I would stay away from trying to adjust your pH, that always causes way more problems than just having a slightly high pH does. I keep german blue rams and gold rams (just a color morph of the blue) in pH 7.8 to 8.0, with a kH of 12 and gH of 8, and they are thriving. It is the hardness that is more important than pH, and as you can see my water is fairly hard and I have no problems.
I would try to get a good quality tank bred specimen if possible, some of the ones farm raised in Asia can be quite weak. As far as how many in a 30 gallon, I would say probably two pairs, or three individuals. Even though rams are peaceful, IME with 2 rams that are not paired up in a 29G, they are territorial towards one another as all cichlids are. Mine have always been very peaceful towards other fish though. You could maybe do 2 pairs in a 30, but only if they were both actual pairs, I don't think there would be enough territory for 4 non-paired individuals. You can get 4 juvies and if you end up having issues with one being aggressive or something, just make sure you can take it back. You could do some corys for bottom dwellers and a school of tetras or something if you wanted.
I would also recommend NLS small fish pellet as a staple food, that's what I feed my rams. They tend to prefer feeding toward the bottom. One of mine does take flakes from the surface, the other one never feeds at the surface. Mine are quite voracious eaters, but all their tankmates are small and peaceful. Frozen bloodworms are their favorite treat. They are beautiful and awesome fish, my one gold ram is quite personable.
Another thing is, they prefer temps around 78-82 degrees. I first kept mine around 76, now around 80, and the difference in color in the warmer temp is amazing. Also they are somewhat sensitive to water quality - very sensitive if you're comparing to most of the big CA/SA cichlids - weekly water changes to keep nitrates in check (below 20ppm, 10 or below is ideal) are a must.
Good luck, I look forward to seeing pics when you get them!
I would try to get a good quality tank bred specimen if possible, some of the ones farm raised in Asia can be quite weak. As far as how many in a 30 gallon, I would say probably two pairs, or three individuals. Even though rams are peaceful, IME with 2 rams that are not paired up in a 29G, they are territorial towards one another as all cichlids are. Mine have always been very peaceful towards other fish though. You could maybe do 2 pairs in a 30, but only if they were both actual pairs, I don't think there would be enough territory for 4 non-paired individuals. You can get 4 juvies and if you end up having issues with one being aggressive or something, just make sure you can take it back. You could do some corys for bottom dwellers and a school of tetras or something if you wanted.
I would also recommend NLS small fish pellet as a staple food, that's what I feed my rams. They tend to prefer feeding toward the bottom. One of mine does take flakes from the surface, the other one never feeds at the surface. Mine are quite voracious eaters, but all their tankmates are small and peaceful. Frozen bloodworms are their favorite treat. They are beautiful and awesome fish, my one gold ram is quite personable.
Another thing is, they prefer temps around 78-82 degrees. I first kept mine around 76, now around 80, and the difference in color in the warmer temp is amazing. Also they are somewhat sensitive to water quality - very sensitive if you're comparing to most of the big CA/SA cichlids - weekly water changes to keep nitrates in check (below 20ppm, 10 or below is ideal) are a must.
Good luck, I look forward to seeing pics when you get them!
(Lovin all the cool smilies on this site btw lol). Just another question. I currently have 2 goldfish and one small pleco in my tank, will the rams live ok with the goldfish or should I find them a new home?
