# german blue ram



## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

yesterday i purchased a german blue ram he lived through and today he finally started to eat i was very happy right now i have in a 10 gallon lightly planted tank with one endler he seems to be doin fine right now the temp is at 78 degress right is this hot enough or should i make it hotter right he is pacing back and fourth on one wall of the tank is this normal. Also how often should i do water changes cause i know these guys need prestine conditions

much help appreciated


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## bscman (Mar 23, 2007)

I love german blue rams!
He's probably just being a little nervous/shy since he's in a new place. They like to have some hiding places--do you have any? This will make him feel more comfortable in his surroundings.

A little warmer would probably be ideal. Something in the low 80's...say 82-4ish, and a PH around 5-6.

Is the tank cycled?


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

yeh the tank cycled its been set up for quite awhile now im just about to put the heater on to get it warmer


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## bscman (Mar 23, 2007)

Sounds like a plan. Enjoy your ram...I'd love to have one (maybe after all these goldfish are gone, LOL)


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

i have a bolivian ram, shown in my avatar, and rams are pretty cool fish. caves are good to have for resting/hiding places for them. also, the temperature of your tank is really your decision since the warmer the tank, the more colorful your ram. just dont turn the heat up too much...bad idea =P good luck with him!


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## gem (Mar 13, 2007)

German Blue Rams are great. They're one of my favorite fish. I have a trio of 1 male and 2 females in my 55. They do quite well in a group like that. Just not two males. = ) I keep mine at about 80 and do weekly water changes of about 30%. They are quite delicate and require good quality water conditions, but not to the same extreme as Discus. They do great in a medium to heavy planted tank with (as already stated) lots of hiding places. 
His current behavior sounds normal. They tend to be a bit edgy for the first few days. He should calm down. One thing to watch for is fast breathing and sitting toward the bottom hiding more than anything else and clamped fins. Good luck with him. Post some pics if you can once he settles in. = )


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## gem (Mar 13, 2007)

sorry about the double here. I tried to edit the first and ended up with duplicate posts. Anyway, my edit was that my ph is 6.8 and that they prefer soft water. RO is great to use with them rather than treated tap. But that can get a bit expensive depending on your tank size. It runs (here anyway) about .50 cents a gal at my local LFS. I just use my tap water but my water is a bit soft already.


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

id say he is breathing a bit fast but is not lying at the bottom and there is no clamped im gonna to get a picture of him he is very colorful yet as i dont think he has hit sexually maturity I believe i will do about water changes every 3 to 4 days about 25% would this be fine


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

wow a lot of typos in that one i meant he isnt very colorful yet and there is no clamped fin the temp is now at about 83


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## gem (Mar 13, 2007)

Every 3 -4 days truly isn't neccesary unless you have high nitrate problems. Honestly.....25 - 30 % once a week is plenty....but it's up to you. Just make sure the water going in is the same ph and temp as the water in the tank. Also.....83 isn't neccesary either. 80 is fine.


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

ok i will try to lower the temp slowly he is a big eater tho i am very happy. do u think it would be fine to get a ghost shrimp or 2 to clean up the uneaten food. or some small corys like pandas or would that be to much


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

well i come with bad news the german blue has passed i have never had a fish that does so well the day before and just passes so quickly i could not believe i am so sad right now all my water parameters were fine i guess maybe he was just to stressed or somethin thank you for all the info though


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