GBR-electric blue male sitting on tank bottom?

[Finney]

Looking for some thoughts/insights

Male GBR I have had him for 9 months, always healthy and the Alpha of the tank.

• Currently sitting on bottom of tank on his belly, not on his side, behaving kind of like a cory cat.
• Still interested in eating
• will chase others away from his space/food but stays on his belly or "hops" up a bit to flair and then back to his belly

Tank:

Established Oct 2014
20 g high
Whisper EX 30 and EX 45-extra sponge & floss media w/purigen bags in each filter
4 GBR (2 pair)
4 corydoras habrosas
7 rummy nose tetras
1 raphael catfish (5 inches)
1 pleco (5 inches)

PH 6.0
KH 0
nitrite 0
ammonia now at .25 had gone up to 1.0 (I think I over cleaned the filters and got a spike, usually at 0)
NitrAte 15

I have done a couple water changes and treated with prime

He is the only fish acting ill,

I have had him the longest and would like to keep him if I can,

Any thoughts anyone???

 

[abrooks12376]

Ime this would be the end of the road for a gbr. Once they start scooting there's not much that can be done. Could simply be constipated, look bloated at all?

 

[Finney]

not bloated at this point, no bulging eyes. Is this "scooting" behavior something you've seen before then? any idea what is behind it?

I have only had gbr's this year starting w/him. I have had 3 females die over this year but they did not act like this; eyes bulged, swelled up, hung at the top then pine coned & nothing I did helped them. Also it has been 3-4 months since last female died.

 

[gerald]

It might be some genetic defect that has begun interfering with gas-bladder control (other recent posts here talked about high mortality in juvenile electric blue rams), or diet-related issues messing up the bladder control, or a slow-growing infection of some sort. Your other rams that bloated and died most likely had bacterial infections, but there's no way to tell if the infection was the underlying cause, or just an opportunistic infection attacking a fish already afflicted by something else.

 

[deliriouz]

Welcome to the finicky world of blue rams. Multiply the finicky by two for electrics. Have been breeding them for a number of years now. They are frustrating as adult and juvenile fish can look great one day and then be surface breeding the next to dead in a week ala ram sudden death syndrome. While I have not had a swim bladder issue like yours, most ram problems never recover. I would try fasting the fish for a day or two as occasionally swim bladder may be due to constipation, maybe even add some Epsom salt.

 

[Vlad]

Are these problems less typical for tank raised GBRs versus farm raised or pretty much the same?

 

[Finney]

He did die a while back now, tho he stuck around for quite a while like that. Of course as soon as I tried to put him in isolation to make it easier to feed him he died. I have never had any luck turning a sick fish around.

I still have 3 GBRs 1 male 2 female so any info is still appreciated