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Tell me what you know about Rams. My fiance is considering these, but I want to know more in preperation. I have already researched them a bit, and found a store which had them today. They always seem to be readily availble in this area.

Is it ok to keep just 1 by itself.
Is it better to have 2.
Or is it better to have 3+?

If we get 2, should it be...
male/male
male/female
female/female

We are not particuarly planning on breeding them.

What is the best substrate, lighting etc for them? I'm a bit of a failure at real plants, what could I do in exchange for that?

Oooops, also wanted to know, is it possible to keep them at a pH higher then 7.0 or 7.5?

Thanks!

[span class="edited"][Edited by AngelZoo 2004-07-27 22:02][/span]

Well, the biggest they'll get is about 3 inches, It is usually best to keep in one male/female pair, but it depends on the tank size. They are peaceful, and won't bother any fish except maybe others of its species. They probably won't die at a ph much higher than 7.5, but that depends on what it is. I don't really think the substrate or lighting matter much.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

We have fairly alkiline water here, the pH generally goes from about 7.7-8.0 depending on the tank.

That should be ok. Just make sure the ph stays stable. Rams are really beautiful fish.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

My rams are pretty peaceful, except to other rams. I've lost a male to aggression, so I'd recommend only 1 male per tank. Even in my 55 gallon they fought. Occasionally a ram chases a cory, but no harm comes of it. Mine are in a pH of about 7.4, and they show nice colors and are active. However, they might be local fish that are used to the water.

Substrate and lighting aren't that important. They really like live plants, so good lighting for those is nice, but that isn't exactly what you're asking.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

We were thinking some nice brownish/and white rocks for cave systems, and a very fine dark brown gravel substrate so far.
Would this be ok for them?

What is the best foods to feed them, any particular brands you guys use?

Are they sensitive to any type of medications or e to any deseases?

The caves and substrate will be fine. They will eat flake foods, but you should give them something else every couple of days, for example bloodworms.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I recently had my dp's die from I'm guessing internal parasites. So I'm pretty worried about feeding live food now adays.

Are flake, pelleted and frozen / freeze dried foods ok?

Those will work. Just vary their diet a little, like with most fish. They will appreciate it

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."