My Blue Rams Keep Dying

Hi,

I am relatively new to fish keeping (around 4 months) and have so far been pretty satisfied with my results. Everything seems happy and healthy, that is all except for my blue rams.

I started off with a pair of electric blues from a pet shop and all seemed well for about 3 weeks, when one of them started hiding, lost a lot of its colour and had a strange red protrusion coming from its genital papilla. Unfortunately with no similar cases online, I had no idea how to treat it and the fish died.

Feeling bad for the one solo male ram, I got another female from a different place thinking it would be a one off case, but after another two weeks the male suffered the same fate.

All seemed well for the female that I got from a different place, so I figured it was due to the hormones they put into pet shop rams, and bought a male from the same place. Unfortunately, now the female is following the exact same pattern.

I can't for the life of me work out what's causing this, but it's heart breaking. I love having rams, but unless I can figure out what's causing this then I won't be getting anymore for fear of killing them.

Does anyone recognise this issue or have any advice?

IMG_0149 by Lana Ocelot posted Apr 7, 2017 at 12:27 PM

 

What are the parameters such as PH, Hardness, nitrate, nitrite, and temperature.

 

Rams are delicate. I too never had luck with keeping them. Check your water parameters with the required parameters necessary for keeping them.

 

PH is 6.6, nitrates/nitrites/ammonia are undetected in my tests, temperature is about 26c (79f). The only thing I don't have a test for is the water hardness. I hope this isn't my problem, but I guess it's at least a somewhat easy fix.

 

I would up the temp to 80-83°f. They do best in warmer temps. And it might have to do with water hardness.

 

I'll bump up the temperature a little and invest in a water hardness test and get back to you. Thanks for your advice.

 

Could it be camallanus worms? Try a google and see if your fishes' symptoms match...

 

Just a heads up, Bolivian rams are much hardier than German blue rams and you might have more luck with keeping them as a beginner.

 

It does look uncannily like that.. Uh-oh. I guess that means my whole tank needs to be quarantined, huh?

 

Camallanus worms more than not, healthy fish can go without showing symptoms for quite a while.
If you want to keep rams you should consider quaranting them in a big well filtered and heated tank and deworm them before adding them to the main tank.
You should also consider deworming your fish inhabitants as if the rams had parasites probably all the fish have it.
Levamisole seems to be the drug most people report sucess with.

 

I would definitely consider it, but I've gone to every aquarium within a 30km radius and they all seem to have the exact same range of fish. German Blue rams are the only rams I've seen.

Thank you. I've been suspicious that it was a parasitic issue, but no matter where I looked no one was describing the same problem. I guess I'm in for a busy few weeks. I appreciate everyone's help. Maybe I don't have to give up on my electric blues after all.

 

Have you asked if they can special order. Most places can, and it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

Never really occurred to me. If I can check out my water hardness and treat my tank for parasites, then with any luck my remaining blue ram will live a long, happy life and I won't need to go looking for hardier fish. =)

 

Hopefully that does happen. Good luck!