New and Love the Dwarfs

[rcjones]

I have a 46 g Bow Front, been set up since about March. I'm very new to all this and now from checking out everyone elses setups, I guess I may have some changes to make.

I have a large castle and various silk plants, guess is not very naturistic. I started with some fish I rescued from the kids, but once I found a pair of blue rams, I found new homes for the orphans and want to do more of these little guys and relatives.

I since lost one of the rams and am looking for another to replace him. One of the stores I went to said that they are too hard to keep alive in out area, so he doesn't carry them. Hope its not really a lost cause.

Other inhabitants:
1 Honey Gourami Trichogaster chuna
3 Peppered Cory Corydoras paleatus
4 Tiger Barb Puntius tetrazona
1 Common Pleco Pterygoplichthys pardalis
2 Green Tiger Barb Puntius tetrazona
1 Golden Danio Danio rerio
1 German (Blue) Ram Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
3 Bamboo Shrimp Atyopsis moluccensis
3 Zebra Danio Danio rerio
1 Otocinclus Otocinclus vittatus

 

[Cathy G]

Hi Chris,
Rams are usually bred is Asia and shipped here. They come with all sorts of problems - hormones were used in the tanks to get them ready for sale faster, etc. They are also extremely sensitive to nitrogen, and often have internal as well as external parasites. Many times you'll have to go through a few of them before you find a healthy one. There are fish stores here as well who stopped selling them. However, you should be able to find some healthy ones if you are willing to pay shipping. There might be local bred hobbyist fish available, or you can check the listings on aquabid. etc.

There are also some medicines you can run the fish through while it is in quarantine, I've actually had some good luck with this routine. PraziPro for gill flukes, Metronidazole for internal parasites (mixed with food and fed to the fish), levimasole for worms. Usually I keep a fish in QT for 1 month and he/she gets a course of all these meds, while being fed lots of high protein foods. So, if you can find another store which might have them, these meds might help. I wouldn't run every fish through this routine, just the store bought rams. I also wouldn't run fish I bought online from reputable breeders through all this.

The other thing to consider is your water. Is it soft or hard? Rams like soft acidic water. If you have hard water and don't want to invest in a reverse osmosis water purifier, you might want to reconsider trying to keep this fish. They won't do as well in water with any salt, and nitrates over 20...

Hope all this helps, they are cool little fish, but can be tricky.
Cathy

 

[nightowl1350]

If at all possible find a local breeder...check out an aquarium club in your area and see if they know someone who breeds them.

I breed them, but don't ship and wouldn't ship to the US so no help to you.

 

[rcjones]

Hey, thanks for the info. I've been treating the whole aquarium with Melafix.

I'm pretty sure I have hard water, ph 7.4, 82F, Ammonia 0 and Nitrite 0. The guy who told me he wouldn't carry them said that the water was a problem. He'd only been able to keep them alive for a couple of years at most so stopped trying.

So, what would be some good colorful dwarfs to start with? I have liked the dwarf gouramis, and have recently been checking out the various dwarf cichlids. I like the shapes of the Apistogrammas. Does that sound weird? :tongue:

 

[Cathy G]

Hey, I found an aquarium club kindof in your area. They do have a trading place, wanted adds on their forum so maybe you could find someone locally to get you tips and fish...

Here is the link - http://www.palouseaquariums.org/forum.php

Blue rams really don't live that long - maybe a 1 year to 2 max. They start spawning quite early, meaning that they naturally have shorter life spans.

You might try Bolivian rams - they are hardier and can take a little harder water.

(I used to live in CdAlene, had friends in Moscow etc...)
Cathy

 

[AdamT]

Hmm, looking at your other fish...

4 Tiger Barb Puntius tetrazona
2 Green Tiger Barb Puntius tetrazona

I know a number of people who have had tiger barbs prevent them from having more delicate fish (they're aggressive fin nippers). I haven't tried to keep them, myself, for that reason. Maybe someone else can comment on how the tiger barbs would fit in with the fish she is thinking of? Danios also often get pulled from tanks with more delicate fish, not because they're aggressive, but because they're so frenetic. Not to belittle your choice of fish, of course. If these are the fish you like then keep 'em!

