Vicious Blue Ram

[LiQuiD]

So I have a little murderer on my hands. My German Blue Ram has killed one angel fish, 3 rummy nose , 1 electric blue ram, and 1 fancy guppy. Needless to say, it's a problem. Worst part is, is he is a beautiful fish, and I really don't want to lose him. Any good ideas on kicking the Alpha out of him? I have him in a bucket with an air stone right now on time out. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Patty1980]

That sounds like forcing an animal out of behavior that comes naturally to it. Never what I'd call a good idea. Maybe he needs a girlfriend? I'm sure a ram expert will hop in to guide you better.

 

[Ricky 1]

Get a divider in the tank and a mate for him, keep it separated for a while and all should be good but it needs a mate......

 

[PNWaquarist]

GBRs that are pumped up on hormones by breeders sometimes exhibit this behavior. Small tanks can also make them more aggressive.

I would give this fish to your local LFS.


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[PNWaquarist]

Get a divider in the tank and a mate for him, keep it separated for a while and all should be good but it needs a mate......

They should be fine on their own. Also, they choose their own mates. Adding one GBR of the opposite sex could either result in breeding or one of them getting harassed to death. It's a crapshoot.


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[Ricky 1]

I have a pair of Rams and they are fine PNW, to get a female will draw his attention off the other fish, of course it should result in breeding, what else do fish or birds or humans or the list is too long......do

 

[Brookster123]

How do you know the ram is the culprit? How old is the tank?

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[PNWaquarist]

I have a pair of Rams and they are fine PNW, to get a female will draw his attention off the other fish, of course it should result in breeding, what else do fish or birds or humans or the list is too long......do

Yes, you can sometimes pair cichlids together than they'll get alone fine. Often times, they will not.

The OP's ram's problem is the not the lack of a breeding partner or a friend. Rams should do fine on their own in a community tank with appropriate tank mates (I would not pair angels with rams). The aggression is likely due to the tank being too small or a hormone issue with the ram).


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[HN1]

I agree with the above and will add that it may just be the individual temperament of that particular fish. The meanest fish I've ever had was a female gold ram. I am making the "meanest" statement even in comparison to our malawis and pikes. Just sayin'.

 

[LiQuiD]

That sounds like forcing an animal out of behavior that comes naturally to it. Never what I'd call a good idea. Maybe he needs a girlfriend? I'm sure a ram expert will hop in to guide you better.

I forgot to mention it killed another Blue Ram, so not sure about adding another.

Get a divider in the tank and a mate for him, keep it separated for a while and all should be good but it needs a mate......

I dont want to breed fish, so do I have to get a mate? Also, failed to mention it killed another BGR already, and they are not easy fish to find in my area.

GBRs that are pumped up on hormones by breeders sometimes exhibit this behavior. Small tanks can also make them more aggressive. I would give this fish to your local LFS.

Picked him up at Petsmart, and hes in a 55 gallon, so plenty of room. He was one of the first in the tank though.

They should be fine on their own. Also, they choose their own mates. Adding one GBR of the opposite sex could either result in breeding or one of them getting harassed to death. It's a crapshoot.

Already had him kill one another GBR so not sure I want to keep adding another until he calms down, plus Im not looking to breed.

 

[LiQuiD]

How do you know the ram is the culprit? How old is the tank?

Tank is about a month. Very obvious to tell its him. He bullies aggressively EVERYTHING that comes on his side of the 55 gallon tank.

 

[LiQuiD]

Yes, you can sometimes pair cichlids together than they'll get alone fine. Often times, they will not.

The OP's ram's problem is the not the lack of a breeding partner or a friend. Rams should do fine on their own in a community tank with appropriate tank mates (I would not pair angels with rams). The aggression is likely due to the tank being too small or a hormone issue with the ram).

Tank is 55 long, so there is plenty of room. I think it may have to do with the fact that he was first in the tank. I have never had problems with Angels and Rams before. They have always been good tank mates for me in the past. Both the angels I had were very chill and not aggressive at all. At night when the light is off, and everyone is on the bottom relaxing, I noticed that the angel he killed would always rest near his area.

 

[Brookster123]

Tank is about a month. Very obvious to tell its him. He bullies aggressively EVERYTHING that comes on his side of the 55 gallon tank.

If it's not cycled than they're all in the edge as is and the slightest stressor can put them down..

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[Ricky 1]

Look guys I can only go on what I see if you have a problem with that it's fine, mine are fine with angels full stop........

 

[LiQuiD]

If it's not cycled than they're all in the edge as is and the slightest stressor can put them down..

Tank is cycled and water is solid. This was not a complete brand new set up. Had lots of previous media from other tanks and fish to get it going.

 

[Brookster123]

So the ram is a punk... get him gone.. my lfs had someone bring in a big big gbr, didn't know they could get so big.. his dorsal rays were so big they leaned over.. anyways.. he was in a tank with some smaller gbr and I think mollys or sword tails?? Must have come in with him.. he was such a punk.. he was in the middle and everyone else was on the back and side glass.. if they moved he'd bash em.. so yah.. they can be dooshy... have you tried totally rearranging your tank and leaving the lights off for a day or two??

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[LiQuiD]

So I read a good thing to try to help tame a rough aggressor is to put them in a different tank for a few days, and slightly re-do the aquascape, then reintroduce. This seems to have worked for a few and timing is actually pretty good for me to try this. I just got some new drift wood I want to add, so Ill put it in his area, and remove the large rock that he has been owning.

Here's the tank now. The entire left area has pretty much been his. He would stay all around that rock. Oddly enough, all the aother fish like that area too. The right side has so much more, but the fish want to all hang out on the left.

So the ram is a punk... get him gone.. my lfs had someone bring in a big big gbr, didn't know they could get so big.. his dorsal rays were so big they leaned over.. anyways.. he was in a tank with some smaller gbr and I think mollys or sword tails?? Must have come in with him.. he was such a punk.. he was in the middle and everyone else was on the back and side glass.. if they moved he'd bash em.. so yah.. they can be dooshy... have you tried totally rearranging your tank and leaving the lights off for a day or two??

Hes really a beautiful fish so getting rid of him will be last resort. Will attempt the aquascape change this week.

 

[Brookster123]

Need way more structure and tall.plants to break up line of sight...oh and.ermm that plant on the back right is not fully aquatic.. it will rot out..

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[LiQuiD]

Need way more structure and tall.plants to break up line of sight...oh and.ermm that plant on the back right is not fully aquatic.. it will rot out..

The white and green fern looking plant? I can't remember the name, but it is only a week old and already starting to turn brown. I bought it at petsmart with the rest of the aquatic plants, so not sure why they would even sell it, if its not an aquatic plant. What's weird is I had one in a tank before and it lasted over 2 months before turning brown.

 

[mikem691]

I just noticed that you say they all want to hang on the left and your heater is on the left. Could it be a temp thing??? Maybe move the heater to the center so the tank stays more evenly heated.