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A fish no one knows about 7/18/08
Hello. I'm Samie. I'm 16. I can take care a lot of different fish, but I
seem to have an eye for trouble makers.
<Oh?>
I have a 10 gallon tank. It has been set up since January. My pH is 7. Ammonia,
nitrite, and nitrate are all at 0. I have drift wood and 1 small plant.
<All sounds fine, but do bear in mind that 10 gallons is really too small for
the fish you have chosen, and long term are likely to have problems. Because 10
and 20 gallon tanks have almost the same footprint and cost almost the same
amount of money, I always recommend people go with 20 gallons when starting
out.>
The fish I have are tetras (2 white skirts, 1 rosy, and 3 x-rays) Ghost Shrimp,
and Balloon Body Gold Ram.
<Ah, now these fish aren't compatible. White Skirt tetras are albino
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, a notorious fin-nipper and going to get quite large,
about 5 cm long. Rosy Barbs (what I assume the "rosy" is) are Puntius
conchonius, a subtropical species able to get to 14 cm and so obviously way too
big for your tank. The long-fin version will also be vulnerable to fin nippers.
X-Ray Tetras are Pristella maxillaris, a superb species, but in my opinion
slightly too big for a 10 gallon tank. All these fish are schooling species, and
MUST be kept in groups of 6 or more if they are to be happy. Keeping them in the
numbers you have may be convenient to you, but it is intensely stressful for the
fish, and long term they may exhibit aberrant social behaviours, such as
shyness, fin-nipping, or chasing.>
My problem is, no matter how many people I ask, no one seems to know how to help
me.
<We'll do our best...>
My Balloon Body Gold Ram is not eating.
<Likely too cold, wrong water chemistry. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi can ONLY be
maintained in very warm (28-30 degrees C), very soft (less than 10 degrees dH),
very acidic (pH 5-6) water conditions. None of your other fish will tolerate
this, and some, like the Rosy Barb and the Shrimp will be quickly killed by such
conditions. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is simply NOT a community fish, and the
majority of specimens die within months when put into community systems.
Specifically, when kept too cold and too hard water their immune system is
suppressed, and they become prone to diseases such as Hexamita and
Hole-in-the-Head.>
?? I have tries frozen foods. Micro Pellets. Betta pellets, Betta flakes,
tropical flakes, and he/she won't eat.
<Likely sick, dying.>
He/she has a red spot on he back. So I started treating him with MelaFix. Since
it's been only 1 day.
<Could be Finrot, another opportunistic infection that affects fish when they
are stressed by a poor environment. So this is consistent with my analysis.>
There is no change yet.
<There won't be. Firstly Melafix may be cheap but it isn't effective so serves
no useful purpose except perhaps as a preventative. Once fish get sick, you need
more useful medications like eSHa 2000 (in Europe) or Maracyn (in the US).>
If know anything about this fish.
<Much information in cichlid books; look up Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. Widely
kept, bred and so the basics for its care are very well known. It's a shame
retailers don't tell people what they need PRIOR to purchase. Underlines our
mantra here that you should always RESEARCH a species BEFORE buying it.>
Why he/she won't eat.
<Wrong environment. Doomed.>
or even if it guy or a girl.
<Difficult to sex, but males tend to have longer dorsal fin rays.>
Please help me out.
<Have certainly tried.>
Thank you.
<Cheers, Neale.>
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FW Ram and Plant Questions - 5/2/2006
1. My rams have been doing very well lately but I just have 1 concern. On
the bottom of their bodies, they are fine but about half way to their tail and
their body's curve inward. Is their stomach not full? Are they hungry or
starving? They always eat but my other fish are really quick and I don't want to
put
more food in because if my other fish are full... the rest will go to waste and
pollute my tank. What should I do?
< Over feed them some live brine shrimp or Tubifex worms and see if they fill
out. You may need to change the food to sinking pellets to make sure they get
enough to eat.>
2. I have one Brazilian Sword and it has 4 open leaves and one that is in the
process of opening. Will it grow more stalks with more leaves or is this how
little it will be forever?
< The Brazilian sword plant is actually not a fully aquatic plant. The leaves
should be out of the water. You plant will slowly waste away after awhile. Try
switching to a fully aquatic plant like an Amazon sword.>
3. If there is a slight tear and around that tear, brown spots on one of my
swords' leaves, should I cut the entire leaf off because then my plant will
look really skimpy? Also, I if I cut anything off, I should cut it as close as
possible to the roots as with any plant right? Thanks
< The Brazilian sword is already rotting away. Swap it out for an Amazon
sword.-Chuck>
Revisiting the Ram - 07/12/2005
Hello!
<Hi, again! Sabrina here....>
I have a 10 gallon tank with 5 guppies, 1 Cory and one ram. I have had this ram
for only one day, and it's not eating.
<One day.... If by this you mean you got it earlier today, I would not be
concerned about it not eating. If you got it yesterday, it might be a different
story. Be sure to offer a variety of tasty foods, and keep in mind if the ram
is large enough, or the guppies small enough, if you don't get food in him soon,
he may be looking at those guppies and licking his lips pretty soon. Rams are
timid, but cichlids nonetheless.>
I think it is still a little bit in shock, but I just want to be sure. Also, I
want the Ram to have the best colors and I would like to know what would be the
best food to give it... I have flakes and dried bloodworms, but what else?
<I would try high-quality frozen foods, or failing all else, I would try live
foods.... never tubificid worms (Tubifex, blackworms), but live bloodworms,
mosquito larvae, or brine shrimp are an option, if he refuses to eat over the
next few days. Once you get *something* in him, it'll be easier to get him to
eat other foods. Also, as timid and shy as rams are, be certain that there is
plenty of cover and lots of good hiding spots for him, so he'll feel safer in
coming out to eat. If he's scared, he may just refuse to eat and may even
starve.>
Thanks a ton! Christine
<You bet. Good luck with your fishes, -Sabrina>
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