# Recent Ram Addition



## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

So i currently have a 72 gallon aquarium that i put 2 rams in. The tank had been cycling for a while and the only other fish in the tank are a few neons. They haven't taken any food since i've gotten them and i was wondering when they may start to eat? I'm feeding them pelets (or trying to i guess) which sink right in front of them but they seem like they have no care for it. Also they are just finding little hiding spots and not moving. Can anyone tell me when they'll start to act normal again and start to eat? The Ph is a little below 7 and i have made the tank have a lot of little hiding spots as i read they like to have.
Any Information and/or help would be appreciated! Thanks!


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

im guessing they are still getting used to their surroundings so they may not eat for a couple of days. Give it 2 days and if not seek more help on here or maybe try a different type of food.

Cheers 
Jack


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

How are your rams doing? I find they love blood worms. I feed mine blood worms all the time. Mine also eat flakes and crisps. I like to switch up their food a bit to keep it interesting for them. Good luck! They are great fish to have.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

They are extremely shy and tend to stay in the back of the tank. They don't move around all that much. I haven't actually seen them eat yet which worries me but i put food on a big flat rock that is in the tank and it disappears when i am not around, and i'm pretty sure it's not the neons eating them. I may give blood worms a try and see if they will take them.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

From Live Aquaria 

"Water Conditions: 72-79° F, KH 5-12, pH 5.0-7.0"

I'd try to lower the pH and add some more dither fish. (larger school of tetras) My guess is that they are shy in such a comparatively large tank. In the wild, there are usually other fish that are always out and about, unless there is a predator. With only the few neons, this is what may be happening. :arrow: "They are extremely shy and tend to stay in the back of the tank."


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

The pH in my tank is at about 6.6, the temp is at 78. I do not know the KH :/ I will add some more tetra's into the tank and see if that helps. Are there any other fish that would go well with them? i'm trying to breed them too so i don't want anything in the tank that will deter them from doing this.
Thanks for the help!


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

Oh almost forgot!!! good news i saw them eat!!! i put the food where i usually do and i was sitting on my couch and i saw both come up to some food and eat some of it!


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## mpfsr (Jun 22, 2011)

most rams should not be put in tanks less than 6 months old. Frozen or fresh blood/black worms work great to get them starting to eat. PH does not really matter unless you want them to breed. I have several types of rams and all but my breeding pair are fine in tap water with a PH of 7.4. They need very soft water to breed in and have the eggs hatch also temp should be around 84degs. mine spawn in a PH of 6. Well they will spawn in any conditions but not successfully. Once they feel safe in there new tank they are wonderful fish to keep. Like most fish they will come to the front of the glass and beg for food watch you from across the room. Most of mine will take food from my hands. I have a female GBR that no matter where I am in the room she's looking at me. But her male mate likes to bite me when I clean there tank. Scared the crap out of me the first few times. It tickles now.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

That's really awesome! I really hope i get to experience all of this with my pair! Thank you for the information!


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

Well I've had my rams for 8 months or so, I got them as fry, and I've done everything wrong with them and yet they live, but mine acted the same as yours did at first, they always where hiding and didn't move around much but over time they came around, but even when they where shy, they still came out to eat the beef heart and blood worms but didn't come out for any of the other foods I feed them.

As for breeding maybe that's why I can't get a successful batch of fry, cause my oh is about 8.0, same with my angels they lay eggs all the time but never got any fertile ones out of it.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

Well i got some more neons, which put them at a population of nine in the tank, and currently the rams are out eating the food i left for them! I hope that they start to come out more and don't hide so much. It's sad to have such pretty fish and never be able to enjoy looking at them!


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

You see the box of my rams I posted? to bad my cellphone can't seem to capture how awesome they look, but they are amazing fish, I can't wait for mine to finish coloring in.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

Glad to hear you finally saw them eat! No more having to worry. 

I agree with funlad3. I think you need some other fish in the tank so there is more activity. I had that issue with some other fish. Once I started stock the tank they seemed to come out more. Some fish just take time to adjust. 

