dwarf cichlid question

[bdew]

hi all, i'm new to dwarf cichlids, but they've been some of the favorite fish i've ever had.

My question is regarding a strange pattern of behaviour occuring in my tank. I have two round-body golden rams, and one of what i think is a german gold ram.
When i first got the german gold ram, it was very green in color, with faint stripes on its body, and no clear black dots or black stripe on the front of the dorsal fin. The round body golden rams were very colorful, with bright orange noses. These two were clearly the dominant fish in the tank, and they would chase the german gold ram away every time it would come near their territories. However, after installing two moonlights in the tank (not sure if this is the cause, but it seems that way), it seems the tables have turned. The two round-bodied rams are now pale and less active, and overnight the german ram developed two black spots on each side, and a vertical black stripe through his eyes. The german ram is also much more yellow than green now. He (although smaller) is now the dominant fish in the tank, chasing the two larger round bodied rams around.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation? Are these fish even compatable? Are certain species more light sensitive? Any help would be really appreciated, and i'm sorry if this post seems confusing, but i'm somewhat new to these species. Thanks
-B

ps- 29 gallon tank w/ 11 neon tetras and 2 otos, temp 78, ph 6.9, heavily planted, well filtered, little to no ammonia, and water not too hard.

 

[Mike Wise]

It appears that your round body rams were fine while they were the only 2 cichlids in the tank. They were showing there dominance/breeding dress. The new ram was the "low man on the totem pole" when you added him. He was showing subdued "submissive" dress when first added. Now he seems to have become the dominant fish in the tank. He has put on his "dominant" dress. All of this is fine as long as there is no damage to any of the fish. If a pair develops, the extra ram will probably be picked on, but usually this is not damaging in a tank your size. I would suggest that you raise the temp to at least 82ºF/26ºC. This will keep your rams more healthy & activity.

 

[Cathy G]

Hi B -
I'd bump up the temp even more - 84. Mike is right about the dominance switching back and forth as different fish go into spawning modes off and on. Rams will chase and flair but you shouldn't see any ripped fins or real damage. It is very important though that you have lots of hiding places.

You mentioned little to no ammonia? You should have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. Rams are very sensitive and it sounds like you have a couple of balloon rams since you discribe them as round. These are perhaps even less healthy than regular rams as they are genetically modified and inbred. Rams really should be placed only in well established tanks...

The only other I can think of is that since most rams come from fish farms in Asia, they are often subjected to hormones to get them to grow up faster and be more colorful for market. Then, as they are placed in our hormone free tanks, they loose those hormones. As they develop into maturity, their color will come back and off and on should look as good as when you brought them home.

Hope this helps,
Cathy