Gill plate rate in female GBR

[tomherndon]

I just got my first pair of GBR's. The male is fine. He's about 3 inches and started eating as soon as I introduced him to the 30Long community tank I have with tetras, rasboras and cories. The female is about 2 inches long and still fairly narrow/long - I'm assuming she's a few weeks/months younger than the mate I picked out for her.

she also started eating almost immediately.

The tank is in good shape, two aquaclear 50gal on medium flow through three (each) colonized sponges. Did a 15% water change three days prior to their introduction and tested parameters at 7 pH and less than 5 ppm nitrate a day ago. The tank has a large bundle of java ferns (canopy area about the size of a long oval dinner plate.)

The femail has really rapid gill plate movement several oscillations/second AND it looks like her gill plate is NOT closing completely.

Any suggestions on what could be up and what I can do about it? I can't just take her back emotionally as I've already come to enjoy her addition to the tank. She's the most inquisitive of the inhabitants right now. No one else in the tank is showing that rapid motion.

My formerly known as hospital tank now has a couple of hard to catch amano shrimp and a couple of livebearers in it right now. There are also a couple of amano in the 30Long. So I'm not sure I can medicate for some gill parasite without losing some more little treasures in the 30.

 

[Somethings Fishy]

Are you talking about a 30inch long tank & 2 Gibberceps Plecs? If you are that tank is way too small to house them for very long. If you are talking aboutwhat I think you are the fish probably is feeling closed in already.
Whatever it is it is stress related. That would be why it is the only fish with a rapid gill rate.

 

[tomherndon]

This makes for a good example of international standards in measurement for my students. Fun with symbols! 30 gallon 'long' tank. it's a long tank rather than a tall so I get a hefty amount of air exchange.

the GBR is a german blue ram pair

I'm hoping it's just stress - and a kind that will abate as they become settled. this morning the male seems to be fairly enchanted with a slate cave/platform I made prior to their introduction. Unfortunately the green cories like it too, so there may be some turf interaction between species. . .

thanks for the follow up questions. I forget that this is an international forum.

 

[Somethings Fishy]

Yes I often come unstuck with the abbreviations & common names. They are often a totally different fish. Just like now.
Obviously your tank is big enough for rams.
It is definitly stress related, of that you can be sure. Question is what is causing the stress?
Maybe not enough cover for the ram to feel secure? Any aggression? Water quality? Existing health problem?
They are probably the most common causes of stress in rams that I have seen. I guess you will just have to start eliminating things from the list. I have had a similar problem & it turned out just to be two males didn't get along. Swapping one out for a female worked in that case.

 

[bs6749]

It's probably gill flukes and I'd treat with formalin or potassium permanganate in a dip bath. The female is probably from the same spawn and is about the same age as the male. They don't get as long as males do. I doubt that the male is 3 inches. That's a pretty big ram. I did have some that size but they were 2.5+ years old and some of the best looking rams I've ever seen. A store isn't going to have old rams, they are going to have 4-6 month old rams for sale for the most part.