Blue Ram breathing hard

[DefStatic]

Tank: 10 Gallon
PH: 7
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Tank Cycled: 4 or 5 months
Temp 77
Filter: Aqueon 10 with custom media

Heavily planted with wysteria and three other plants I am not aware of.

Also in the tank: 6 Glowlight Tetras

So I have a tank I have had setup for a while. After searching around I decided to put a Blue Ram in it. I was told this was fine, but after one day of it hiding in the plants, I looked up some info and found out I need dither fish. So I picked up the 6 glowlights.

Everything was fine for another day, and then today I noticed the Blue Ram up at the top in a corner at almost a 45 degree angle. So I started freaking and looking for a Cichlid forum to join. I have had no luck getting my registration mails.

After about an hour, the Blue Ram was back at the bottom by the plants. So I thought maybe it was something else. An hour later it was stuck in the filter intake. So I turned the filter off for now.

Should I go make a quarantine tank? Add some medication? Is there something else going on? I guess I need to start quarantining fish and plants. I do not dare move it to my 30 gallon because I do not want to spread anything.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Brookster123]

The ram is 2 days in? A mini cycle is mist likely what is happening. The tank is cycled but the ram is new?

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[DefStatic]

I tested the water before he was put in and just now. 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, 5 Nitrates.

Should I do a partial water change anyways?

 

[Brookster123]

Always, anytime a fish looks off perform a 30-50% wc with a double hit of prime. What are you testing with?

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[DefStatic]

I use Prime for conditioner, doing a 50% change now.

I am using a brand new API Master Test kit.

 

[Brookster123]

Maybe the tetras had something nasty ram didn't like? Post pics if possible.

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[DefStatic]

It will move around sporadically. It was just sitting in a corner. Then it moved over to the middle of my wysteria and is just resting there.

I really need to start using a quarantine tank. When I put the tetras in I was careful not to get much of their water in the tank, but I did notice there was some tiny white thing that got into the tank. I have no idea what it was.

I just completed a 30% water change. I thought maybe 50% would be too much.

Could the water lack oxygen? I noticed when he water got low, it went to the top and started trying to get air. I do not have a lot of surface agitation from the filter flow and no air stone or anything like that. Plenty of plants though.

 

[DefStatic]

I would post pics but I have the lights off on the tank. I read somewhere to do that.

It did not lose a bit of color. Nothing. Belly a smidge pink but I do not recall of that was like that.

And now it is belly up. I just took it out hoping I could do anything and put in my 1 gallon tank with fresh water, nothing.

I am done. No more fish until I get a quarantine tank. I should have at least gotten the dither fish first and waited a month and then gotten the ram.

The odd thing is the fish was fine this morning and then this afternoon things went down hill.

I am not getting anymore fish until I have a quarantine tank. I will make it look nice and all, but it will serve only one purpose.

 

[Jmunroe]

When the tank was cycled what did you cycle it with? After it was cycled how did you keep it cycled? Blue Rams are very sensitive fish. Even more than discus I find. They need soft acidic water. And warm. 77 is too cold for them. 84 is a good temp.

 

[DefStatic]

When the tank was cycled what did you cycle it with? After it was cycled how did you keep it cycled? Blue Rams are very sensitive fish. Even more than discus I find. They need soft acidic water. And warm. 77 is too cold for them. 84 is a good temp.

The tank was cycled 4 or 5 months ago using natural methods and then adding fish. I had a nitrate spike that I missed (was testing for nitrites and ammonia but skipped nitrates) that killed off my guppies i had in there. I got that under control over a month and then added some more plants. I just didn't have it in me to restart the tank after losing my 6 guppies I had over a year.

I thought I had read somewhere that the temperature was 78 degrees for Blue Rams. That must have been part of the problem as it never seemed to adjust well and did not swim around much. I dont think the LFS I got them from keeps their tanks warmer than 76. And they had glowlights in with the rams as well.

I feel really stupid now for not reading even more, or reading enough. Can't just take a few sites info, need to check many sites to compare information. I really take it hard when I lose larger fish, especially colorful ones. And even more so when it must have been my fault.

I had read that they are sensitive to nitrates, so I had been avoiding them. But I was keeping my nitrates at 5ppm without issue so I thought I could keep one.

I did read mixed results about the 10 gallon thing. I think I am going to just stick with my 6 tetras and maybe some pygmy corries and that is it for this tank. I am going to save up some resources and maybe start a proper ram only tank.

I have also read mixed results about the temp. I see some places say 72 to 80. Some 80 to 84. Really hard to know what is right.

Just really let down all around on this one.

 

[Brookster123]

80-82 seems to be the accepted temp, a 10 is doable but just a pair would be the stock.

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