Clearbear Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 My female is breathing heavily and seems very stressed out and after reading some posts on here it seems like a lot of the time they die after these symptoms appear. any advice on what to do? i can move her into a smaller tank which currently only has 10 neon's so that the male cant harass her? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 If it were me, i would probably move the male instead... it would be less stressful for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yeah, move the male. Both mine died after similar symptoms.. :tears: Thankfully I have some fry from them but very slow growing.. Sorry can't be of much help. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karina Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 Sorry to hear of your troubles - yours too Dan These guys are one of those elusive fish aren't they? What I have learnt about them so far is they need space, very clean water, no nitrates or anything worse in the tank. Having the Temp at 28c helps with their immunity. Don't like much salt in the water but ok with melafix. Plants help keep the nitrates down and creates hiding places. They like tannins in the water which driftwood adds. I also use Prime as my water conditioner in their tank. Good luck hope you get a good outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I've had rams do the same thing, but other fish have as well - they sit at the bottom of the tank gasping or breathing heavily and soon die. It's frustrating as it seems there's nothing that can be done and I don't know what is wrong in the first place as apart from their behaviour, they look fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 shes not looking good, when i came home from tech she was at the surface gasping for air (i put and air stone in and changed the flow of the filter to help oxygenate the tank so that shouldnt be a problem). i decided to change her into a different tank just to make sure there is nothing wrong with the water in the other one, thought i may as well try that even if it stresses her a bit since she looked like she was dying anyway. now its just a wait and see game, i hope she pulls through these are my favourite fish &c:ry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 any chance at getting a check on her gills, she may have gill flukes or burnt gills from a mini cycle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I can get a look at her in the morning, what should I be looking for? thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Water conditions would probably be a good place to start checking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I would have thought if it was due to water conditions , the other fish in the tank would also be showing signs of illness / odd behaviour by now ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 i researched a bit about gill flukes, the only symptom i can see is her gills do look a little inflamed. it says that it is really contagious though so wouldn't my other fish be showing similar signs? I dont have a testing kit apart from ph and kh droppers. i have never needed one before and they are quite expensive for a poor student :-? but i would also assume that since no other fish are showing signs of stress it is ok? Shes still stressed and swimming around the top of the tank breathing heavy, i was surprised she was still alive this morning, hopefully i can figure out what is wrong before she does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I would get an ammonia and nitrate test kit very useful lil things (way more important than pH and KH also you should be able to take a sample into your LFS for a free test (just don't do it if they know you work for the oposition, they get cranky about that :facepalm: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 yea i think it is time to invest in one was just avoiding that extra cost but i knew i would need to get one eventually. i asked at my lfs but they cant do one. :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 what shop did you go to? you dont need to name names just the area if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 Richmond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 Blue Rams are funny fish - many have had them keel over within months of buying them and it's unclear why they do this. I've tried them twice and they've never lasted long so gave up. I don't think it's anything you're doing Clear - it's the stoopid fish! :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 Just because one fish is showing signs of illness and the others are not does not necessarily mean it is the fish itself and not water conditions or something else. Some fish are more sensitive than others so will show signs of illness or react to poor conditions before other, hardier, fish do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 I would have thought if it was due to water conditions , the other fish in the tank would also be showing signs of illness / odd behaviour by now ? Agree with Caryl, some fish are more sensitive than others. Clown Loaches are another good example, I've had a couple of 'accidents' over the years and the loaches are like the miners canary, if there is ammonia present in the water they'll be getting cloudy eyes and stressing before most of the other fish even notice it. I think of this thread on planetcatfish so often when people here ask for help with their fish, its hard to find a solution without knowing the full picture... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 the other fish are blue rams so thats why i would think that the others would be showing similar signs. i will be getting a test kit soon so next time something like this happens i will be able to provide a full picture. thanks for the help anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 Yes, but multiples of the same type of fish in the same tank ,with only one showing signs of illness, leads towards something more specific. Being that rams are considered less than hardy at best, I would assume if water quality was to blame, the other ram(s) in the tank would be showing similar signs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 maybe a bit of bullying going on???, have had a Salvini before that only ever attacked the gills of other fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearbear Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 the male did chase her quite a bit.. i was going to separate them for a few days but looks like i left it too late :facepalm: shes sitting at the bottom now resting against a rock breathing heavy still :tears: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 Being that rams are considered less than hardy at best, I would assume if water quality was to blame, the other ram(s) in the tank would be showing similar signs. or it could be the water conditions exacerbating a condition affecting that individual fish, thus leaving the others appearing normal. Regardless, it is always a good idea to post as much info regarding the set up as possible when seeking advice on fish health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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