why did my rams die?

[starlette]

argh, i'm so frustrated. i bought two gold german rams, and one of them died after 3 days. the store i bought them at has a 3-day return policy, so i got a replacement fish. this was 4 days ago, and today, the replacement, and one of the first ones we got, died.

the one that lived the longest lived only 7 days in my tank. in addition, the three other fish we got there (2 angelfish, 1 glass fish) died within the same amount of time.

i had them spread out between 3 different tanks, with impecibly clean and clear water in all of them. do you think it was a problem with the place i bought them at? or is it possible that i am not paying enough attention to the specifics of my water quality? i don't measure the pH and other levels... i just keep it clean.

what do you think??

 

[Neil]

starlette,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

It would not suprise me a bit if the problem lies in the LFS that you are buying these fish from. Rams, especially, are poor choices from LFSs because they usually require a little better control of the water cleanliness and perms than a LFS can manage. My LFS has a 7 day guarantee on all freshwater fish, Except Rams! They can perish quickly from a number of things. But if the water and food is appropriate, they will be fine (like so many of the fish that we discuss here).
That said, I think you need to evaluate your own tanks, because of the other fish deaths as well. How are the previous (pre-7 days ago) fish doing in your tanks and what kind are they? If you have no problems with any of those then the water conditions probably aren't at fault. But I would suggest Bring a sample to the LFS or gettting some test kits yourself and find out what your water perms are. Even your tap water, as that is what i am assuming that you are using for changes. The things you should know are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and maybe hardness.
Finding out what the pH and hardness of your tap water is especially important to whether you should be keeping certain animals or not, like rams.
Let us know what you find out and maybe we can help you further.
Neil

 

[starlette]

thanks neil

thanks for the warm welcome and the input. i'm sure my water conditions are not ideal...i don't even like to drink the stuff before it's filtered.

however, our ex-roommate kept an aquarium, and his fish usually seemed quite healthy, despite his once-a-month water changes (at the most). he kept mostly mollies and zebra danios, as far as i can remember.

the rams were living with a couple of goldfish, and from what i've read elsewhere, this may have contributed to the problem. (i've read that few fish can tolerate the amount of waste these guys put out.) there are also a couple of rosie reds and zebra danios in there.

it has to be something more than bad tankmates though, because i had two glass fish and an angelfish in their own tank, and all but one of the glass fish died. i've had him for a few months now.

i'll take a sample of my water into my buddy at another LFS and see what he can tell me. i'll let you know what the results are.

 

[aspen]

hi starlett. first, i would suggest that you get a quarentine tank before you buy any more fish. i keep my fish in quarentine for a minimum of 2 weeks, sometimes longer. this time allows you to figure out what is wrong with the fish you just bought, if anything. i always treat for external parasites while in this tank, with quick cure.

i would also suggest that you learn about the different needs of different fish. imo, goldfish and rams are a mile apart in regards to tank conditions, and are not compatible. as well, anytime that you are buying cichlids of any kind, (rams, angels etc) there may or may not be compatibility problems in regards to agression. this is why we all own multiple tanks. if a pair of fish that seem to be getting along fine, go into breeding mode, all h*** can break loose for the other occupants.

i have found rams to be a hardy fish, if they are healthy. most of the time, when you buy from a lfs, their fish are not in great shape, due to the process of putting that fish into that tank. (breeders, wholesalers, distributors, long journeys, etc) try good care and feeding, and proper quarentine the next time that you buy. get proper test kits, and learn all about the nitrogen cycle, water hardness etc, at www.thekrib.com and you will be sure to have better 'luck'. it is not really luck, putting things into the right order makes for 'better luck'.

try buying from a hobbiest in your area. lots of people in your area, are likely breeding dwarf cichlids.

rick

 

[kribs]

HI
Many Rams that the LFS get are usually hormoned up and that could be the reason that they died. And the other reason could be your goldfish.

 

[Eva32181]

What is the water temperature of your tank? Goldfish like it cold (like low 70s), and Rams like it hot, hotter that most tropicals (like over 80). I assume your tank is cycled so that's not the problem.

If you decide to do goldfish, you can try adding White Clouds to the tank. They also like it cold.

Rams are the only freshwater fish my LFS won't guarantee. A lot of folks have problems with them. Myself included. But it can be done - they're just not a good beginners' fish.

 

[Neil]

I have moved this post tobest forum. There are numerous other threads about rams that may be very helpful here. You may want to try a search for "rams" and you should get a ton to read and some appropriate info that might help.