mini blue ram

Question
hello i have two mini blue rams, and one of them it seems like its eye has blood or is red, and i feel like it didnt look like that before....do you think she/he can be sick?? like could it be a symptom of something???? cause the other rams eyes are not like that...

also how many times do i clean out my 38 gallon tank? I havent changed the water in over a month....i need to get a vaccuum first to clean the gravel, but since i dont have that should i atleast do like half a water change or something? please get back to me im worried about my mini ram. thank you!
S

Answer
Hi S
I'm surprised your rams are still alive :)  They're a very sensitive fish, I've had no luck with them in the past and finally gave up.  You should be doing weekly water changes, of at least 25% along with a good gravel vac weekly.  I would go ahead and do a partial water change now, and pick up the gravel vacuum as soon as you can, and change the water again with that.  I would also recommend picking up a good test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, and ph.  Ammonia and nitrites should be reading 0 ppm, and ideally your nitrates under 20 ppm.  

For the eye problem, if it wasn't like that before, and it's only 1 eye that's affected, my guess would be it's probably an infection.  Without knowing what you're water parameters(ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) readings are, hard to say if it's from that.  Sometimes just doing frequent water changes can help.  Are there any other symptoms?  Any red spots, streaks on the body or tail/fins?  Sunken belly?  Is it eating?

Christy