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which is better??? Blue Rams or Keyholes???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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it depends on what you are looking for. i have rams, but haven't had key holes. with rams i have found that they are alittle aggressive, toward smaller fishes. for color to a tank, i would go with a ram, but for elegence i would go keyhole.

Can't ask for any better advice than that. Now you have to made a decision... so toss a coin or ask someone to join you in a paper/rock/scissors tournament for the best of three.

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Blue rams are much more water sensitive than keyholes and will not live long unless you change alot of water frequently. As it is blue rams only have a 2 year max life span even if you do everything perfectly. Many people keep blue rams with discus because of their water needs.

My Scapes

blue rams arnt really that sensitive they just dont handle newbiemistakes well. you need a good dechlorinator and water change water must be close in temp to prevent shock. they do require clean water in comparison to a goldfish. i give mine a water change once a week like all my other fish and they do very well.

They're both beautiful fish, but i prefer the Rams.



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I really disagree with sin on the blue rams and comparing them to goldfish is really way off base.

If your tank is not mature (greater than 6 months) and doesn't have weekly water changes of 20% or more your blue rams will not live a long life. I'm not talking about keeping them alive for 6 months, I'm talking years.



My Scapes

then i guess you dont really disagree with me at all. read my post again

Sin,

I read your post and you do mention water changes, etc., but your comparing water sensitivity to Goldfish. Rams and Goldfish are at opposite ends of the water sensitivity range. For someone who isn't used to large water changes frequently Rams are not the why to go, when compared to most other fish you see in your lfs. IMHO of course!



My Scapes

so you are saying that keyholes are better???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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There's no such thing as "better". There are two issues here. The first is which fish you like better and the second is that rams are more sensitive to water conditions (no ammonia, no nitrite ever, low nitrate and stable pH and temperature) than keyholes. If you prefer rams and think you have the right environment for them, they will do just fine for you. As for aggression, rams are not very aggressive and will only chase them away. Death is very unlikely and might only happen if the rams are breeding and the other fish insist on swimming in their territories, but even then I've never had a fish killed by rams.