View Full Version : Rams strange sickness
Oilibhear
09-11-2007, 3:52 AM
Today when i came home from school i noticed my blue ram and gold ram acting all strange. One blue ram just died last sunday and another 3 weeks or so back. The blue ram is stayng still lying on a rock in my tank whilst the goldram is swimming up at the back of the tank acting strangly. The goldram's tail is shaped awkardly upwards and its eye colour has chaged from fed to a white with little red. The blueram is hiding and has lost all of its shiny colours and has become a dull colour of red fins and a black and yellow brown body. The bluerams eyes are now compleatly black.
Tank mates: 3kulies, 9neons, simese fighting (friendly personality and doesn't ever bullie another fish), baby bristle noses.
Tank size: 15gal
PH: 6.8
Last water change: Sunday
:help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help:
What are your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
Oilibhear
09-11-2007, 4:10 AM
no clue but last time i cheacked they were all perfect but that was during the timne that the first blue ram died so i', guessing it's not the ammonial, nitrites or nitrates 'cause all the rams have dies the same way.
Oilibhear
09-11-2007, 5:39 AM
if it were the nitrates, nitrites etc. why's it only affecting my rams?
How did you acclimate them? Note that rams are more sensitive to water conditions compared to your other fish.
That is a lot of fish in a 15 gallon in my opinion. Overcrouding causes stress and therefore disease, and makes it harder to maintain water paramters within acceptable bounds.
You need to test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate with a good liquid drop test kit to exclude this as a cause. Just because only some of your fish are affected does not mean it is not the water. All fish have different resistance to disease, as do humans and as lupin has said, Rams are very sensitive to poor nitrogen cycle management.
JHRavensfan77
09-11-2007, 4:04 PM
if it were the nitrates, nitrites etc. why's it only affecting my rams?
The Rams are MUCH more sensitive than other hardier types of fish to failing water quality. Have you been keeping up with your water changes? and I do believe you mentioned that your first ram died 3 weeks ago and that was the last time you checked your levels.... I'd check them again and do some water changes ASAP
I also agree with Coler that it seems you are a bit over-stocked as well...
silentskream
09-11-2007, 5:42 PM
i strongly suggest you test your water before/after every weekly water change. it doesn't take much time at all for a crash.
Oilibhear
09-12-2007, 2:01 AM
ok only proble is that my LFS is closed today and i only have a PH tester. What's worse is that now my gold ram is doing strange loops and the other one is lying on the ground just breathing. Should i kill them or should i leave them. If kill them what's the best way
Clove oil has always been suggested as the best way to euthanise a fish humanely. If you have time, buy your own liquid test kit and determine your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
Oilibhear
09-12-2007, 2:06 AM
what exactly is clove oil? are there any other humanely right ways?
what exactly is clove oil? are there any other humanely right ways?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_of_cloves
Euthanasia is a controversial subject. There are many other ways to euthanise a fish and some may disagree with several methods used...placing the fish in the freezer, cutting the spinal cord, hitting the fish's head with a blunt object, etc.
Oilibhear
09-12-2007, 2:14 AM
ok what about acohlol?
Oilibhear
09-12-2007, 3:06 AM
i felt bad and so i froze the two of them ='( ='( ='(
JHRavensfan77
09-12-2007, 1:32 PM
Sorry about your loss. Go out and get liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. I would also recommend starting off with a hardier fish than the GBR if you're new to the hobby. They can be pretty difficult to keep. What is your setup? Maybe we can recommend some good starter fish for you. Also I would read up on cycling your tank before we start again do a fish-less cycle and you should avoid of lot of heartache in the future...
kr0nic
09-13-2007, 3:22 AM
If you can deal with the aftermath i still believe the best way to euthanise a fish (if its small enough) is to quickly take it out of the tank and place on contrete or a bench top ect then wack it with a brick (hard)
Oilibhear
09-13-2007, 6:06 AM
i've had the tank for about 7 months so is it common for the tank to re-cycle? i'm going down to my LFS to get my water tested but i think i may need to save up some pocket money before i can get a water tester. (my said it costed a fair sum)
wataugachicken
09-13-2007, 7:55 AM
ask them if they will give you a discount if you buy all three tests - ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. it won't hurt.
Star_Rider
09-13-2007, 6:48 PM
also not mentioned here.
rams from asian markets tend to be blasted with hormones to get them to colorup..this is unhealthy for the fish..sadly many of the lFS get their fish (particularly Blue rams) from there.
I would guess this is where these fish came from unless you got them from a local breeder.
I suspect this may also have contributed to their untimely deaths.
you may want to try apistos or Bolivian rams(altispinosa)
mudskippers
09-13-2007, 11:47 PM
I'm sorry for your losses, It must have been hard to see them pass. :tombstone:
I do encourage you to still look into your water parameters and the cause of everything.
Good luck.
IndianaSam
09-14-2007, 8:55 AM
also not mentioned here.
rams from asian markets tend to be blasted with hormones to get them to colorup..this is unhealthy for the fish..sadly many of the lFS get their fish (particularly Blue rams) from there.
I would guess this is where these fish came from unless you got them from a local breeder.
I suspect this may also have contributed to their untimely deaths.
Exactly what I was going to say. Unless you get them from another local hobbyist, Rams tend to be very weak.
you may want to try apistos or Bolivian rams(altispinosa)
Very true. Both have proved to be hardier for me. I have never lost an apisto for "mysterious reasons". I've kept and bred cacatuoides, borellii, hongsloi and rupunini. All were much hardier than LFS rams.
Sam
Oilibhear
09-14-2007, 10:13 PM
I went to my LFS and got my water tested and it was all perfect and he said that GBR like old water and if too much water is changed they get sick and die. Does anyone dissagree?
wataugachicken
09-15-2007, 8:00 AM
yes, absolutely. your lfs is confused. gbrs like older tanks, not older water. that means the tank has to be cycled and stable with no ammonia or nitrite. water changes are perfectly safe for fish. if the GBR's the store sells are so weak that they die from water changes, that is definitely not normal, and i wouldn't shop there.