# Bolivian Ram help



## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

I posted about this under another section, but need some ideas to help.

I bought a Bolivian Ram over one week ago, he/she was doing really well, though I must say I had trouble really seeing him eating, so I began to worry about this, and he was looking thin. I'm aware I've been over feeding my tank, trying to get him food, as the dwarf rainbows I have in the tank are so fast he wasn't getting any, and he seemed rather passive about eating. I found he was rather black in color yesterday, and I was surprised to see I did have ammonia .25 in my tank (it's been cycled) so I don't know if I had a mini-cycle because I do WC twice a week to keep nitrate levels at 20 or below. Anyways, I did a WC and that helped, his color came back, but hours later he looks worse. He is quiet black and is just sitting on the bottom. I'm so mad at myself that perhaps I'm going to kill him because of ammonia! I used a syringe today to put bloodworms in front of him, he took one, but than sadly spit it out.

I think he will die. Is there any quick ideas I can do to save him. No other fish are showing any signs of problems and no one picks on him.

43 gal planted tank
ammonia is now at 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10

Gwen


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## Plumkin (Jan 24, 2011)

ammonia spike is from you over feeding put him in a hospital tank so hes alone.. he sounds really stressed so maybe if hes alone he might nibble on some food.


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

Plumkin said:


> ammonia spike is from you over feeding put him in a hospital tank so hes alone.. he sounds really stressed so maybe if hes alone he might nibble on some food.



That could be risker than leaving him in tank. I have a 10 gal I could set up, but the water would not be cycled and even if I use filter media from an existing tank, I'm afraid it would have ammonia and nitrite spikes that would happen when I'm at work. thoughts? 

Gwen


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

water is not what need to be cycled. there are two types of cell prokayotic and eukaryotic. P for short are bacteria and don't have nuclei. E for short has them and a re animal and plant cells. The P need togrow because they have a job and we all know as the nitrifying process. or new tank syndrome. It takes a while for the cells to grow and divide and need a food source like ammonia or nitrate and slowly divde and after a while your tank is cycled


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the explanation. He is in a 10 gal, and I will just watch ammonia levels and keep up on frequent water changes. 

Gwen


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## fjsedajr (Dec 20, 2010)

in my experience with bolivian rams, have the tank cycled and let bacteria grow like other members mentioned.
Also this fish are amazingly sensitive. they change their colors FAST depending on their moods. Normally after doing a WC bout 30 mnts to 1hr, at most 3hr it will take for them to get back to normal. Ur fish is really stressed, try adding more bolivian rams. i Have 3 (had 5, 2 died) and they are amazing fish to have. Try adding some new ones to the tank and you will see he comes back, also add plenty of hiding places, plus Rams are kinda bottom feeders, they peck out at the bottom. that is why their mouth is more to the ground than other fish. 

also, i keep them with german blue rams (2) but have the aquarium VVERRY cycled, cuz blue rams are 10x more sensitive to water parameters, like ammonia and nitrates. i dont test for water parameters normally, i just look for subtle hints in RAM activity and i know if there is anything wrong with the water. Since they are more sensitive than my other fish (in my expirience)

conclusion: add more rams, add good bacteria solution to the tank if you want to nourish ur bacteria colony (i do it every time i do a WC) and youll be good to go! 

Good luck


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

fjsedajr said:


> in my experience with bolivian rams, have the tank cycled and let bacteria grow like other members mentioned.
> Also this fish are amazingly sensitive. they change their colors FAST depending on their moods. Normally after doing a WC bout 30 mnts to 1hr, at most 3hr it will take for them to get back to normal. Ur fish is really stressed, try adding more bolivian rams. i Have 3 (had 5, 2 died) and they are amazing fish to have. Try adding some new ones to the tank and you will see he comes back, also add plenty of hiding places, plus Rams are kinda bottom feeders, they peck out at the bottom. that is why their mouth is more to the ground than other fish.
> 
> also, i keep them with german blue rams (2) but have the aquarium VVERRY cycled, cuz blue rams are 10x more sensitive to water parameters, like ammonia and nitrates. i dont test for water parameters normally, i just look for subtle hints in RAM activity and i know if there is anything wrong with the water. Since they are more sensitive than my other fish (in my expirience)
> ...


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## fjsedajr (Dec 20, 2010)

Ohh im sorry.
Well mine do fight at times, but they havent killed anyone. And they have plenty of space. But try again with one and see how it goes, and the odds of you getting 3 males if you purchase 3 is less than 25%. there is a 75% u will get atleast 1 pair. I think they are still good odds. Try sexing them at the store, it hard cuz their true colors wont show as much. But males have better coloration if im not mistaken. Ive keep them happy for long. And i keep them with 4 angels, 5 dwarf rainbows, 2 blue rams, 2 roseline sharks, 2 black neon tetras, 1 false penguin tetra, 2 otos, 3 zebras, 1 striped raphael catfish, 1 bumblebee catfish, a pair of dwarf gouramis and 1 male molly i keep temporarily while the female is pregnate in my other tank. I know preeattty stooocked. And its 60gallon hex. No problems. I wish you good luck and PM me if you need any help with stoking or if you decide to give it another go.. Good luck!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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