FishProfiles.com Message Forums

i've only had my fuval 304 for a couple of months now, i'm running it with the valve half open, as its to powerful a flow for the plants and fish if fully open, is this ok?

and the inlet pipe is about 5-6inches off the gravel surface, will this be ok? or would it be better closer to the gravel to remove the solid waste more???

i've also been handed a blue ram from a neighbour whos other fish have died and he's now bored of fish or something. he is small only an inch or so. i've had him in quantine and now he's in my main 40g tank!!!
will he be ok on his own? and will he be ok in my tank?

i know it's slightly over stocked, but i do have good filtation and i do 10-25% water changes weekly. the tank is also heavily planted!!
what do blue rams like/ need, food etc? any information would be greatful.

cheers shekoi.

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

i have a fluval 404 and i was told in a previous post that if you have the valve set at half (well... anything less than full..) it can wear out the motor more quickly. my 404 is on a 55gallon so i was concerned about the water movement, but when i turned it up to full, noone really seemed to mind too much.

About your filter:

It may take some experimentation, but you might just be able to find an outflow position that avoids producing fast currents at any point in the tank. My Eheim kit came with a bunch of plumbing gear, but in the end I used a single U-joint to aim the outflow towards the left wall of the tank, along the back. (The intake is on the right side.) Right at that spot there's a lot of flow, but it quickly diffuses and just produces a gentle flow from left to right.

EDIT: A little clarification. The U-joint is about seven or eight inches from the left side, so it's on the opposite side from the intake. It's also right at the surface.

About your Blue Ram:

I'm sure he'll be fine. Rams don't need the company of other Rams, and in fact one of my six Rams is so antisocial that I don't keep him with the others because they're a lot mellower and I don't want to stress them out. Mine generally graze the stuff that grows on leaves and rocks, and they also eat sinking wafers for bottom-feeders. They rarely eat floating food, mainly because they like to slowly contemplate the flakes before they eat them and my other fish usually interrupt. And they never, never ever go to the surface to feed.

Last edited by Silverlight at 08-Nov-2004 11:20

My blue ram is quite different. He is energetic and playful. He often will swim up to the surface grab a flake and rush back down or he might stay up there for a few seconds. When he is at the top he is really skittish. My bolivian ram is more anti-social. He doesn't go up to the surface, although he will sometimes go half way.