Are my fish really going to die...?

[electromango]

As many of you probably already know, I'm having a hard time with nitrates in my tank (working on getting those down). Nitrates read at about 40ppm and tap 20ppm (idk why it's so high)

I've had a blue ram for about 2 weeks now but he's still alive and eating well, no signs of stress, and his colors are vibrant and he looks very healthy and active.

I just got a female for him and now they are following each other around nicely and calmly and look very healthy, even with high nitrates. I'm beginning to wonder if all that research I did regarding their sensitivity is even true, since they look so happy. Does this mean anything? Or are they just going to die soon anyway?

I just attached a pic of the male to this post, hopefully I did it right and it shows.

 

[emilygupps]

As many of you probably already know, I'm having a hard time with nitrates in my tank (working on getting those down). Nitrates read at about 40ppm and tap 20ppm (idk why it's so high)

I've had a blue ram for about 2 weeks now but he's still alive and eating well, no signs of stress, and his colors are vibrant and he looks very healthy and active.

I just got a female for him and now they are following each other around nicely and calmly and look very healthy, even with high nitrates. I'm beginning to wonder if all that research I did regarding their sensitivity is even true, since they look so happy. Does this mean anything? Or are they just going to die soon anyway?

I just attached a pic of the male to this post, hopefully I did it right and it shows.

I have ONE male out of 8 that has survived since June. The others died at a rate of about 1-2 a week. So far the last one seems okay. I'm having a nitrate problem too and our tap water is also showing 20ppm



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[electromango]

I have ONE male out of 8 that has survived since June. The others died at a rate of about 1-2 a week. So far the last one seems okay. I'm having a nitrate problem too and our tap water is also showing 20ppm



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Whats your nitrate reading in your tank now? And how did they act before they died?

 

[Mebbid]

They truly are highly sensitive fish. Nitrates don't kill directly but suppress the immune system allowing infections and parasites an easier time to take over and harm the fish. It's possible that you got some well bred ones that don't have the inherent susceptibility to infection that most do but it's not very likely to be honest.

 

[electromango]

Mebbid: do you have any experience with blue rams? If so, what nitrate level should I strive for/is acceptable, and what other tips do you have for keeping them alive? I'd be so sad if they died . Thanks.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I have ONE male out of 8 that has survived since June. The others died at a rate of about 1-2 a week. So far the last one seems okay. I'm having a nitrate problem too and our tap water is also showing 20ppm



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According to the EPA, the nitrate level in your tap water is unsafe for infants to drink. Is this well water? Do you live near a farm?

The MCLG for nitrate is 10 mg/L or 10 ppm. EPA has set this level of protection based on the best available science to prevent potential health problems. EPA has set an enforceable regulation for nitrate, called a maximum contaminant level (MCL), at 10 mg/L or 10 ppm.

Basic Information about Nitrate in Drinking Water | Basic Information about Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants | US EPA

 

[emilygupps]

According to the EPA, the nitrate level in your tap water is unsafe for infants to drink. Is this well water? Do you live near a farm?



Basic Information about Nitrate in Drinking Water | Basic Information about Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants | US EPA

Because of this information we did some research and you're right. And though we don't live near a farm we live in a house built in the early 1950s on a septic tank. One of the causes listed is a leak in the tank. I will be calling the water department tomorrow. We have sparklets drinkin water so we don't drink the tap water any way, but I use it to wash dishes and bathe--and of course for the tanks.

We tested the bottled water:0
The tap: 20
Tank: 35

Just did a %60 water change on all six tanks.


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[Mebbid]

Mebbid: do you have any experience with blue rams? If so, what nitrate level should I strive for/is acceptable, and what other tips do you have for keeping them alive? I'd be so sad if they died . Thanks.

You really want to keep it as low as you can. 10ppm would be great but that's gonna be an issue if you have problems with your source water.

 

[elephantnose]

Rams are known for being sensitive towards nitrites not nitrates. Having high nitrates isn't helping tho. The only thing you can do is change your water. Heavily plant your tank or get specially made material to put in your filter to control nitrate.


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[emilygupps]

Rams are known for being sensitive towards nitrites not nitrates. Having high nitrates isn't helping tho. The only thing you can do is change your water. Heavily stock your tank or get specially made material to put in your filter to control nitrate.


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Heavily stock the tank?


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[elephantnose]

Oh, sorry I meant heavily "plant".


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[emilygupps]

Oh, sorry I meant heavily "plant".


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Totally makes more sense I THOUGHT that's what you meant but I was hoping you knew an other secret.


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[Mebbid]

Rams are known for being sensitive towards nitrites not nitrates. Having high nitrates isn't helping tho. The only thing you can do is change your water. Heavily plant your tank or get specially made material to put in your filter to control nitrate.


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Rams are more sensitive to infection through compromised immune systems through many many generations of inbreeding the exact same way the wild cheetah population has changed over the years. Compounding that with the fact that nitrate is known to compromise the immune system in fish and it makes them an extremely sensitive fish.

If they were only sensitive towards nitrite then nobody would have issues with their sensitivity be wise they are almost always put in a cycled tank that contains 0ppm of nitrates.

 

[electromango]

Rams still going strong, thankfully...I'll buy some anacharis since they're fast-growing/soak up nitrates efficiently. Can't find matrix near where I am but I'll keep an eye out for that too.

Just wanted to ask: if it rains, does that increase the amount of nitrates in tap water?

 

[Mebbid]

Rams still going strong, thankfully...I'll buy some anacharis since they're fast-growing/soak up nitrates efficiently. Can't find matrix near where I am but I'll keep an eye out for that too.

Just wanted to ask: if it rains, does that increase the amount of nitrates in tap water?

Potentially. It just depends on the area around your water. If there's heavily fertilized farms then yes it could increase your nitrates.

 

[Luananeko]

Two weeks is far too short a time period to know if they'll be able to handle the nitrates. Six to eight months is a better benchmark, one I would suspect they wouldn't make it through unless you can get those nitrates under control. Until you can solve the source water issue, you can try using fast growing plants, floating plants, and special filtration media like Purigen to help absorb them up. Rams are such characters and are gorgeous, but they really are sensitive and need special care to survive past the 6-8 month mark.