German blue ram water hardness

Hi, I have 2 male 2 female german blue rams. All my water parameters are good except for water hardness. It is 10.7 grams per gallon (183ppm). My rams are healthy but they won't pair and breed. Might water hardness be the reason? If it is, is there a way to reduce it without going out regarding the virus?

 

Is that your TDS? Or KH/ GH? They'll do fine in that if it's TDS, but eggs might not become fertilised (needs to be 80 - 120ppm). There are a few good forum threads on rams so I'd search and look around a bit.
They'd need to pair first anyway, but with the right parameters, no significant stress, good diet and maintenance- should at least have one pair form I'd think. Make sure the temperature is high enough, ideally 82/84F range.
Only way you'll lower the TDS is cutting with RO, but again the hardness isn't the issue for now. Highest pH I have seen from successful breeders is 8.2 - they are usually happiest with that lower. I have had success breeding at 7.6.

 

Is that your TDS? Or KH/ GH? They'll do fine in that if it's TDS, but eggs might not become fertilised (needs to be 80 - 120ppm). There are a few good forum threads on rams so I'd search and look around a bit.
They'd need to pair first anyway, but with the right parameters, no significant stress, good diet and maintenance- should at least have one pair form I'd think. Make sure the temperature is high enough, ideally 82/84F range.
Only way you'll lower the TDS is cutting with RO, but again the hardness isn't the issue for now. Highest pH I have seen from successful breeders is 8.2 - they are usually happiest with that lower. I have had success breeding at 7.6.

Yes that is my tds. My Ph is around 6.6 and my water is 82 fahrenheit. I do water changes with 50 ppm tds so eventually it will decrease. Do you have any idea what might be the reason for them not pairing?

 

Yes that is my tds. My Ph is around 6.6 and my water is 82 fahrenheit. I do water changes with 50 ppm tds so eventually it will decrease. Do you have any idea what might be the reason for them not pairing?

Those parameters all sound good. My tap TDS is similar, so with a few water changes you'll get there. I add Alkaline buffer to bring my KH up from 1 to 3/4, and Equilibrium to lift my GH to around 5 and that plus a 40% WC, TDS ends up around 110ppm. If they are breeding I leave out the additives for a while and TDS is around 80-90ppm.

It can sometimes take a while for a pair to form, a couple months. Other times it's faster, but it depends on their social dynamics - rams can vary quite a bit- so I'd just be patient. Sometimes moving a male or female out the tank (to say a QT tank) for a few days, then returning it, can trigger things. A few large water changes in a week, with slightly cooler water (simulating rainfall), coupled with a high protein diet (bloodworms, etc), will force pair if their environment and parameters are sorted. I have a couple batches of babies, the oldest 10 weeks, and they're already pairing amongst themselves! Fun to watch.

 

Thx.