Labored breathing in GBR

[Reygan2]

My female GBR seemed perfectly fine yesterday. I came to work and didn't see her right away like I normally do. I finally found her and she is staying in one place and has labored breathing. I just did a 60% water change and so far she is the same. The male I bought at the same time from the same place is in another tank and he's fine. Any ideas? What can I do? If it is a parameter issue could she recover with pwc's?

 

[Mlani]

When I had gbr's I found that they liked pristine water conditions also they were sensitive to the ph. Do you have a liquid test kit? Check your parameters and please let us know what they are.

 

[Reygan2]

When I had gbr's I found that they liked pristine water conditions also they were sensitive to the ph. Do you have a liquid test kit? Check your parameters and please let us know what they are.

I tested two days ago and the parameters were perfect. My test kit is at home so I can't check now. If it is a parameter issue surely the pwc would help. She is in a qt with other fish and they are fine.

 

[Mlani]

I tested two days ago and the parameters were perfect. My test kit is at home so I can't check now. If it is a parameter issue surely the pwc would help. She is in a qt with other fish and they are fine.

If it is, the pwc's should help. I can tell you from my experience your test results can "jump" I've had various "spikes" through out my years of fish keeping. So when ever I have a fish that's struggling I test the water daily. Sometimes multiple times daily. Do you have any deco in your qt? What other fish is she in with?

 

[Reygan2]

If it is, the pwc's should help. I can tell you from my experience your test results can "jump" I've had various "spikes" through out my years of fish keeping. So when ever I have a fish that's struggling I test the water daily. Sometimes multiple times daily. Do you have any deco in your qt? What other fish is she in with?

She's gone. The other fish are fine. She had no visible outward signs of anything, I checked her out thoroughly. She's with 5 young cardinal tetra's, and a female threadfin that I planned to add to my 40g. The tank is planted. My last pwc was Friday and she was fine after that. She was fine yesterday too. Very active and ate normally. I've kept up with wc's since I added her because I know that they are sensitive. What a bummer . She was gorgeous.

 

[Berylla]

They are such delicate fish. I had 4/6 die within the first two weeks. The surviving two are still with me after 4 months.

 

[Reygan2]

They are such delicate fish. I had 4/6 die within the first two weeks. The surviving two are still with me after 4 months.

Yikes. Sorry about that. Maybe my male will live. I have fallen in love with these fish. I will keep trying.

 

[Berylla]

Yikes. Sorry about that. Maybe my male will live. I have fallen in love with these fish. I will keep trying.

If he's survived this long, he should be ok, so long as you keep up with the regular, massive water changes. To me, they are like discus. Clean water, clean filters, clean substrate.

 

[Mlani]

I'm sorry to hear you lost her :-( Trust me I know what you're going through. I lost 6 rams in 2 weeks time to ich. Hopefully the boy is stronger and will be A-ok! Sometimes you just get poor stock with these guys.

 

[Reygan2]

I'm sorry to hear you lost her :-( Trust me I know what you're going through. I lost 6 rams in 2 weeks time to ich. Hopefully the boy is stronger and will be A-ok! Sometimes you just get poor stock with these guys.

The male is still doing great. I wish I hadn't moved the female. The fighting was awful though, I had to do something.

 

[Berylla]

Glad he's doing well.

 

[Mlani]

The male is still doing great. I wish I hadn't moved the female. The fighting was awful though, I had to do something.

If it helps think of it this way..if you hadn't moved her you may have lost two instead of one. Glad to hear the boy is doing good!

 

[Reygan2]

If it helps think of it this way..if you hadn't moved her you may have lost two instead of one. Glad to hear the boy is doing good!

Thanks, that is a great way of looking at this situation. I know now for sure that just because you have a male and female it does not guarantee harmony. For the first week while they were getting familiar with the tank they were inseparable. I thought for sure I was gonna see sparks fly. But then the female began chasing the male relentlessly, then a day or so later I would catch him chasing her. The chasing became progressively worse. I actually have a video of them near the surface all flared up and literally ramming into each other. Is that why they're called rams? Anyway, oddest thing I've ever seen. It wasn't pretty though, and I'm positive it wasn't some sort of courting ritual. The aggression worsened until I had to do something, their fins were getting torn. Honestly I question whether or not I had a female at all. One was visibly smaller than the other, but they looked nearly identical. Anyway, sorry for the long post, but this was quite an ordeal, especially since it was my very first experience with these fish.
Btw, the male is doing great. I'd love to find a compatible female for him.

 

[Mlani]

Glad to hear he's doing well You may have had a sub dominate male, it happens sometimes. Don't beat yourself up too badly..Its an unfortunate side of this hobby. You lose some no matter what you do to save them.

 

[DavidAl]

The chasing became progressively worse. I actually have a video of them near the surface all flared up and literally ramming into each other. Is that why they're called rams?

That would make a lot of sense, but that's not why. Their scientific name is Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. "Ram" is short for ramirezi.

Sorry for your loss.

David