to a experienced amazon biotope aquarium as they need much the same care.Dense plantation,low light and an overall dark appearance of the tank is a must along with soft water and a ph from 6 to 7.5.They will breed readily in a densely planted aquarium with flat stones and soft acidic water.Hope this helps. You will have to change those water parameters if you really want to keep them. They are true Jewels when kept under the right conditions.:-D
 
#8 ·

I agree. They are sensitive fish, and keeping them any length of time does require the ideal water conditions, IMO. It's not that difficult, to purchase RO water (at least here in the US) and add that with each water change. But as Kimmy, says, maybe better to look at Bolivian Rams. They are nice and even larger than a GBR.

Gwen
 
#9 ·
Agreed on everything that has been said so far.

I would not start messing with pH levels as it can be quite easy to crash the tank unless you know what you are doing. Kind of the "if it isn't broken don't fix it".

Bolivian rams but be better suited.
 
#10 ·
My water is similar to that of the original poster. Early in my fishkeeping "career" I bought two GBR. One was beaten to death in about 2 weeks probably by the other ram. The second one died in about 2 months, most likely from the wrong PH and hardness, as it showed no symptoms of violence or disease. I would expect this to happen to yours Bigk_54.
 
#11 ·
I keep Blue Rams in 7.4 ph moderately hard without any problem. It really matters what they were bred in. I know my fish were bred locally in local water, and mine look great and have spawned in these conditions. If I were you I would ask where the fish come from. If they are sourced from a wholesaler they are probably Asian pond bred Rams which are bred in low ph and need low ph

I have had my rams for almost a year with no signs of ill health or deterioration.
 
#12 ·

My LFS gets the ones I have from a place in Oregon, called "Chichlid Exchange". Ever heard of them? I would imagine most are coming from the USA, but maybe I'm wrong. Why would fish be getting shipped from Asia, if there are lots of places breeding them nationally?

Gwen
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top