Is my new Ram okay?

[EvanH]

Hi all,

I picked up my bolivian ram the other day... acclimated him slowly.. I have a 44 gallon hex, my water is near perfect, ph 7.2, temp 80... the ram has just been sitting on the floor, just moving his fins like he's swimming, but not going anywhere... on occasion he'll move to another part of the tank and continue sitting.... everyone in the tank is being friendly...

is this just normal ram behavior? or might he take some time to get used to the tank?

[Turin Turambar]

I think there's nothing to be worried about. Rams are shy, especially if they are alone, so - always buy them in pairs. When they become familiar with the environment, they will show their true pet (cichlid) character. :)

However, if the fish continues to be like that, there's a reason to be concerned. Rams, unfortunately, tend to "disappear" with no (visible) reason. I read on The Krib site, that it's because they have some internal bacterial disease that can pull the trigger when the fish is stressed.

[snakeskinner]

my gold ram made friends with my mollies in my 55 gallon community tank in less than a day and was almost schooling with them for a week when all of a sudden he started hiding and died the next day. No external signs, no fish bothering him. Kyle

[Rometiklan]

You're right to suspect there is something wrong. That isn't typical Ram behaviour. It may very well be taking some time to acclimatize to its new environment, but then again, it may not. Is your tank planted, or does your tank have a lot of hiding places? I like to place large chunks of driftwood and/or rocks, or medium sized clay flower pots half buried in the gravel to provide some cave-like shelter for my rams.

Is it eating? Keep an eye on your ram, and make sure it's eating and it's not being bullied by other tankmates. 7.2 is a little higher than I like to keep rams, but if you acclimatized slowly, it should be alright. Does it move around if you turn off the lights? When in a new or unfamiliar environment, sometimes fish don't venture out when the lights are on. Ideally, rams should be kept in pairs since they are cichlids and tend to be quite social with their own kind.

[EvanH]

He's not really doing anything...

My tank is well planted, no one is bullying him... i haven't seen him eat, but i'm not sure he's made up up to the surface to get the flakes... i'll put some bottom feeder food down adn see if he takes a dab..

i'm going out today to get another ram, if i can find one!


Update, i dropped some food right next to him, and he just moved to another hiding spot :(... his color and body look fine though.. hopefully a new ram will help the bugger out!

[Turin Turambar]

Oh, but try to buy him a female. If you have just two males, there is a great chance that they will fight or chase each other.

[NatakuTseng]

He sounds like he is just stressed out at the moment, but keep an eye on him. Its not uncommon for rams to try to hide untill they feel comfortable with their new surroundings. I also have to dissagree with Rome on the pH being high. I keep my german blue rams in a pH 7.6 (which I also keep my discus at), they are a pair, and spawn regularly about every week. The blue rams are much more delicate than bolivians, and bolivians can be kept in almost anything for water, the 7.2 ph is fine for them. Its also not uncommon for them not to eat for a couple days after bringing them home, they simply are just not happy. I do agree you should probably find out what sex yours is, and then get another of the opposite, they do best in pairs and seem to have a bit more courage to come out and about. Do keep an eye on the ram for any sign of sickness or parasites, but it sound like to me he's just getting used to his surroundings.