Impulse buy - am I sTuPId?

f8fan

f8fan

MFT Staff
#1
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#1
Well, I walked into the LFS. With danios on my mind, and my little speech prepared to ask them if they would take my white skirt tetras for "trade" someday.

Then.




I saw it.




IT!



Hardly ever see "IT" where I live, only one other time, and IT wasn't for sale - only for viewing. I knew, I had to have IT. My mind quickly ran though compatibility and space equations looking for a loophole or some sort sign from the aquarium gods, that I COULD PURCHASE "IT".

And purchase IT, I did.

I am now the owner of a beautiful German Blue Ram!!!!!! I love it! It is so spectacular. I don't know what gives, but for some reason they are never available up here in Maine.

OK, so...*bites nails*....lemme have it, was I stupid to buy it? I currently have in the 55 gallon tank (along with IT):
- 6 White Skirt tetras (heh heh, not for long tho! They are willing to take them in trade and I'm gonna take them up on it)
- 20 or so assorted danios
- African Butterfly Fish
- Red Tailed Black Shark
- Three pristella tetras
- Three cory cats
- An Angelfish
- A Striatta Loach
- Pair of kribs, and...shamefully...(as I am sure this will play into the aggression factor if there is one...15 or so two day old krib fry....)

I acclimated him/her? for an hour, floating it in a container and adding a bit of tank water every 15 mins. It is breathing heavy - but I have read that they sometimes get all stressed out with new surroundings and takes them a while to become happy.

Was this a stupid move on my part? Is this little guy doomed to bullying by my pair of kribs? Should I have just bought a new plastic plant and kept on a going?

Or....should I get another one when I trade in my white skirt tetras.... :D
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#3
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
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38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#3
Sounds like you will be ok. Watch that pair of kirbs and the shark (not sure about the sharks....heard they can get a bit rowdy? And they stay near the bottem?)

Before getting another see how your kribs and other fish react to it.

If you have an extra 20gal laying around......;)
 

seastaar88

seastaar88

Superstar Fish
#4
Feb 1, 2004
1,705
1
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43
middletown, CT
#4
i would have done the same thing, lol, i used to be a sucker for impulse buys until i left tropicals for natives. there are days wehre i see spectacular specimens at the LFS and am sometimes THIS close to buy a new setup just to have them LOL. you'll have to post pics of your new fish!
 

f8fan

f8fan

MFT Staff
#5
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
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Bangor, Maine
#5
Yeah, the RT Sharks have a nasty reputation of being aggressive, bullying, tough SOB's, but mine is almost three years old, fully grown, and since he has been in the 55 gallon (8 mos) he minds his own business. He is really quite a placid little guy (*knock on wood*). He keeps to himself and just scurries around, cleaning up leftover food, and munches on algae on the tank walls. I hope he stays that way!
The ones I am most afraid of, are the kribs. They, without a doubt, are the self-proclaimed "bosses" of the tank, especially when they have babies. (like, right now) They don't take any guff from anyone.
I am hoping that I didn't make an idiot move. The rams are just so fascinating to me, I was like a bee drawn to honey :). I couldn't help myself.

Sidenote, I am trying something new for food for the kribs babies. I bought the "San Francisco Bay Brand Shrimpery" BBS hatchery. I'm gonna see if maybe THIS time, my krib's spawn will live by feeding it the right things. Also bought some fry food.

Ok, so the Ram is jetting around, checking things out, but he is still breathing heavy (his mouth looks like this:
without the director cone, get the idea???)
Normal?
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#6
Feb 10, 2003
5,803
3
38
Kentucky
www.thefishcave.net
#6
I too would be a little wary of the kirbs. Time will ultimatley tell though.

When mine were in my three foot tank with a brood, they took a good 3/4 for themselves, keeping everyone else in the other part. But for those who didn't venture into their tertory, they didn't bother them.

I'd give the ram about 24 or so hours to start to get used to your tank.
 

f8fan

f8fan

MFT Staff
#7
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#7
Well. The aquarium gods answered me alright...this morning my ram was stuck to the filter! Man.....I have the worst luck.
Must be something about my water it didnt agree with - I totally acclimated him/her, and it just never stopped breathing heavy. Wonder what I did wrong??? :(
 

f8fan

f8fan

MFT Staff
#10
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#10
FroggyFox said:
Sorry to hear it chica. Might have just been really stressed out...do you know how long he was at the store before you bought him?
Click to expand...
Nope but I'll find out tonight, I'm gonna bring my white skirt tetras in for a trade. And wish I'd kept the ram instead of sending down the porcelin water slide cos I'd see if I could get my seven bucks back :(
Oh well!
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#12
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
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38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#12
Well. The aquarium gods answered me alright...this morning my ram was stuck to the filter! Man.....I have the worst luck.
Must be something about my water it didnt agree with - I totally acclimated him/her, and it just never stopped breathing heavy. Wonder what I did wrong???
Click to expand...
Every time i've ever owned a ram, the same thing happened to them. I just can't keep them. Discus are easy....rams are hard as heck!
 

f8fan

f8fan

MFT Staff
#13
Nov 19, 2004
1,765
8
38
Bangor, Maine
#13
Firebug said:
Ah.. :( I'm sorry, Kelly! :( It was love at first sight, too. Any idea what your pH was? I think they like it when they are low. Rams are very delicate fish.
Click to expand...
My PH runs pretty low, it's usually 6.8 or so. And its very soft water. :(.
Oh well at least I am gonna find new homes for my tetras. I'll just spend that $$ on leopard gecko stuff for my nephew :)

And C-man, I feel better after reading your post about the difficulty with Rams. I thought it was me, and something I did wrong.

Oh well. Perhaps that is why they are so rarely sold up here - our water isn't condusive to "Ram-ing" ;)
 

F

Firebug

Large Fish
#14
Jun 15, 2004
841
6
0
Colorado
#14
Gee, but your water seemed soft enough for them! I managed to keep mine alive for a few months, but if they weren't sick, they were bullying the other ram! A lot of people have a hard time keeping rams.:)
 

straitjacket

straitjacket

Large Fish
#15
Mar 21, 2004
495
2
0
Los Angeles, CA
www.freewebs.com
#15
Same problem but oddly enough, only with the blues. I bought 2 golds a good 9 months ago and the smaller of the two (both male) has a little eye problem due to the constant bullying from the larger but other than that they've been peachy even in water as hard and alkaline as mine.
A few months after I bought the golds my bf gave me some blues,3 males and 1 female. They had a bad internal parasite infestation. The female died right off and the last male, after finally growing some, colouring up, rounding out and looking as though he'd finally come into the clear died yesterday.
Last week thinking I had all these males and no females I'd buy one. She lasted 3 or 4 days, wouldn't stop breathing heavy just like you described (and she had been placed in a tank that wasn't as hard as the others, pH around 7.3 - 7.4) and died.
The 2 golds are fine though. Couldn't imagine why. I asked the guy at the lfs if he'd ever get more golds in and he said he wouldn't think he would any time soon. He mentioned being hesitant of buying them when so many die off.
I guess I'll never be able to breed these little beauties.
I won't cry over it though. I've got Bolivians and IMO they're just as cute, maybe not as colourful but hardier and easier to care for *thumbsups .
 

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