What To Stock With German Gold Head Rams?

[Babillba]

Exciting news about spawning!

 

[Suleika]

The eggs are all gone. Maybe the parents have eaten them? But at least we know that they have paired up and the conditions are right

 

[Suleika]

Quick update for you guys...

Since yesterday I'm the proud new owner of three Zebra Plecos L046 from the Abyss Once they're mature and we can sex them maybe we can set up a species tank for them.

All the other inhabitants are doing great too and even the plants are surviving this time with the Ferropol.

 

[Suleika]

However, we have started getting a bit worried about our female GBR. Since we came back from our 2 week holiday a few days ago, she has looked very pale compared to the male and seems to spend a lot of time alone in one corner rather than with the male like before. When he follows her she swims away; he doesn't charge at her but follows her on a regular basis. I have seen her eat, however the male seems to have grown a lot bigger than her. She spawned before we left, but the eggs disappeared. Her belly is very red again like it was the last time she spawned, however last time she didn't go pale and didn't behave like this.

Any ideas what the problem could be?

Thank you so much!

 

[fishprotector]

Wow, not been on here for a while but love the L046's! Very jealous. How are they settling in?

 

[Suleika]

I know, was hoping you'd be back online soon to give your opinion about my female ram She's not in the corners anymore but still a lot paler than the male and he chases her every so often. She's still eating fine though.

To be honest we haven't seen much of the plecos yet. They are indeed very reclusive . One is in a piece of bogwood which he came in (managed to talk the guy at the Abyss into throwing it in for free), the other two are in the space between the Sumatran driftwood and the rock (we added this initially to stop the wood from floating but have left it there as it makes a nice cave). The fish don't come out at all though, not even at feeding time. I keep placing a little bit of food into the caves for them though.

 

[fishprotector]

I am going away for six weeks next Saturday so will not be on here for a long time lol.

Some Kribs I used to own a few years ago behaved the same as your rams seem to be doing. The only difference is that it was the female who was the dominant one. Do you still have one female and one male? If so then I can only think one of two things. Either that she is pale and reclusive because he is bullying her or because he is constantly chasing her to try and breed with her. As long as she is eating and you have enough boundaries and hiding places, then she should hopefully be ok.

Did you get some prawns and cockles for the Zebras? When ever I get a new Plec, I push these into the caves for them and they always seem happy. As long as they have a good supply of food then they should be ok.

 

[Suleika]

Bit of an update with the rams - one dead and one with an infection: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/396455-does-my-gbr-have-fin-rot-with-image/

 

[Suleika]

Both my rams have passed away. Unfortunately we still don't know what caused this - none of the other fish are showing any signs of illness or distress (exact description and picture of problem here).

Now I have seen many posts saying that rams are very difficult fish and hard to keep, but I have seen equally as many posts from people who breed them successfully and they are just so beautiful . The Abyss now have gold rams again and I would like to give them another go - what do you think? We have just tested our water yet again and these are the results:

pH: 6.5
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5 ppm
Water hardness: Our API master test kit does not test for this, but the United Utilities website says that we have very soft water in our area
Temperature: 28°C

Do you think it would be best to get 2m 2f again to see if they pair off, or this time try 1m 2f to avoid aggression? I'm still not 100% sure how many I can keep in my 80 x 35 x 45cm 125l tank - any advice?

Current stocking is

3x Hypancistrus zebra
6x Corydoras sterbai
16x Cardinal Tetra

Thank you!

 

[CichlidLover1995]

Id go for it. Make sure your testing your water quite often and do water changes alot. Rams need good water. Your ram in the pic you posted looked to me like his stomach was too sunken in. He likely got Ammonia poisoning.

 

[minnnt]

You have a very expensive tank full of fish!!

I would go with 1m and 2f to start with. Let him pair with one of them and then return the other one.

A sunken stomach can often be down to internal parasites so i would be tempted to hold off for a while before adding more fish and see if anything shows with your other fish.

 

[fluttermoth]

I think, if you want to try rams again, maybe it would be a good idea if you can find someone who's breeding them? Home bred fish tend to be better quality than imports, IME.

But it is worth persisting, if your determined. I'm 99% certain the problems you're having are with the quality of the rams, not your care or water.

Have you had a look on Aquarist Classified?

 

[Suleika]

Thank you !

Think we will give it a while and then see if we can find someone who breeds rams - do we know if there is a trusted breeder on the forum?

 

[Suleika]

I've had a new idea: How about a harem of Apistogramma Assizis for my tank? From what I've read so far they should mix well with my current stocking and parameters.