Blue ram wont come out...

[exactionfigure]

I have 2 blue rams a male and female in my community tank

and the female has been awesome, exploring the tank and swimming around like crazy, I just added the male about 3 days ago and I never see him, the day after I bought him I was worried that he died so I searched around the tank and moved some plants and stuff I didn't see him so declared him dead- just as I did I saw him swimming around to the front of the tank, I have no idea where he was hiding, my tank is a 20 gallon high and is very heavily planted.

I'm sure that didn't help him get used to the tank with my arm in there so now I don't know what to do to help him come out- he doesn't even come out for food I'm afraid he's not eating


also since I added the male I have seen less of the female too I’m sure she is hanging around with the male where ever they are but I want to make sure they are eating and are healthy, plus of course I want to see them because they are the best looking fish in the tank.


What should I do?


-Matt

[Cloud]

Since it has only been three days I would give him a bit more time to get used to his new surroundings. Don't worry to much about underfeeding him either, fish in the wild can go days without eating or eating only scraps found on the substrate....maybe he is just playing hard to get.

[Jchillin]

I agree. He needs some time to get familiar with his new digs. The plants give a level of security, which worked since you couldn't find him.

[petunia100]

I have two pairs of rams in my 55 gallon. One pair is quite active. The other pair tends to stick to their "cave", a piece of driftwood which fortunately is against the glass on the side so I can see them while they're in there. I think that fish just have different personalities, so I wouldn't particularly worry if you don't see him all the time, even after he's settled in.

[exactionfigure]

The male blue ram was hiding in a place were I can see him on the side of the tank earlier today so I sat down and watched him, he seems to be breathing heavy( it's hard to tell since he's a fish ) but he is breathing with his mouth which none of the other fish in the tank are doing, he is also very lethargic he's just sitting there barely moving and the current was carrying him around and he wasn't swimming at all, at one point he hit his head on the gravel then he swam towards the plants again, he also isn't eating, I put some food in and one flake went right past him and he didn't even attempt to go for it, I don't know what to do about this

It may also be helpful to mention that This is the 2nd male blue ram I've had the first one I bought swam to the back of the tank and stayed there all night then died the next day, I told my lfs about it and they gave me the one I have now, I also noticed there was one dead ram in the tank as well, do you think this is a bad batch?

What should I do, should I remove him from my tank so I don't get the other fish sick?

What could he be sick with? Do you think it is stress or something and he will just get over it?

[petunia100]

How long have you had your tank? How long has it been cycled? Do you know your current water parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate,etc.)? That information may help determine what you can do. If you have an airstone you might add that to try to increase airation, and the oxygen in the water.

[exactionfigure]

I have had my tank for a few months, it is fully cycled - all the water parameters are perfect (no amm nitrate or nitrite)
I have an air wand going along the back of the tank which puts out an ok amont of bubbles but I also have a powerhead with the little air tube attatchment and that puts tons of bubbles in the water- all the other fish in the tank are doing great including the female blue ram, the male is the only one acting strange...

[pwrflpills]

First, I would suggest reading the long GBR thread from JChillin if you haven't already. I think you're just experiencing the eccentricities of GBR's and the cold truth is that many do not survive long after acclimation. It's bewildering when, like in your situation, one or more do fine and others die very quickly with almost no warning. I too am considering adding a couple GBR's to my tank, but of course keeping in mind that they can have frequent and mysterious deaths is important when keeping this species.

[SeymourFRESH]

yes, believe me they are a rather pain to keep...i've only had 2 that are doing great so far, and i've had them since new years. every other one i've got has either died or is sick (like my current one)...i've been trying to add more rams this entire time and have had no luck LOL

[Lonewolfblue]

A while back ago, I got 3 GBR's and 3 Bolivian Rams, and all are still doing quite well. I love the little guys. And yes, they are a bit tricky to keep if you are new to fishkeeping. But I'm glad I got them, they have quite the personality.