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geneticbits

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Aug 3, 2013
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Here is a pic of one of my gold rams. I don't know if it is starving or sick or both.
uploadfromtaptalk1379343655729.jpg

I feed the rest of the tank flakes and the LFS I bought it from said that was fine. I never saw it easy, so I bought small cichlid sinking pellets and it doesn't eat those either. Or rather, it sucks it in then spits it out then the pellet is lost in the gravel.

I separated it from the tank so I could try feeding it, but so far nothing. What can I do?

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uploadfromtaptalk1379343655729.jpg
 

Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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what are the tank parameters? include temp.

rams seem to prefer warm tanks 82-86 f

how long have you had it?

the fins appear damaged..either from aggression in the tank or possibly ammonia burns. can you list the tank set up and include inhabitants?
 

geneticbits

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Aug 3, 2013
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pH 8.2 (hard water)
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
Room temp (no heater)

I've had them for a little less than a month. Other tank mates are another gold ram, zebra danios, glo tetras, oto cats, and a rainbow shark. The rainbow shark keeps to himself and I have plenty of hiding places to reduce territory issues.

I've put both rams in a hospital tank and started them on triple sulfa. I haven't added a heater on them yet because I'm trying to reduce the amount of stress all at once.

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Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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pH 8.2 (hard water)
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
Room temp (no heater)

I've had them for a little less than a month. Other tank mates are another gold ram, zebra danios, glo tetras, oto cats, and a rainbow shark. The rainbow shark keeps to himself and I have plenty of hiding places to reduce territory issues.

I've put both rams in a hospital tank and started them on triple sulfa. I haven't added a heater on them yet because I'm trying to reduce the amount of stress all at once.

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ammonia has me concerned especially with your pH as it will normally exist as NH3 in 8.2 pH.
that said.. Rams are a soft water species.. and while many have kept them in 'hard' water.. it isn't what the species originated in.
the belly looks sunken indicating it isn't and prob hasn't eaten much in awhile. this coiuld also be aresult of either bacterial infection or possibly internal parasites..I notice reddening near anus.. you may want to closely examine the anus look for anything possibly sticking out..
unfortunately rams are prone to the same parasites that affect discus and angels...
healthy fish can fight off many issues but if this fish is realtively new you may be seeing the result of where the fish was kept prior to you receiving it( I'm not going to jump on the QT soapbox too much as whats done is done)

I personally would have opted for metro prazi treatment aka parasite clear, general cure.
this attacks 2 issues.. metronidazole is an antibiotic and prazi targets many internal parasites ranging from protozoa to worms.. so it may work better..
but since you already used triple sulfa finish the treatment and see what happens.
you'll prob want to add some sort of heater unless your tank temp hovers in the 80's not doing so may add to the stress.(they do not respond well to cool water for long)
keep an eye on the ammonia.. as .25 will cause issues with the fish(ammonia burns often burn the fins so they may appear frayed.. also ammonia won't make the fish comfortable so they may not eat.. rams are particularly sensitive to poor water= ammonia
, color for a gold ram is usually much brighter and it is stressed.
 

geneticbits

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Aug 3, 2013
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What could be causing my ammonia to be not-zero? It's an established tank (2 years) and nothing has died recently. I don't think it's over stocked. I don't get it.
Once I get back to school tomorrow I'll put the heater in for them. As for the hard water, what do you recommend I do?

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Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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not much you can do about hard water..
hope the fish are not having issues with the hard water is about all.

what are the readings from the source water? are you using municipal water?, well water?

what size is the tank?
typically we may see an ammonia spike if there were any drastic changes ..if not then adding a few fish could cause a small spike but the filter should be able to catch up to that within 12 hrs so usually not a big issue.
outside of that you could see ammonia in well water or possibly in municipal water ,,, especially if they use chloramine.. aggain in a well established tank usually not an issue.
if you did a water change and the water is municipal water using chloramine you may see a slight increase in total ammonia if using prime again.. that usually goes away within a few hours.. but if you tested water right away you could see the slight increase..
so much depnds on the info you give us
 

geneticbits

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Aug 3, 2013
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It's a 29 gal. I haven't done a water change for a couple weeks. I meant to do it this past weekend, but I ran out of time. It's on my to do list... I use a chloramine/chlorine neutralizer (I forget the brand) whenever I do changes anyway. And I haven't added any new fish for a few weeks. These rams were the last fish I added. I'll need to test the tap water, but I don't have time tonight. I'm a chemistry teacher and the tasks are in my classroom and I have tons of grading to get done. I also have some distilled water that I'll test. Maybe my test is acting up or something. It's API's master test kit and it showed 0.25 ppm on my other tank too.

Update on the rams: the more healthy looking one is more active now that there is a heater. The sick looking one is still sluggish. I tried looking more closely at the red spot. I couldn't see anything stuck or sticking out. But it does look like a pimple that's trying to be ready to pop. It's the best I can explain it. I'm guessing that's not a good sign, but I'll keep an eye on him/her and hope for the best.

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Anna Robinson

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May 25, 2009
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Maybe my test is acting up or something. It's API's master test kit and it showed 0.25 ppm on my other tank too.
It's important to view the result in daylight, and with the tube touching the white part of the card. You should see a clear, but not bright, yellow.
 

geneticbits

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Aug 3, 2013
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I was able to see something that looks like it's coming out of its anus. It looks like a bubble of some kind. I tried getting a picture and my camera wouldn't focus properly to really show it. This is the best I can get: uploadfromtaptalk1379519675788.jpg

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uploadfromtaptalk1379519675788.jpg
 
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