You could probably get away with apisto caucatoides (I like the shape of them as well). Dwarf gouramis are fun. I like rummynose tetras and black phantom tetras. Bolivian Rams like Cathy said are kinda cool, but they don't have much color in the store usually. They look better once they're feeling at home in your tank.

If you have hard water with a high ph naturally, you might think about African cichlids. I particularly think that shell dwellers are neat little fish. I don't know a lot about these fish, as that's not the kind of water I have. ph 7.4 is still mostly neutral, and I don't know just how hard your water is. Some of the africans like things like 15+ degrees of hardness and ph of 8.something. Just something to think about (or research) there.

Is the store you went to a good one? You say you're new to this so I don't know how much to assume you know... If you're still going to the fish section of the average pet store then you should consider trying to find a dedicated aquarium shop. The people there should be able to turn you on to all sorts of neat stuff.

And if you ever decide to get into live plants, make sure you get a good light!

-Adam

 

[rcjones]

Thanks Cathy, I will check that link. I have many relatives in Moscow, its a nice town.

Thanks Adam, I guess I consider myself new mostly since through the years I've just dabled when compared to what I'm learning now. I've had gold fish, bettas, and Orandas in the past but never more than 10 gal, and never got into testing water and researching like I'm doing now. Guess I need more of a test kit than just Ph, Ammonia, and Nitrite too. It definately seems would be easiest to find fish to fit my natural parameters than to try and change them.

The store I've been going to is Petco, the guy said he's had aquariums for years, but if the blue rams only last a couple of years as Cathy suggests, then guess he was doing good.

I am re-considering the tigers as they are exhausting and I do really love the fish with long flowing fins and tails. I only added them as someone on another forum suggested them as dither fish to bring the rams around. I think they're a little much. My Ram doesn't seem shy at all, but my Honey Gourami seems very shy. The danios were suggested to cycle the tank when I got it last spring and some are still around.

 

[Nick S.]

Bolivians

If you are interested I understand Bolivians live for app. 4 years, and if fed well they do color up nicely I personaly like them better than Blue Rams.

The one on the left I've had for a while now, the one on the right I just purchased.

This is another one I purchased at the same time as the first one. I have my ph @ 6.7 and all my S. Am.s are doing well. I have them in with Angels, and Ottocinclius's in a 36g tank.

 

[rcjones]

Thanks Nick,
I'm beginning to think that my little ram is a Bolivian also. Mine looks more like yours than the pictures of the Blues I'm seeing.

Mine is less colorful and has a longer tail with long pieces on top and bottom. Not like the Blues that seem to have a more blunt tail.

 

[Nick S.]

Bolivians

Mine is less colorful and has a longer tail with long pieces on top and bottom. Not like the Blues that seem to have a more blunt tail.

Yes as far as I know Rams have a flat ended caudal while Bolivians have a veil tale. What do you feed yours? I feed mine a variety of foods including blood worms flake and a freshwater shrimp spinach frozen mixture. It seems to really bring out the colors in them.

 

[rcjones]

My ram doesn't seem to like the flakes, it seems to prefer the freeze dried brine shrimp and even likes the algae tablets that I feed the cories, otto and pleco.

I like the flowing fins and tails on my fish. From fancy goldfish, orandas, and bettas, I guess I'll start seeing if I can find Bolivians. Probably will have to order as I can't even find the Blues here.

 

[Nick S.]

Flakes

My Bolivians wait until the flakes sinks to the bottom before eating them.
We used to have a small family ran LFS in my neighborhood that would bring in unusual fish by request and availability. Unfortunately new mall management forced out all the small shops with overpriced rent. But it came back to bite them in the butt, now they have 75% vacancy and no one is interested in opening a business there.