# German Blue Rams



## James D (3 Jul 2014)

I got myself three of these the other day after gradually switching over to RO water (my TDS is still about 150). I left the lights and CO2 off for the first two days to let them settle in a bit but last night when the CO2 was back on I found the male gasping and floating weakly around.

Unfortunately he was dead this morning - although the two females seem perfectly happy. I'm just wondering are GBRs particularly vulnerable when it comes to pressurised CO2, maybe he was just weakened from the stress of moving into a new tank, I'm not sure but I don't want to make the same mistake again when I replace him.


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## mark4785 (3 Jul 2014)

I know that GBR's and Bolivian Rams are very sensitive to pressured CO2. So much so that I reduced my aquarium lighting intensity by about 80% so that the plants would not photosynthesise as fast and, thus, I could get away with injecting less co2.

The said fish will gasp where anything from Corydoras to Tetras do not. If you see them gasping, you need to do a big water change, stop co2 injection and/or add a o2 bubbler as the fish will succumb to some kind of a disease, usually hole-in-the-head, or out right hypoxia.


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## Humbert (4 Jul 2014)

GBR are very sensitive to everything )
I have kept them for over 5 years now as they are my favourite fish.
I did not observe a correlation between CO2 and the well being of these fish, but instead they are simply very sensitive fish.
ph or hardness swings are another matter, they do not like abrupt changes in water parameters so maybe here is the answer for this particular situation - I do not tnink CO2 is the culprit, but maybe they were raised in relatively hard water and they did not accomodate well to your RO

you know, is is true that in the wild these fish live in very soft water, but that is less relevant than the water they were actually raised

anyway, long and thorough accomodation before putting them in the tank is a must with them: I would say about 2hrs of accomodation

and after a while, when you think that they are doing well, expect to have them develop HITH disease or simply not eating one day and dying a week later with no apparent reason, whereas the other fish in your tank are absolutely fine

that's just how GBR are, in my experience at least


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## mark4785 (4 Jul 2014)

Humbert said:


> GBR are very sensitive to everything )
> I have kept them for over 5 years now as they are my favourite fish.
> I did not observe a correlation between CO2 and the well being of these fish, but instead they are simply very sensitive fish.
> ph or hardness swings are another matter, they do not like abrupt changes in water parameters so maybe here is the answer for this particular situation - I do not tnink CO2 is the culprit, but maybe they were raised in relatively hard water and they did not accomodate well to your RO
> ...



HITH seems to develop during old age in GBR's or if they are being chronically stressed. Simply moving a GBR from A to B can be perceived as stress. For me, I think co2 plays a compelling factor in the downfall of GBR wellbeing because I've experienced too much dissolved CO2 entering my aquarium, as verified by drop-checkers, followed by GBR's not eating. The same thing can be observed with Bolivian Rams to a lesser extent.

I think in summary I should say that GBR's are not an average fish and require your undivided attention, knowledge and efforts with regards to giving them a good diet (pellets and crisps, NOT flake), good and consistent water parameters (including a steady temperature of between 28 and 30 degrees C) and giving them lots of hiding places as they can stress each other (literally to the point of killing themselves) out if they can't take a break from each other.


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