Good luck with the breeding. As long as you have a mated pair and good water conditions it shouldn't be a problem. I have a pair of GBR's I recently bought and keep in a separate 10 gal for breeding. My lfs picked a great pair. I am happy to say that I am now a proud parent of first batch of GBR babies.  More info and questions to follow in a dif thread.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

I didn't buy my rams as a pair, but they were two that looked to stay near each other more than the rest so i got them. Now they seem to always be near each other, idk if that means that they are becoming a pair but that's the way it looks to me! Also i got more neons bumping up the population to 9. Any other suggestions on fish that would go well with my rams? i plan to get another pair for the tank at some point, but i'm waiting til funds are at my disposal and that i know the two i have now are doing good.
And Congrats on your first batch of GBR babies DigzTheBeatz!!!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i have 2 pairs of GBR's in a 125...along with....4 L-66's...2 L-134's...1 discus..5 large angels..a few black neons...a rainbow...6 or 8 cories..a sturisoma festivum...6 congo tetras...and 24 clown loaches..there are some hiding places ; but not many......they are always out and about...scurry to the surface to gobble up the Plecocaine..won't even be trying to breed them until after i move...they are an excellent little fish to have....


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

Ok quick question... My two rams seem to be doing some sort of "dance" or something. The smaller of the two (the female) seems the be the one chasing the larger of the two (male). I would have thought this to be the other way... any explanations?


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

Well it sounds like your female is a bit of a slut! I'm j/k, I'm not sure how the mating goes with them, I've had them spawn before but never seen it cause my RAM tank is in one of the guest bedrooms, and sadly to say I don't spend a lot of time in there, Im thinking about doing some moving around of fish cause its a shame to have my rams in a tank that not a lot of people see, so I'm thinking about moving them to my 55g I just hope they will breed in a community tank.

But if there behavior is them breeding you should tell me or make a video of everthing there doing cause I got a tank with 5 rams and I'm not sure if any have paired of yet cause I'm not sure what behavior they have when they pair up.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

haha i'll let you know what i see. Digzthebeatz has rams that spawned, so he might know something.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

Cichlids will often spar..for territory...for dominance..for mating...they will charge at each other..flaring fins..locking jaws...shaking...shimmying...even chasing each other..
usually there is no harm done unless it is two males...keep an eye on them to see what they do...just might be getting ready to make babies...

Good Luck..


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

I sure hope so!!! i want some baby rams haha


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

You can tell the difference between mating and territory. My pair will chase each other, nip a little, flare their fins, but most of the time they hang out together. I have a friend who has 5 in his tank. 3 males, 2 females. Pair of GBR's and Gold's, and an EBR. The males go at it a lot. Their aggression is a lot more noticeable, harder.

Signs to look for: the female is looking fatter, her pink spot is more noticeable, and they prepare a spot to lay their eggs by cleaning it. Mine picked the flat spot on top of the bridge. Looks like mine are getting ready to spawn again!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

great news digz....let's hope they do better this time...


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

I will definitely keep an eye out for that... thanks for the help!!! and Digz hope the youngin's come along well!


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

Came home to a nice clutch of eggs. I had a feeling she was waiting for us to leave. She's shy, lol. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. Hope yours pair up soon.


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

so... i'm beginning to think my two aren't going to pair up  they have started hanging out on opposite sides of the tank and rarely do i see them together anymore... anyone have any advice on what i should do? Also, i swear they aren't as colorful as when i got them, could be the color of the tank and substrate but idk...


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

ok... so today i decided to just sit in front of my tank and watch my rams for a little bit and something happened... plus i noticed something
1) the two got next to each other and i literally watched their colors brighten, it was pretty cool, then they got parellel with each other and angled their heads down and sat their with their fins in full display. then the female went over and picked at the side of the male, but it was like a gentle pick, idk it was wierd, and then it was over...
2) after the display the female hid but the male sat in the open so i went in for a close look and saw a couple of white specs on him. i really hope it's not ick but idk... anyone have anything for me?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

could very well be ick....keep a close eye...raise the temp to 86 and treat with Aquari-sol..


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

i raised the temp to 84 the other day, and when i look at them now i don't see anything on them... i've been keeping an eye on them and everything seems to be doing good... also their colors are starting to come back which i am very happy about.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

that's good news...glad to see they are doing better...


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## bchbum16 (Jun 21, 2011)

me too i was getting quite worried for a little bit...


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

Glad to hear they are doing better! Those are the signs you should look for. How are their interactions now? 

I keep my tanks on the warmer side, above 80. The rams like warmer water and that's when their color is supposed to show the best. Helps with some diseases too. What color is your substrate?


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