My ram doesnt like herself...

[Tres]

I have a beautifull german blue ram I purchased about 4 days ago... and she has spent the entire 4 days trying to beat up her reflection on the walls of the tank. No damage seems to be occuring to the glass... oh and she seems to be healthy also...
Its almost like she has obsessive compulsive disorder.. she barely takes time to eat...
Should I be worried that the will stress herself out?

Right now its just her and a male Ram in a ten gallon.. if I throw a few tetras in there will that distract her? (The male would probably distract her, but he is having a much harder time getting acclimated to his environment... it looks like he will make it, but he isn't a happy camper yet)
Any other ideas or comments?
Has anyone else seen this odd behavior in anything other than a siamese fighting fish / beta type fish?

[Raul-7]

A 10g is the borderline for keep a pair...check your water parameters; maybe there's something she doesn't like. What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels like?

[Tres]

Everything is fine except the nitrites are just a teensy bit high... not enough to cause stress, but not perfect.

Shes brightly colored, breathing normaly, fins are all exdended and upright, no signs of stress whatsover...

But she has a serious issue with that other fish on the "other side of that wall of glass"... aka her reflection.

[ginnie5]

I have always heard that fish do this because of a water quality problem. Rams are sensitive, maybe the nitrites being even a bit high are causing it.

[Tres]

I happen to have a nitrite absorbing pillow...
Ill run it all day tommorrow and see if it changes her behavior...

[Tres]

Come to think of it, I have some zeolite also... that should clear up any and everything...

[Wö£fëñxXx]

whats the ph of the tank she is in? she likes softer water, slightly acidic

[Tres]

Bingo.
Ph was 7.2, dkh was 5
I find this strange, since the tap water I filled the tank with a week before purchasing the rams was ph 7.2 and dkh 5... but Ive been injecting co2 since day 1. In my newbishness I assumed this would lower the ph... silly me.

Fortunately (and a bit strangely I might add) I have a 46 gallon bow front I set up the day before the 10 gallon tank... it recieves twice as much c02 as the 10 gallon tank, (all store bought yeast co2 injectors, all started within a day of each other... meaning the 10 gallon was getting much more c02 per gallon.. the more I look into this the more it doesnt make sense)
Why doesnt it make sense? Because the 46 gallon tank filled with the same water, but getting les than half the co2 per gallon currently has a ph of 6 and a dkh of 2.

The tanks are identicle except for the following.. the filter is smaller on the ten gallon, the tank sizes are different, the smaller tank gets more c02 per gallon, and the larger tank has 3 peices of store bought driftwood that show NO signs of leaking tannins into the crystal clear water.
Both are heavilly planted and use the same exact substrate. The water came from the same tap, and other than the fact that one is getting more c02 than the other, the water is filtered and treated in the exact same way. (One filter is smaller, but same type) so why in the world would the tank getting a higher concentration of co2 remain at the same ph and hardness for nearly 2 weeks, and the one with less c02 concentration drops dramaticaly in both categories????

I guess I shouldnt complain, at least I have a good supply of water that the rams will enjoy... Its just that I am one of those people who has to try understand everything, and it will bother me untill I figure it out, lol.




All of this is very strange to my newbish self... but in a way it is fortunate... I have 46 gallons of water that the Rams will absolutely love.

[Raul-7]

Well, I think her condition will improve once she goes to the 46g. A 10g is unstable and swings easily occur. IMO a pH of 6 is too low, how much C02 are you dosing? You should try to aim for 6.5 for the best results

[Tres]

I was surprised at how much the ph had dropped in one week. Ill be checking the ph daily and adjusting with baking soda...

[Fat Guy]

I agree, the pH swing is a problem, but so is your nitrites. You shouldn't have visible nitrites in an established tank. Nitrates, yes, nitrite no. The pH and the nitrites combined are definitely making her makeup run.....

[Tres]

The tank hasnt had time to fully establish itself.
Shes behaving a lot better now, but still spends some of her time looking really pissed at her reflection.
Im doing everything I can to improve the water conditions.

[Fat Guy]

Yeah, you're pretty much in a no win situation here with your ram in a tank with nitrites and pH swings. I would add some serious nutrient sponge plants, like hygro, water sprite, pennywort.... but your tank is small so....do you have any other tanks? if you can't put your ram in another established tank that you have, maybe you could pull the filter media from your established tank and put it in with the filter media in you non established tank.


In other words, it seems like you need to make friends with the nitrogen cycle, even though you have plants in your tank. You also need to watch your pH like a hawk. Find some way to make it constant.

Wait....just read more of you post.

It all depends on how much you love your fish. If I were you, I would do some water changes every other day, gradually stop the co2, raise the kH, let your ram acclimate in a less stressed out environment. Once you get a grip on your KH, add the co2, monitor your pH and watch your nitrites.

Your 10g is fine for two rams if you can control your water.

Am I making sense? Good luck

[Tres]

hehe..
Yes I am testing the water every day now.. the rams are perking up nicely in the 46 gallon tank, although not fully recovered yet.

Ill keep you posted