Gas Problem? Freak Disease? Bolivian Ram Our of Gas?

[NSP]

Hi All!

For the most part, my tank has been doing very well for the past
while.

Most of the fish are healthy and are behaving normally.

The exception is my female Bolivian Ram.

I originally had 2 Bolivian Rams.

The male was active, then he became lethargic, sitting on the gravel.
He would have cycles of being active and then lethargic. What struck
me was when he was active, his swimming pattern seemed odd. The best
way to describe it was he had to work hard to gain altitude in the
water - like a hot air balloon without the power to warm the air.

He died.

The female Bolivian Ram was relatively healthy compared to the male,
but she then started exhibiting the exact same pattern. She's now
sitting on the gravel like the male did.

None of the other fish are doing this and they are all healthy
looking.

Water quality is good - what would cause this?


Regards,
Neil

[Polarhound]

NSP wrote:

> Water quality is good - what would cause this?

bloated swim bladder.

How has their feeding habits been? Very often, abstaining from feedings
for a few days will help it to correct the problem on it's own.

[luminos]

Old age?

[Bruce Abrams]

I had exactly the same problem with a pair of Bolivians. As they were fully
grown when I purchased, I wrote it off to old age, especially since the rest
of the tank is (knock wood) perhaps the healthiest I've ever had.

"NSP" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi All!
>
> For the most part, my tank has been doing very well for the past
> while.
>
> Most of the fish are healthy and are behaving normally.
>
> The exception is my female Bolivian Ram.
>
> I originally had 2 Bolivian Rams.
>
> The male was active, then he became lethargic, sitting on the gravel.
> He would have cycles of being active and then lethargic. What struck
> me was when he was active, his swimming pattern seemed odd. The best
> way to describe it was he had to work hard to gain altitude in the
> water - like a hot air balloon without the power to warm the air.
>
> He died.
>
> The female Bolivian Ram was relatively healthy compared to the male,
> but she then started exhibiting the exact same pattern. She's now
> sitting on the gravel like the male did.
>
> None of the other fish are doing this and they are all healthy
> looking.
>
> Water quality is good - what would cause this?
>
>
> Regards,
> Neil