Female GBR suddenly goes down hill

[Meredith]

Temp 84
ph 7.4
Ammo 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10
Last water change was 4 days ago.

All day yesterday the female ram was fine. A few hours before the normal feeding time I noticed she was hovering around the top of the tank. I went to take a closer look and she did the little wiggle thing she does when I go to feed them. She is very heavy with eggs so I thought a little snack might do her some good. And I gave her a few FDblood worms. At the normal feeding time she was VERY pale, even the red is gone from her eyes, but eating very well. In fact once the food was gone, she kept looking for more. What is really scaring me, besides the paleness/ stress stripes, is the male keeps chasing her and instead of fighting him back like she normally does, she is just running away. (The male is fine) Could it be that she is having trouble laying her eggs? For a few days her ovipositor was fully extended and I thought for sure she was ready to spawn, but now its retracted and she is showing no interest in the male at all. Is there anything I can do for her aside from a water change?

Here are a couple pictures. I did not use a flash so they are not very clear, but you get a truer sense of her color.

 

[TCTFish]

She could be exhausted. Maybe she did squeeze her eggs out. Instead of blood worms...feed a veggie flake in with their regular food in case it's a digestive problem. If not it's good food. I also see the possibility of a bacterial infection starting. I could be wrong and maybe it's the lack of flash but I see the center area being what's lost color. It would be a good idea to isolate her into a hospital tank or QT until the issue is resolved just in case. Keep an eye on her behavoir and maybe treat her with a little bit of Stress Coat and/or MelaFix. The stress coat would help prevent electrolite loss and the Melafix would help with any bacterial issues.

Avoid feeding too much. Most fish do not know when they are full. They lack that neural impulse that would tell them they are full so they keep on eating. Keep in mind...fish in the wild usually graze and pick all day long instead of eating a day's worth of food in one sitting.

 

[Meredith]

She is still very pale. I did a 50% water change yesterday and I added a little melafix. She is eating well ( flake, frzn bloodworms, peas. Not all at the same time though ) and swimming around. My normal feeding schedule is once a day. I have no idea why she is still like this. perhaps I will try several small meals throughout the day because she still acts starving when I do feed them.

 

[TCTFish]

Female Rams when they are ripe are at their most colorful. It still could just be a simple case of not being ripe anymore. Careful on the amount of water changed at one time. That alone can induce stress due to the sudden change of the water.

Fish will always act like they are starving regardless of feeding routine. Feeding tiny amounts several times a day vs. once a day cuts back on wasted food which in turn keeps the water quality better. Less of it gets pooped out.