try feeding them color enhancing food. no way to tell how long it will take. also possible that they won't regain their color.
Nothing should ever be fed color enhancing foods IMO... If you use a natural &, excellent food like; New Life Spectrum pellets or Omega One freshwater flakes (non cooler enhancing form) they will color up just as well but naturally! Frozen Foods will also help them and make them really happy so there's no need for those added additives!
But if it's a good tank, you give them proper care and food, proper parameters and tank mates, etc.... You should start to see a difference in color within a week!
I agree... Don't feed those foods that use chemicals to "enhance" fish's colors. Feed them good quality food with lots of variety. I like to alternate every other day with omega one flakes and one of my frozen foods (bloodworms, brine shrimp, glass worms, and daphnia). Bloodworms especially get their colors bright and they love them, but don't feed it to them every day. It'd be like us eating steak every day! On days I feed frozen food I also feed cooked de-shelled peas too.
Clean water is probably even MORE important than food though when it comes to health and bright colors (healthy happy fish= colorful fish). Make sure your tank is cycled, and you do your weekly water changes and gravel vacuuming.
It's perfectly normal for fish to be stressed after you first bring them home because they're still adjusting to their new tank and tankmates. But if you do these things, they should be back to their normal colors within a couple days.
I'm not sure how colorful Bolivian rams actually get though. All the ones I've seen that hobbyist own are about the same as yours. The only super colorful ones I've seen were on google images, and you never know if the picture was photoshopped or if the fish was fed hormones to enhance color. German blue rams tend to be a more colorful ram species, but are more delicate.
Nothing should ever be fed color enhancing foods IMO... If you use a natural &, excellent food like; New Life Spectrum pellets or Omega One freshwater flakes (non cooler enhancing form) they will color up just as well but naturally! Frozen Foods will also help them and make them really happy so there's no need for those added additives!
But if it's a good tank, you give them proper care and food, proper parameters and tank mates, etc.... You should start to see a difference in color within a week!
You do realize that even NLS offers a color enhancing formula, right? It's to bring out the reds in fish......
That would suck if they never regained their color. Right now they kind of blend in with my gravel. I picked this type for their color.
I wouldn't of bought Bolivian Rams for colour. You'd buy them for their hardyness and placid nature. Ideal for someone with a smallish tank who doesn't want to make risky purchases. They'd probably have normal community fish with lots of colour and they want a cichlid for a bit of personality. Similar with Keyholes, except BR's are even more placid and easy.
GBR are much more colourful but also virtually impossible to keep alive for very long.
I just bought one (a BR) for my peaceful tank and likewise its pretty grey at the moment. I thought i'd have room for 1 more small cichlid that wouldn't rock the boat with the ones i already have in there.
apistogramma cichlids are very colorful. here's a pic of my double orange. i also have a bolivian ram and once yours settles in, the color will improve although they aren't as showy as some of the cichlids. however mine is about 4 inches long and very gentle so he makes a great addition to community tank.
it is south american. as you know it's important not to mix south american and african cichlids. sa's are peaceful for the most part and africans are aggressive for the most part. they won't make good tank mates.
what sa's do you have? i have golden rams, blue rams, dwarf gourami's and double orange apisto and also salvini.
what sa's do you have? i have golden rams, blue rams, dwarf gourami's and double orange apisto and also salvini.