Sick Ram

Ah Mary, it certainly doesn't look well does it? It is a shame you cant seperate it from the others, that's all I can think of suggesting, but I am hardly the most knowledgeable as you know.

I hope it's ok.

Have you moved them recently Mary, or changed anything in the tank? He/she certainly looks miserable does she, poor little thing.

If you cant q it, then I guess all you can do is wait and see. What other fish do you have - there couldn't be bullying or anything like that going on could there?

Sorry I dont have any answers for you.

Sorry to hear about Nancy, Mary. She is looking under the weather. Is there any way you can wedge a makeshift divider in the tank, all i can think of really.
Would it be any easier to put Sid in quarantine for a few days & see if Nancy perks up? Just thinking he might be easier to catch if he's active..... :?:

Thanks guys.

Well Diana as I said, this Ram hasn't really looked right from day one and the only new event in the tank was adding the Cherry Barbs and Peckoltia plec last week but I don't think that would have a major effect.

Anyway, at feeding time, the Ram ventured out but was struggling to swim so I netted it and transferred it to a Q tank. As there are no external symptoms, I'm assuming that whatever is wrong with it, is internal so I'm treating it with Interpet No. 9 and fish wormer (the now unlicensed Flubenol but I was lucky enough to get a batch of it before it was withdrawn from sale). I don't hold out much hope for the little guy/gal though...

Well done in getting her in the q tank.. it's a waiting game now i suppose. Good luck

I really hope she gets better Mary, she's a lovely little fish.

Well I'm a lot happier now that I've been able to give it some meds. but IME once a fish reaches the listless, non-responsive stage, it's not long for this world...but you never know.

Well Mary, you never know. We had a yellow lab that lay on her side in the rocks... she didnt eat for about 21 days. If any other fish bumped her, she'd barely manage to swim back & wedge herself in a rock. We thought about euthanasia & decided to leave her.
Then we had all the problems & lost the 3 Ngara so started adding Octozin. The following day she started to swim around & eat. Now she's as mad as the others

Well that's comforting to know, M.C. That's what the Ram's doing now - just lying on the bottom of the Q tank, looking very sad. What was the Octozin for?

Might be worth a shot. Who makes it?

Here's a link.. it's Waterllife

Hope your fish is doin a bit better Mary

How is it today Mary, any better?

Try Octozin, or it could be the 'male' being boisterous and picking on her! (happened to mine) Get well soon Nancy!

Well sad to say, the Ram died yesterday morning. Poor little thing - not a mark on it except for a reddish streak at the base of one fin. Wish I knew what it died of.

Btw, M.C., do you think the other Bolivian Ram will be ok on its own 'coz I don't think I'll replace the one that died?

Ah, that's a shame Mary, lovely little fish too.

It was and now I've noticed that the smaller of the Blue Rams isn't looking the Mae West. Oh crikey, I hope there isn't something nasty lurking in the tank that's just going to pick off the fish one by one...

Sorry to hear about Nancy, Mary. I had a similar thing with my gold rams a while back if you remember.. i decided not to replace the female & my 1 remaining male seems fine by himself. He swims around with the kribs

Thanks M.C. That's what I'm hoping...

Sorry to hear that! Sounds like what happened to both of mine, i think its sexual bullying

Somehow I doubt if that caused the Ram to waste away...

Like I said, I'd never noticed the larger Ram bullying the smaller one. In fact, the smaller one used to just follow the larger one around until it fell ill.

I reckon it already had something lurking Mary & maybe a little stress has just made it weaker. It's awful but as you know, sometimes the smallest thing can trigger a weakness.

Oh, that just sounds a bit patronising but you know what i mean :lol:

I do indeed. Like I said in my OP, I think this little Ram was sick from day one so I'm amazed that it lasted six months. It's possible that the recent additions of the zippy cherry barbs just tipped it over the edge as it was such a quiet little fish.