Balloon Ram Tragedy!

[inostrancevia]

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Majority of the hobbiest that i know who obtained this new variety have been disappointed because all of there specimens have died a day or two after they purchased it. One of the hobbiest that i know is extremely upset, because after the balloon ram died it has left a disease that killed almost every inhabitants of his tank. The disease is nothing that me and my friends can explain, it is neither fungal nor bacterial, its not even protozoal and its not even organic poisoning...!? We have done everything that we can think of but still the fish are dying, all of this happened after the balloon ram entered the tank!?

[Generals]

unsay mga symptomsa sa rams bro?
what about the other fishes?

[zerk]

sorry for your loss

kun sa american pa na... naa na sila quarantine tank. That's why I usually buy fishes that's been in the shop for quite a while na... unless barato kaayo like sa whitegold.. im willing to take the risk. kay if bilin for pila ka days.. taypats sa WGC.

[dingo spike]

Naka suway pud kog 3 ka balloon rams, but they all died 4 days after i bought them. I was a little confused because they were all eating well, they have even established their owm terretories in my planted tank, but they just died all of a sudden, Swerte lang akong tank kay wa nabilini ug sakit.

[inostrancevia]

unsay mga symptomsa sa rams bro?
what about the other fishes?

Actually my friend's Balloon Rams have developed clamped fins a few hours after they entered the tank. Proper fish introduction was taken into account but the balloon rams werent that happy, we already expected that they won't last long... and so they disappeared and then we found them dead... hidden amongst the plants, and thats when the other inhabitants starts dying.... Some displayed weird behaviors like swimming normally and then its dead, some would display their brilliant coloration right before they die... partial water changes and medications has been carried out but their still dying. My friend has been in this hobby for years this is the first time that he encountered something like this

here are the names of the dead ones:

Hujeta Pike Characins
Rasbora Espies
Cardinal tetras
Rummy noses
Hillstream loaches
spotted blue eyes
platinum angel fish
halfmoon betta

So its really a frustrating and expensive experience.......


A friend to told me that Balloon Rams are natural mutated form that does rarely exist in the wild just like balloon mollies and balloon bettas. Breeders have collected them and was able to breed them, however, it has a reputation of having half or less lifespan than that of the natural form but it is very prolific that it can be bred easily. Unfortunately, there is a risk that there genes may be passed to the next generations of the original form since they will interbreed with the normal rams.

[Soggy2]

I got them balloon rams too. one of two died but the other one is quite active and its been more than a week now. My other tank inhabitants are also fine.

were your fishes gasping for air at the water's surface?

[Spirulina]

hala buanga ana ui ! maygali walai pleco nadamay sa iyang mga isda... mga mahal na iyang mga isda na imong gilista? tagpilahon sad nah?

[inostrancevia]

I got them balloon rams too. one of two died but the other one is quite active and its been more than a week now. My other tank inhabitants are also fine.

were your fishes gasping for air at the water's surface?

Thats the weird thing, they all look normal no gasping, scratching, lying on the tank bottom and no loss of appetite. There are no visible signs that they are sick...... they just die abruptly! they do show some difficulties but only for a very short time. The angel fish was pouting their mouths before they died and the pike characins just died on the surface, the other inhabitants was retrieved adhering to the plants and behind the rocks and drift woods

[Allister]

pls pm me where you bought your rams. thanks. para i wont buy from the same place. kanang rams, are they cichlids or they can just be mixed with fishes in a planted tank?

[inostrancevia]

pls pm me where you bought your rams. thanks. para i wont buy from the same place. kanang rams, are they cichlids or they can just be mixed with fishes in a planted tank?

Yes Rams are cichlids, they are considered peaceful, they become relatively aggressive when breeding. They are a good addition to your planted tank as long as your tank is not too small, since they display the same terretorial behaviour as other american cichlids do, but their not that destructive. What I bought was the Balloon Blue Ram, I will send you a private message regarding your other question.