Blue ram help

AngeloG

AngeloG

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Jan 30, 2009
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I have a blue ram in a 55 gal community tank. It wont eat like the rest of the tank. I swims around and picks at things. Ive seen him eat frozen food if it gets to him but he wont eat flakes. Hes been alive for a week with a sunken stomach. Hes very active and alert. I was thinking of getting another to help out. Maybe he will follow the other around and pick up feeding behaviour from the new one. The new one will be from another store. I plan to ask what they feed and buy the same food. Does this sound like a good idea?
 
They are beautiful fish. I had a few and loved the bloodworms. They require pristine water quality. Have you checked your water parameters?
 
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Water is fine. Like I said he does eat but very little. He picks around but I dont see what hes pickin up. Hes active and alert.
 
zzyzx85 said:
have you checked for any signs of internal parasites? stringy white poo?
Click to expand...


Good idea on the feeding habits...

Did you by any chance QT this Ram? It will make it easy to screen it and treat any illnesses you find...
 
Try bloodworms, I have a female ram that usually picks at flakes, but drop in some bloodworms and she goes crazy for them. What other foods have you tried? mine will also eat algae wafers, any kind of sinking pellet type food. She does get a lot of the food from down in the plants/substrate, so maybe try something that sinks.

What other fish are in there with him? maybe they are getting to the food too fast and he is nervous about trying to get in the mix.
 
I bought a community tank frozen food. It has a lil bit of everything. Bloodworms,brines shrimp,etc.I isolated the fish in a container and fed him and he ate but I dont want to do this everytime unless I have too. I dont think its sick. I wanted to get a companion for him hoping that he would eat more if the he saw the other fish eatin.
 
First off, aside from what all these people are saying. You should of checked into what he was fed when you first bought him, this helps to insure better success feeding him from the start. I always check with the store when buying a fish, I ask them to feed the tank so that I may pick out the healthiest fish and it lets me see what they're feeding the fish so I can compare my fish food and decide if I should pick up something strictly for the new fish or if they will eat what I feed my other fish.

You'll be surprised that some fish are picky as to the exact flakes they will eat. I would try some Omega One flakes, every fish I've ever bought has loved the Omega Flakes, especially any Rams I've had.

You don't want the fish to be strictly hooked on blood worms and brine shrimp, they need a varied diet.
 
Blue Rams (Ramirezii) prefer warm water.. and clean.
82 is the min temp i would keep blue rams.
they do not like cool water. mine stress and hide if the water drops below 74.
warm clean water will place the ram in the environment it is suited for.

community tanks are not a problem but the Ram is a bottom dweller for the most part. mine will come to the surface but do not prefer flakes.

I use bloodworms with pellets.. soak the pellets in the thawed bloodworms. this softens them a bit.
also mix flake in but make the flakes smaller.. they often learn to eat flake this way.

btw, sinking pellets will make it to the bottom. if the rams are not aggressive and heading to the top of the tank.
they can be taught to rise to the top..mine push the angels out of the way.
 
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