Most fish can be aclimated, but Rams seem to need more TLC during
aclimation.

Dave, right on the money there. I would even go as far as acclimating them
as do the marine guys. A long and tedious process but the fish will benefit
greatly.

Red, you need to assess the state of your LFS's tanks. I would say the
biggest culprit would be water quality. The rams probably go into osmotic
shock and then over the next few days/weeks slowly dwindle away. In my my
part of the woods Rams are pretty expensive so acclimating them slowly was
the way to go for me. You could also try Bolivian Rams, not as colourful but
also an equally wonderful fish. I bought 6 and one died ;( The rest are
thriving in my tank, a much hardier species IMO. hth
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**