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Can i keep german rams in my water?

Bhavik

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2017
Messages
250
Location
London
Im not sure if i will be able to keep german rams in my water not sure what the PH of my water is but this is what i got from my local water company

these are the details of the quality of my water
Screenshot 2019-06-11 at 22.23.33.png
 
Ok that’s fine I’m assuming they wouldn’t last long in my water?

Is there any thing similar that I can keep?
 
im just curious so i have a water softener which is connected to the hot water tap only
So if i were to use that water with the cold water would that lower the hardness of the water and reduce the PH of the water?
 
These water softeners replace the hardness with another element, they do not actually remove anything from the water. Sorry that quite a non-technical answer, id have to look it up to remind myself of the detail, but suffice to say they are not useful for reducing hardness so far as fish are concerned.
 
oh ok i see, i thought i would just ask.
im assuming it would have no effect on the ph of the water then?
 
Just been reminding myself about this... the answer it seems is... it depends!...

Water softeners replace calcium and magnesium (which are what we measure as hardness) for sodium, which increases the total dissolved solids, and therefore doesnt really make the water less hard. It's more about taste and how easily soaps lather etc so far as we humans are concerned... but this is totally unnatural so far as the fish are concerned which would not encounter sodium rich water in the wild and so are not adapted to deal with such conditions.

Things like Brita filter cartridges replace the calcium and magnesium for hydrogen. As pH is ultimately a measure of the number of hydrogen ions in a given volume of water - the more there are, the lower the pH - this lowers the pH quite significantly. Again of course this affects whether the water is suitable for fish species in question.

Thanks to my friend Sue on another forum for explaining this to me... that said, if someone with more chemistry understanding than me wants to correct any of this please feel free!
 
Hi all,
Water softeners replace calcium and magnesium (which are what we measure as hardness) for sodium, which increases the total dissolved solids, and therefore doesnt really make the water less hard. It's more about taste and how easily soaps lather etc so far as we humans are concerned... but this is totally unnatural so far as the fish are concerned which would not encounter sodium rich water in the wild and so are not adapted to deal with such conditions.
That one. We have a water softener and it gets through <"a lot of salt">.
Things like Brita filter cartridges replace the calcium and magnesium for hydrogen. As pH is ultimately a measure of the number of hydrogen ions in a given volume of water - the more there are, the lower the pH - this lowers the pH quite significantly. Again of course this affects whether the water is suitable for fish species in question.
Depends on the cartridge, the <"Brita C type swap a H+ ion for a Ca++ ion">, other types swap a potassium ion (K+) for a calcium (Ca++) ion. They all have an activated carbon pod as well.

cheers Darrel
 
Maybe shell dweller cichlids would be a species for consideration for Harder water?.
 
Other apecies you could consider include: Platys, Guppies, Molly's, Threadfin Rainbowfish, Dwarf Rainbowfish, Dwarf Puffers, Sparkling Gouramin Croaking Gourami, Bumblebee Goby
 
your other options would be to buy an RODI filter and mix with tap water or add the minerals to pure rodi
 
I'm guessing it depends if they were captive bred in local water or not, like a lot of so called soft water fishes. I've kept captive bred in hard water and they seem to have thrived. I also had a pair of wild caught rams back in the day and they didn't seem to mind either. But the guys are right generally they probably do better in soft water.

32665086057_67beeabd36_b.jpg
 
I'm guessing it depends if they were captive bred in local water or not, like a lot of so called soft water fishes. I've kept captive bred in hard water and they seem to have thrived. I also had a pair of wild caught rams back in the day and they didn't seem to mind either. But the guys are right generally they probably do better in soft water.

32665086057_67beeabd36_b.jpg
your rams are beautiful

i think i will be going rams
 
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