German Ram not feeling at home

[Kimberley2ka]

I added 1 male and 1 female German Ram to my 38g tank. They have 8 roommates that think they are pretty fun (cherry barbs - 6f2m), lots of little hides, plants (silk) for shade, get fed bug bites/flakes/bloodworms/little shrimp things - I rotate what I feed, the temp is 80-81degrees, ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10....not sure what else is needed? I got them this past Monday so they are still very new having only been in the tank for 3 days. Now my concern is with the female. When the lights are out she is pretty chill. Once I turn the lights on she is glass surfing all over the tank but mostly along the sides and back. The back of my tank is blacked out and does have a bit of a reflection with the plants etc in it. I panicked yesterday evening when I saw her doing this and quickly did about a 40-50% water change. Nothing changed with her. Nobody else in the tank is having problems that I can notice. The lady barbs are having a little gab sesh it looks like and my male ram appears to follow my female ram and observe her?
I am thinking about setting up the air stone? Or do another water change? I just don’t know. Her colour is gorgeous and there is no other sign of stress so I’m at a loss as to what to do for her. She is eating and will stop glass surfing to beg for food. She was not surfing at the store and I watched her for over an hour.
Please help

Sorry. That was a horrible picture of my girl. This one might show her colours better or maybe any thing that might be off with her?

 

[johnbirg]

HI Kimberly,
I looked at your aquarium details and didn't see the 38 gallon listed. How long has the tank been set up and cycled? The lighting appears very bright and rams really appreciate some cover and less light than many others. I think you would find they would benefit from some floating plants to cut down the brightness.

 

[Kimberley2ka]

oops! I thought I had listed my 38. I’ll have to do that. It’s been set up since last.....I think April but I hit a few snags along the way with cycling and it finished up in November lol (I had vacations and just life in general happen). The lights I have are the ones that come with the Marineland 38g tank. Not a clue what they are. Do you have any suggestions as to any lights that would be duller? What brand, etc. I would love to get some floating plants and have been looking into those for more shaded areas but not a clue which one would be the best. Maybe I will keep the lights off until I can offer more shade cause she is quite the nut. She’s the only one that is complaining.

 

[johnbirg]

Have a look on Amazon there are some well priced dimmable led lights and probably one of the better ones is the Nicrew brand.
As far as some plants go hornwort is almost indestructible either as a floater or planted in the substrate and it is easy to control.

 

[Amazoniantanklvr]

Duckweed is a fast growing, easy floating plat.

 

[johnbirg]

Duckweed is a fast growing, easy floating plat.

Ever tried to eradicate from a tank if you don't want it anymore? Good luck.

 

[Amazoniantanklvr]

No and I don't plan to. I will never get duckweed for my tank! It is very easy to grow so that is why I recomended it to the OP.

 

[johnbirg]

Took weeks of fishing it out of one of my tanks and in the end I had to strip the entire tank down, bin everything and start over. Will never have it again.

 

[Kimberley2ka]

I wouldn’t be planting it. I’d just float it. Does duckweed cling onto things on its own?

 

[johnbirg]

Please don't go there. Duckweed becomes a real pest and you will be fishing it out forever.

 

[Elkwatcher]

Try water lettuce or frogbit, I have it contained with a joined circle of syphon tubing, that way my filter current doesn’t bother it as much and I’m not getting it stuck on my arms during water changes! Yes, I dare keep the “dreaded duckweed” in my shrimp tank haha! I’ve never had it beam over to my other tanks. Guess I have a rabbits foot in my back pocket! That is a beautiful female Ram by the way.

 

[Kimberley2ka]

That duckweed looks like it flourishes very well lol.
I just finished a 50% water change, rearranged some decor and added a bubble wall at the back. It appears that she has settled slightly. Still a bit of frantic behaviour at the glass but she will stop and chill. Her and her boy seem to have taken up residence under the bubble wall as there's some room under it to hide. I also put the bubble wall lights on and turned the others off. They are definitely softer.

Shoot also I took the black background down. It was just poster board

 

[Elkwatcher]

Shoot also I took the black background down. It was just poster board

They might like a cave if you have the room to fit one in, my Bolivian Pairs quite like them. A small terra-cotta pot on it’s side or chunk out an opening in an upside down one.

 

[Kimberley2ka]

Ah yes yes. On the right side of my tank I have some stacked wood and 2 of the rock type hides. I was going to rescape again this weekend to figure out how to fit a bunch of caves in. My Cherries like going in the hides too.