# What are my odds with my GBR?



## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

I just got my very first German Blue Ram and I _adore_ him. I've only been keeping bettas until now, so I'm having a great time experiencing the quirks of a different fish...but reading up further on them, their death rates seem very high and now I'm concerned.  I bought him off ebay from a US supplier few days ago and so far he seems very healthy on day 3. Eats well and has vibrant color with minimum striping. According to the listing, he's a little over 8 months old already. I was wondering if that means the odds of him dying on me in a few days to a few months might be lower? The stories I've been looking at seem to apply mostly to young asian imported rams from chain pet stores? Do you think my guy has a better shot of being hardier since he's made it this long already?

I also have some quick questions about behavior as well. I'm planning on having a thick lip gourami as his tankmate. He's currently able to see her, but can't get to her as she's in quarantine. I can't tell if he's showing healthy curiosity or if he wants to attack her or something. He likes to try to swim wherever she is. When she stays still, he stays still as next to her as he can. When he's next to her, he starts really fluttering his dorsal fin at her. Looks like a flag flapping in the wind. Is that aggressive behavior? I don't know how to read him so far. Thanks for the help. Really looking forward to learning more about this guy and hopefully hearing some good news about my odds in keeping him alive.


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

It may also be worth mentioning that my ram is also not small like in many of the death stories. He's a pretty even 2 inches in the body, not counting his tail. He's of the long fin variety.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to C-F

If the supplier bred and raised the fish then I'd be much more confident in it's ability to cope with life in an aquarium. What size tank are they set for? What other fish are planned?

Good on you for quarantining. Continue doing so for several weeks.


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Welcome to C-F
> 
> If the supplier bred and raised the fish then I'd be much more confident in it's ability to cope with life in an aquarium. What size tank are they set for? What other fish are planned?
> 
> Good on you for quarantining. Continue doing so for several weeks.


Thanks for the welcome! I do believe the supplier raised them. My ram is currently in a 30 gallon tank, I may get some cobra endlers if I can find them again, I have two in a different tank. Other than that, I have no plans for other tankmates besides the gourami.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I'd suggest a small school of some tetras like rummynose. If the lone ram is boisterous, he can focus on these dither type fish instead of solely on the gourami.


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> I'd suggest a small school of some tetras like rummynose. If the lone ram is boisterous, he can focus on these dither type fish instead of solely on the gourami.


So all the fluttering and swimming close does sound like aggressive behavior then? I was wondering if I was being too paranoid since I'm only used to the betta's "I'm the boss in this tank" attitude. My ram is shy otherwise, but he just has this fixation on the gourami for some reason.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Tough to say for sure, but having only 2 fish in a tank when one is a cichlid can be trouble.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

The Gourami is conspecific, which means that it has a similar shape and build to the Ram. Humans don't always recognize the similarities, but isolated fish are less picky. So the Ram sees the Gourami as another Cichlid, and reacts according to his instincts. I've seen this on occasion when the Cichlid doesn't have another of it's kind to interact with. I've also seen Gouramis react to some Cichlids in the same way!


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

Mr Chromedome said:


> The Gourami is conspecific, which means that it has a similar shape and build to the Ram. Humans don't always recognize the similarities, but isolated fish are less picky. So the Ram sees the Gourami as another Cichlid, and reacts according to his instincts. I've seen this on occasion when the Cichlid doesn't have another of it's kind to interact with. I've also seen Gouramis react to some Cichlids in the same way!


That's really interesting! The gourami doesn't seem to be returning his feelings though lol. She seems to ignore him the majority of the time. Hopefully he won't bother her too much when they're eventually in the same tank.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

A 30 gallon is plenty of room for 4 rams. Just plant heavily and add driftwood so that they can carve out their own territories. I would add a school of rummynoses and make sure that the temperature is kept at least 80 degrees.


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

mambee said:


> A 30 gallon is plenty of room for 4 rams. Just plant heavily and add driftwood so that they can carve out their own territories. I would add a school of rummynoses and make sure that the temperature is kept at least 80 degrees.


I probably won't get more rams at the moment, mainly because I have to order them online and both the fish themselves plush shipping isn't cheap for multiples. But I'm still working on building up my planting(fake and live) and getting more driftwood, which takes forever to treat anyway. My temperatures are actually more like 83-85 since it's summer. Can't keep it under 80 even if I wanted to lol! Which is great news for all my fish, really.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

GBRs are pretty cheap on aquabid, plus a lot of the deals have free shipping.


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

mambee said:


> GBRs are pretty cheap on aquabid, plus a lot of the deals have free shipping.


I don't know why aquabid totally slipped my mind! I'll keep an eye and maybe will get more in a few months when my tank is really filled out.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

This picture makes me want to bid:

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1437685186


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Or this:

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1437581020


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## Reccka (Jul 18, 2015)

Those are all nice. And tempting! Gotta stock up on plants before I get too tempted lol.


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