Killer female ram

blue_ram

Large Fish
Jun 21, 2008
516
0
0
Florida
#1
One of my pairs of rams were put into quarantine (10g) because the male had white stuff all over his head and his eye was beginnign to puff out. I dosed them in meth blue for 3 days and started tetracylcine. I think it was fungus growing on a wound.

The male started getting better and him and his girlfriend were swimming aroudn the tank hapily.

Last nigth, her egg tube was showing and she apprantly was looking for a place to spawn. He left her alone and watched from a few inches away.

I turned off the light to go to sleep and she started attacking him in his eye that was injuured. I turned the light on and she stopped. I turned the light back off a half hour later and she started attackign his eye again. He didn't fight back and was desperately trying to get away. I took her out and put her back in the 40, but he is in really bad shape now. His eye is half out the socket and looks very puffy.

I dosed the tank again with tetracycline and will keep it up until he gets better.

What would cause her to attack him when the lights went off. She went straight for the eye and continued to go after it.

I presume this pair will never be together again, they had spawned 3 times already and were such a happy couple.
 

blue_ram

Large Fish
Jun 21, 2008
516
0
0
Florida
#3
Survival of the fittest? That's uncommon behavior for a female ram that's for sure, but it just shows why you need to separate sick fish from healthy ones.
I guess so, I fugured he looked injured, like a big sratch acros his forehead from eye to eye, but otherwise in good shape swimming actively and eating very well. I didn't want to break up the pair. I am wondering if she did the damage to him in the first place.

His eye is back in the socket now and I can see his eye now so hopefully he will be ok. His depth perception seems to be off quite a bit as he aims at food and misses it by half an inch.

Amazing how she went right after his weak spot. I saw a tiger barb do that to an angel fish at the petstore and my GF demanded they remove the barb which they did.