Electric Blue Rams

[Livewire88]

Hi everyone,

Sadly I have lost 3 of my EBR over the last 2 weeks. The first 2 that died have been in the tank for around 6 months each one turned pale for a few days before they died and both were eating fine up intill the day they died.

When each were near death their gills were open rather wide (approx 40 degrees) and seemd swollen, also there whole eys's were black.
The last one to die was only put in the tank 1 week ago so may have been sick anyway but again when it died its gills seemd swollen.

The tank has been set up for 6 months and all water parameters are good, Ammonia and Nitrite Zero, Nitrate approx 40. Recently I added a Pressurized C02 set up which only runs when the lights are on, this causes a PH swing each day from aorund 8.0 in the morning to around 6.4 - 7 in the evening just before the lights turn out, also I have recently added Seachem Purigen to one of the filters.

The tank also has, Corry's, Guppies, Cardinals, BN Pleco, Bamboo Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp and Ghost Shrimp all of who seem fine, the only problem has been the EBR's.

Does anyone have any idears of what could be the issue?

 

[KittyKat]

I would put it down to pH shock (pH 8.0 is about 50-70 times higher than 6.4, in terms of ion concentration) and maybe water hardness changes.

The other option could be oxygen deprivation, do you have a CO[sub]2[/sub] checker thingy?

 

[onidrase]

blue rams are extremely fragile, it could have been anything, but the pH swing is a definite no-no. they're known to die for pretty ridiculous reasons, and I'd say a steady pH for blue rams is crucial.

 

[Livewire88]

I would put it down to pH shock (pH 8.0 is about 50-70 times higher than 6.4, in terms of ion concentration) and maybe water hardness changes.

The other option could be oxygen deprivation, do you have a CO[sub]2[/sub] checker thingy?

Hi, thanks for the advice, I suspected the daily PH swing is causing the issue. I do have a drop checker in the tank and the CO2 level never goes to high.

I will have to decide weather to leave the CO2 running through out the night to keep the PH level stable. I had been advised that any swing less than 1.5 points per day should not cause any issues but my water is also super hard, so that cant help either.

The 1 EBR I have left is a strong fish (bossing the tank) so if he ends up dieing I wont buy any more.

 

[Livewire88]

blue rams are extremely fragile, it could have been anything, but the pH swing is a definite no-no. they're known to die for pretty ridiculous reasons, and I'd say a steady pH for blue rams is crucial.

Thanks for the advice, its a shame really as I want to keep a healthy planted tank that my fish will thrive in but getting the conditions right for everything has become a challenge.

If I do end up loosing the final EBR would a normal German Ram be able to cope with a slight daily PH swing??

 

[onidrase]

blue rams are extremely fragile, it could have been anything, but the pH swing is a definite no-no. they're known to die for pretty ridiculous reasons, and I'd say a steady pH for blue rams is crucial.

Thanks for the advice, its a shame really as I want to keep a healthy planted tank that my fish will thrive in but getting the conditions right for everything has become a challenge.

If I do end up loosing the final EBR would a normal German Ram be able to cope with a slight daily PH swing??

Probably not. The only fish that is labeled "electric blue" that is more fragile than a standard fish of the same species is the electric blue jack dempsey from what I know.

I'm just saying, GBR's as a whole, electric blue, gold, or regular, are known to be very fragile. They should be kept in pH below 7 and have soft water and high temperature of about 82 F in order to thrive. pH swinging from basic to acidic very day in hard water isn't good for them.

 

[BigTuna]

I drove 2 hours to go get some EBRs only to find out they were all down with ick. I decided to buy 3 anyhow and treat them in my sick tank. Unfortunately none of them made it as the ick absolutely took over. I was pretty disappointed because I was so excited to have some EBRs and I was so confident I'd be able to treat the ick.

 

[KittyKat]

I drove 2 hours to go get some EBRs only to find out they were all down with ick. I decided to buy 3 anyhow and treat them in my sick tank. Unfortunately none of them made it as the ick absolutely took over. I was pretty disappointed because I was so excited to have some EBRs and I was so confident I'd be able to treat the ick.

The recommendation that one buys only healthy fish (to the point of not buying a fish if another tank of the filtration system has problems or either tank to the side of those on the filtration system) is there for a reason. If I bought fish with ich and drove two hours home with them, I would expect to have losses regardless of the species. It might be a good idea to call ahead next time, and ask the shop before you leave the house.

 

[BigTuna]

Thanks, tips.