Was it me??

[smb7676]

Ok here is my run down. 2 m and F Ram in with 4 tetra (ember) and 1 otto cat. in my 10 gal ( I know its on the small side but I stay on top of water changes and such and there is a ton of space to hide and swim) Fish added 2month ago.

Ok things were really going well. Both rams were healthy and they spawned a bunch of times but never hatched,( due to a couple different things) Last night I notice my girl isn't looking to hot, nothing "wrong " with her to the eye but she was off. checked a couple times last night still odd but doing ok. Feed them she ate. Today she seemed worse, checked water things good did a small water change, even though I did one on Tues. Afternoon she was swiming kinda tipsy diagonalish if that makes since. Tonight its RIP Daisy.

Was it a swim bladder thing ? Could I of Helped it ??? I feel really bad so if I didn't do something I should of just tell me nice. no salt in the wound, this is really the 1st fish I've lost that I really really was attached to !!!
Now poor Duke is lost he keeps looking for her. She had a weird black markingabove her eye that made her look a bit streetwalkerish she was little but she was a sassy.

 

[parker313]

Well, rams are really sensitive fish. Everything has to be pristine for them to thrive. Unfortunately, a 10g is really too small for even just a pair of rams to be happy. Unfortunately, too often, the stress of being in such close proximity to each other can weaken them and leave them more prone to dying

This is exactly why we recommend that a pair of rams not be kept in anything smaller than a 20 long

 

[smb7676]

I know that 10 is small but with that said I talked to a few people on TFF that agreed that if I stayed right on top of things it would be okay. I have a bunch of plants in the back, area in front to swim a bit of current and a couple "cave" for each. I keep Ph right where it should be no change and temp steady.I do water changes all the time. The female was never harassed due to the hiding places I made for them sometimes I couldn't find her when she was haging out in the plants. I also have lights on for the same time each day and feed a small bit 2 a day and I vary the diet, from flake, tablet, brine shrimp, and krill crunched up. So with that said do you feel that the swimming funny and doing tail stands sound like it could of been swim bladder problems?

 

[freddyk]

I know that 10 is small but with that said I talked to a few people on TFF that agreed that if I stayed right on top of things it would be okay

Unfortunately people see a small fish and assume they can go into a small tank with water quality as the only issue, but this isn't the case. Cichlids demand more then this. They need space for territory, space to get away from their partner if they desire (what parker is referring to as proximity) and in general room to live.

The loss of swimming control happens to dying fish of many causes, including aggression - it's impossible to say what she died of.

The fact is sometimes we lose fish and can't track down the cause. It's not worth getting yourself into a tangle over. If you really want to provide a good home to your future cichlids though, consider investing in a larger tank - a 20 Long is an excellent size that is still very managable and affordable.

 

[Ben]

it wasn't you, it was the tank you put them in

daisy

DD

 

[Apache]

I have two pair in my 75 gallon and I consider this the bare minimum for them to thrive.

A pair in a ten gallon and the pair would just be surviving.

G