Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Health => Topic started by: Peterhill26 on November 12, 2016, 02:09:45 PM
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I have had 2 Golden Rams and both died the same way one about 3 months ago and the other is very much the same as the first one that died. Both of them have a blown up belly what could this be? Blockage or is it Swim Bladder
They borth about 6 months old but the first one only lasted about 3 months is this a common problem ?
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Unfortunately, yes it is. All the colours and body/fin shapes of Mikrogeophagus ramirezi can be delicate fish. I have never been able to keep them longer than a couple of months.
Wild rams need soft acid water and a temperature in the upper 20s C. Although commercially bred rams are more tolerant of conditions, if the breeder used a wild fish in the line only a generation or two ago (in order to widen the gene pool) these fish are more like their wild ancestors regards requirements.
Can I ask, how hard or soft is your water, and what is the pH? And what is the temperature of the tank? If they are quite a way outside the parameters I listed above, that could be the cause of the deaths.
But if the parameters are OK it could be that the fish in the shop were not in perfect health. The gold variety is quite inbred to obtain that colour, and inbreeding does 'concentrate' weaknesses in the line.
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Also what were you feeding them? They really need a varied diet including some plant matter.
Were they as colourful as you would have hoped?
Did they 'get on' with each other in the tank?