# Electric Blue Ram keepers



## drodgers (20 Dec 2014)

Finally I was able to obtain 3 Juvies ; however my water is quite hard and it worry's me, so I've added Almond leaves and bog wood ,but its still above 7 ph.
should I worry? or just carry on....


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## Michael W (20 Dec 2014)

Hi David,

Normal rams can be found in waters with very low ph as low as 5 and very soft waters. What I found when I kept them was that the temperature of the tank should be quite high. I kept them in the low 80s degree f with a ph of around 6.6-6.8, not idea what my hardness was. Sand is also appreciated by this Cichlid as they are Earth Eaters. I do believe the longest time I have ever kept a pair of rams was 1 and a half years.

Now Electric Blues are a man made variant through selective breeding and line breeding methods so they are very picky. This can be emphasised by the fact that it is hard to find good stock for the average varieties of rams in the first place. I am by no means trying to discourage you with EBR as they are wonderful fish. Good stock from a reliable source is top priority with any Rams, this will give you a very good head start since many sources will inject chemicals into their stock to enhance colouration and health. Quite often they will fall ill in our aquariums due to the lack of the chemicals and such which keeps them healthy. 

Check out this http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Mikrogeophagus_ramirezi.php

This forum contains a wealth of knowledge and the members are way more experienced than I was, being a member on there is not a bad decisions if you are into dwarf cichlids http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/


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## drodgers (20 Dec 2014)

Thanks for the info!


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## Michael W (20 Dec 2014)

No problem mate good luck with your Rams, they truly are superb fish.


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## Samuran (29 Dec 2014)

As everyones experiences are different, when I was keeping and breeding EBR's the pH was about 6 (maybe a little lower). I personally found them no more difficult to keep than GBR's. I wish I never stopped breeding them, I thought about getting another pair just for my community tank and cannot get over the prices they are now.... one LFS was £18 each.... mental.


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## drodgers (29 Dec 2014)

Samuran said:


> one LFS was £18 each.... mental.


I hear you on that I paid a ridiculous amount here in Canada ..
All my Rams seem to do well in the hard water, maybe ill do a rain water tank and induce some breeding


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## ajm83 (30 Dec 2014)

Samuran said:


> As everyones experiences are different, when I was keeping and breeding EBR's the pH was about 6 (maybe a little lower). I personally found them no more difficult to keep than GBR's. I wish I never stopped breeding them, I thought about getting another pair just for my community tank and cannot get over the prices they are now.... one LFS was £18 each.... mental.


That is expensive, I noticed they had them in P@H for £9.99 each the other day. Cheap but probably crappy stock, and they keep them in tap water here (very very hard!). Looked healthy though.


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## Samuran (30 Dec 2014)

I think when I first saw them a couple of years ago they were about £15 a pair, bread like rabbits!


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## drodgers (30 Dec 2014)

I'm hooked i'll have a breeder tank set up in the new year ... details to follow


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