freshwaterguy

I have had my four GBRs for 6 days now in my second aquarium a JUWEL RIO 240 with gravel & bogwood. I have a stable pH of 7.5 is this OK for GBRs ?

I read many differing opinions prior to purchasing my first GBRs. My other RIO 125 with a Firemouth and Tiger Barbs also has PH of 7.5 and has been running for a year like this.

Should I treat the water chemically in my GBR setup to reduce to 6.5 or thereabouts? my LFS had them in a aquarium with PH 6.5.

I have read that 'most' fish can adjust to a PH slightly out of there ideal natural conditions and that a steady PH reading is more important - I test weekly.

My readings ammonia 0, nitrite 0, Nitrates 10, w/c 20% every other weekend

Thanks

Butterfly

Mine are in 7.6 ph, spawned week before last, went free swimming (ate the fry) getting ready to spawn again. All I can give you is personally experience. The only thing I would change about your set up is 25% water change per week.
Now if they were wild caught I would definitely be more careful about maintaining a lower ph and such until they acclimated.
Carol

TFA101

here on fishlore, the profile for rams says anywhere between 5.5 and 7.0. Rams are softwater fish, preffering acidic water over alkaline. But then again, these guys are pretty adaptable, so my friends have experienced. One kept hers with a pH of just about 7.5, so I dont see what could go wrong here. You could try lowering it though, just for the sake of your fish. I have a water conditioner called, stress coat, you might've heard of it, and it softens the water and removes chlorine, as well as encouraging tissue regeneration.

freshwaterguy

Thanks to both of you... Butterfly can I take it that when you say "The only thing I would change about your set up is 25% water change per week" you mean I should do a 25% every week? I thought a 20 to 25% WC every other week would suffice. I also have an EHEIM vacuum which I use weekly on the gravel bed.

Butterfly

Yes I would recommend 25% each week. Weekly water changes replenish oxygen, minerals and other good stuff found in water that your fish use and it removes waste that may build up from one water change to another.
Then there is dissolved solids to be concerned with- My co-mod from plantgeek.net explains it much better than I can. So here it is.
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/maga...Explained.html
Hope this helps.
Carol

freshwaterguy

Butterfly ~ Thank You that was an interesting read - I am sure other people on fishlore existing and new fish owners alike would benefit from reading the page at the above mentioned URL

worthy of a sticky?

Butterfly

Thanks, Glad it was helpful. The gentleman who wrote the article is very knowledgeable and this is his first published article, we are of course very proud of him.
Carol