Sick German Ram?

[Monique]

hi all -

my female german ram is approximately 2 inches long and has done very well in my 40 gallon community tank for over two months. this past weekend she began to lose some of her lustre, and is losing body condition rapidly. she hasn't eaten anything for three days, and yesterday passed a clear, jelly-like substance. she's just hanging out in the caves or under leaves. her mate is being very attentive to her, and is protecting her space from the other fish with more than the usual vigour. he looks great. her fins and scales appear to be in good condition, although she is dull. her gills look good too. any ideas? i'd hate to lose her.

thanks so much.

 

[colleen0309]

All I can think of is an internal parasite. By jelly like substance do you mean clear stringy poop?

 

[ZoddyZod]

what ph is your water and what temperature is it? Also, what is the nitrate reading?

These are very delicate little fish and need quite specific conditions to thrive. Ideally lower than 7 ph, 27c-30c temp and as low nitrates as possible <20ppm

 

[Monique]

All I can think of is an internal parasite. By jelly like substance do you mean clear stringy poop?

that would be an accurate description.

before the cichlids came into the tank, i lost 4 of my 9 zebra danios to a wasting disease as well. after the first two died i euthanized the next as soon as they showed signs, and the other 5 are healthy. a local fish breeder and dealer said the disease was particular to the zebras because of degraded breeding practices, and the hardier specimens would survive. perhaps he was mistaken?

is there anything i could do for a parasite? should i isolate her?

 

[Monique]

what ph is your water and what temperature is it? Also, what is the nitrate reading?

These are very delicate little fish and need quite specific conditions to thrive. Ideally lower than 7 ph, 27c-30c temp and as low nitrates as possible <20ppm

The temperature is 77f. The ph has always been high in this tank due to my water; about 7.8. the nitrates show up as below 10 ppm on my test kit, and they have always been really low.

i also have neon tetras, pearl danios, zebra danios, platys, a loach, a cory, a pleco, and a silver hatchetfish in the tank. i think they would tolerate a slow rise in temp quite well. . . perhaps i should kick it up a notch or two over the next week?

i feed them a mixed diet of quality flake, frozen bloodworms, and shrimp brine. they're in a well-decorated tank with live plants.

thanks for your help!

 

[ZoddyZod]

The temperature is 77f. The ph has always been high in this tank due to my water; about 7.8.

the temperature and pH could possibly be the reason the fish is not doing so well. The less optimum the conditions, the more chance the fish has of becoming 'stressed' and more susceptible to disease.

7.8ph is high for Rams, and they are unlikely to flourish in the long term.

 

[colleen0309]

I'm alittle concerned about the white stringy poop. That can be a sign of a parasite. There are many treatments for parasites, depending on the symptoms. Seachem has quite a few treatments. ParaGaurd and PolyGaurd are two by seachem. Your pH is too high for rams and can also be contributing to the poor health of your fish. You could try to bring this down by adding more driftwood, or adding peat to your filter. Rams also need a higher temperature.

 

[Monique]

thanks again; i will look into parasite treatments, get some more driftwood, and creep the temp up.

she's still hanging on, became a little more active. she's actually expressing interest in food, investigating brine and flake, though i haven't seen her eat yet.

 

[Monique]

thanks - i'll work on adjusting both of those factors.

this is my first tank - thanks for your help!

 

[colleen0309]

You are welcome. That's why we are here.

 

[Monique]

hooray for kate! (the fish)

she's come out from hiding and is mid-tank again, interacting a little with her mate . . . temp is up to 78, i'll knock it up another notch tomorrow. colour is noticeably better as well. driving to the city on friday for driftwood and hopefully meds if someone intelligent is there to advise me . . . i'd feel a lot better if she'd eat something, but at least she's getting a bit of glow on!