cuteusagi

Hi All! Thanks for all your help with my Ram questions!!! I have a Bolivian Ram, and I've been noticing that he doesn't really eat (and if he does, its not a lot). Whenever I feed the tank, he doesn't even go to the surface for food, and during the day he just picks at stuff in between rocks at the bottom. I have been feeding the tank tropical fish flakes, and yesterday I got some Cichlid Staple pellets for small cichlids, but they float (really well - couldn't even make them sink!) and he just ignored them. I ended up picking them out of the tank - every single one I put in. What's also odd is that my angelfish also doesn't go to the top of the tank for meals, and exhibits similar behavior (wouldn't eat Cichlid pellets, doesn't swim to surface for flake food, picks tings out of gravel at bottom...) and I know this is very much outside of their nature as well. I have 6 healthy schooling zebra danios that healthily eat from the top of the tank, so I don't know if that is preventing the ram and angel from venturing up there, but the zebras never bother the other fish (except for occasionally swimming into them, but never nipping or chasing). I think the angel eats a little better than the ram, as I see a fuller belly on it. I've never seen a "full belly" on the ram.

I am worried about my ram, and would appreciate any input!! Should I get sinking food? Or is there a bigger reason why either fish may not be swimming to the surface? Thank you!!!!

cuteusagi

Just a quick update: Just put some food in - tried the pellets first, and they were oblivious, even though the zebras left the pellets alone. Tried crushing up a pellet to see if it would sink in tiny bits, and it did, and the ram tried a few bites, and spit it out. The angel didn't seem to notice there was food there and continued to stick its face in the gravel looking. We then put in the flake food for the zebras, and they ate, and the ram ate some, okr at least tried it out and seemingly spit everything back out. He has to be eating something, because he still seems like a healthy fish and we've had him for about 10+ days...I just don't know what to do with him!!!

Bill

My rams don't seem to eat anything either! I only have Aquarian tropical fish flakes, but think I should get something extra for the rams because they are cichlids...