How to help with fish breathing HEAVY / RAPID, please read.

[bribo12]

Sounds good

 

[philipraposo198]

any idea of what this is?!? i just noticed it on the bottom side of the driftwood...

 

[bribo12]

They're very nice. I don't see any issues on them or anything. It looks like an air bubble on the driftwood.

 

[PerfectDepth]

My suggestion to avoid future problems:

Don't worry about trying to keep the tank's pH low for the rams. You'll always be fighting it, and you won't be able to do large water changes in emergency situations. My advice is to work with what you have coming from the tap, and to keep a water change schedule that will maintain your tank's water at a pH value that is closer to your tap water.

Make sure to start with small, frequent changes to slowly adjust pH over a few weeks' time. Then, you'll eventually be able to do large 50% changes every week with no problems.

 

[JessiNoel21]

She looks good just give her time ph swing effect everyone differently and she might be a F2 or F3 ram which ph can effect a lot due to them higher wild genes in them.

 

[JessiNoel21]

+1 Perfect is right daily 10% water changes over the next 3 weeks should bring the ph in the tank closer to the tap ph

 

[philipraposo198]

so those pics aren't showing anything disease wise right? i am not missing something here? chances of the ph swing being the sole cause is pretty good?

 

[bribo12]

I believe so, I don't see anything in those pics.

 

[philipraposo198]

thanks for the helpful advice.

 

[Khuligirl93]

I agree, more frequent water changes are better because they minimize the amount of change in parameters when you do a water change. This is why we recommend weekly water changes. Also having a stable pH is much more important than having the pH that most fish websites recommend.
A cycled tank is not the same as an established tank. Think about it- when you set up a planted aquarium you are creating a miniature enclosed ecosystem. As aquarist we have to create an environment as close to an actual ecosystem as possible, because we have control of everything that enters and exits. Although we may not be aware if other bacteria and microorganisms living in our tanks, I believe there are MANY more that contribute than just the nitrobacter and nitrosomas species that participate in the nitrogen cycle. This is why establishing a tank takes many months and is much more than just cycling.

 

[severum mama]

I'd never be able to maintain a fishroom full of tanks if I wasn't able to do large water changes (some of mine get 75 percent 4-6x weekly). I'm a believer in large water changes and plenty of clean water. If you're able to fit daily water changes into your routine, that's great though. Different things work for different people.

If you want to keep up with the large water changes, I would suggest premixing your replacement water in a Rubbermaid Brute or similar. Use a pump to circulate the water and add buffer if that's something you think you need.

I used to be firmly in the "don't mess with your water" camp, but I have very soft water here and there are certain fish, like rift lake cichlids and most livebearers, that I simply cannot keep otherwise. I've tried.

Anyway, just something you might want to consider.

For what it's worth, I have years of experience keeping rams and you know what? Even with tap water that is perfect for them and plenty of water changes, sometimes rams just die. Source of the fish makes a huge difference for this species in my experience and I would always recommend finding a breeder if possible. Makes the experience a lot less frustrating.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[philipraposo198]

she seems to be improving as the day goes on. the lights are out early today to help calm her down and see if that helps. I honestly do feel she can recover from this, I am not giving up on my girl just yet. I just hope she hangs in there.

It would almost be easier if it was some sort of disease, as i could diagnose it and treat it. with the situation now its like a big waiting game. hate it.

 

[Khuligirl93]

How's she doing?

 

[philipraposo198]

She died last night

Been really torn up about it. Still am unsure what really caused the death with respect to any disease she may of had. To be safe I am treating with prazipro as a precaution.

Won't be stocking any new fish for at least a month

 

[Khuligirl93]

It probably wasn't a disease, just shock from pH change. This is why everyone told you rams are very sensitive fish. Especially the gold varieties. Sorry about your loss

 

[philipraposo198]

I understand that but why my male was never effected or showed any signs of distress? He is looking bigger and more colorful than ever. Also my 7 otos which are sad to be fragile are all fine too

I just don't get it

 

[Khuligirl93]

There's not always a rhyme or reason to it. Just like people, every fish is unique. It's the beauty of genetic diversity. If I was exposed to a toxic chemical maybe I would die because I'm more fragile than my friend who also got the exact same thing and didn't die.

 

[philipraposo198]

Yeah I hear ya, but that sorta contradicts the point of rams or other fish being sensitive. With a good set of genetic any fish can be hardy, right? It does seem like rams to come up with poor genetics by the way the forums make it sounds

 

[Khuligirl93]

Some members of a species may be hardier than others, but that doesn't mean any species of fish can be hardy. Some are just more adapted to stable conditions so they aren't physiologically prepared for change. If you're really interested, try picking up some biology text books and read up on natural selection and evolution of species.

 

[bribo12]

I'm really sorry to hear about your ram I hate losing fishy friends .