Terrified Blue Ram :(. Worried.

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kaiofcanada

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
901
Location
Chicago, IL
So I ordered three german blue rams at my LFS, and after two months of waiting, due to heat and issues with shipping, they came in yesterday. The two females I ordered came dead/nearly dead but the male looked really pretty and colourful. So I brought him home to his new house while I await his future girlfriends.

I was ready with a new setup, water cycled with gravel from an established tank and filter that I had been running on a mature tank for two months. Everything looked good. I planted two sides fairly heavily of the 15g setup heavily and put in a couple terra cotta pots of varying sizes for hiding. The plan is for this to be a species only tank with the exception of a couple otos or nerite snails. And I only planned to get two other girls until he picks a mate.

When I put him in he seemed fine for about 3 minutes then freaked out and hid. I expected them to be shy, but everytime I pass by the tank he freaks out and darts every which way, even into the gravel. I am worried that he will hurt himself or stress himself more.

I added some stresscoat just in case. But I don't know what else to do???? Help!

I have the lights off. He seems to be hiding behind pots near plants rather than in pots o_O doh!

Might he be stressed from not having another ram with him right now, or do I not have enough hiding places? there are 5 pots.

Is this normal for a new introduction?
 
It seems like you have this well thought out and prepared well! The stresscoat was definitely a good idea. I would turn off the lights for a day or two or even cover the tank so he can get used to his new home without people walking past. He'll get used to it, probably just stressed from the move.
 
it takes some time for fish to get used to being moved. @ausfish,i agree that turning off the lights can work to reduce stress,IMO covering the tank is a bad idea,then the ram has to get used to the new tank when its covered then again when its not
 
+1

Some fish take to their new surroundings right away. Most do not, it seems. Keep the surrounding area quiet and dim. I would feed very very lightly, as he might not want to eat right away. He'll come around.
 
I just traveled half way across the city to get him a girlfriend. I will introduce her soon. Hopefully having a stressed buddy will make the stress easier. I am also adding another pot. After this I will leave them be for the next two days and see if he doesn't mellow out. Otherwise I may have to hide in a pot to make them more comfortable o_O
 
I got a pair of Kribs a 14 days ago and had a tank with caves waiting. When I put them in, they hid for the first 6 days, lights on or off. The male came out of for feeding a bit but the female never...

I did some research on dither fish. In the wild, fish take their cue from other fish. When no fish are out, their natural instinct is to think some predator is there and everyone is hiding.

I got 12 X-Ray Tetras for the tank and they started coming out within a couple of hours at the most.

I had some aggression by the male to the female. I rearrange all the plants and rocks and 3 days later, everything is great...they are out most of the time, especially at feeding times.
 
just give him time, he will familiarize himself with his new home and before you know it he will be out and about
 
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