Bolivian/GBR Compatibility

[PNWaquarist]

I've had a breeding pair of GBRs for the past 11 months and will be soon down to a single GBR, as the female has been suffering from a series of tumor-like growths (cancer?) since June. It doesn't appear that she'll survive the weekend.

Anyway, I had planned on adding a Bolivian Ram to this community tank at some point and am wondering if a Bolivian would peacefully coexist with my single male GBR. I wouldn't necessarily think there'd be a problem, as both species are peaceful towards most tankmates and there would be no male/female cichlid pairs in the tank. But I don't know dwarf cichlids as well as some of you folks.

The tank is a biologically mature 29 gallon at 80-81 F, containing a couple large wads of Java Fern and couple of driftwood caves. In addition to the GBR, current stocking includes a BN Pleco, four Sterbai Corys, and about 15 tetras (mostly Black Neons and Rummys, with a few surviving Cardinals). It gets a 40% weekly WC and nitrate levels are consistently below 20 ppm.

 

[coralbandit]

First sorry on your female.
Lymphocystis is the GBR iridovirus.

I have seen many pictures of community tanks with both so would throw out the idea they should be fine IMO.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I have seen many pictures of community tanks with both so would throw out the idea they should be fine IMO.

Thanks.

First sorry on your female.
Lymphocystis is the GBR iridovirus.

Thanks also for pointing this out. I suspect that you're correct about lymphocystis. This ram suddenly developed this growth after I made the bad decision to let my house sitter feed my fish back in June. It took a few months for this growth to finally shrink.

Whatever has been ailing this fish seems to be unrelated, though. Her coloring began to change about a week ago and she got really dark and lethargic a few days ago. She's always "mouthed" more than her mate and I've always thought that it was a gill flukes or some other parasite. I've treated the tank with PraziPro a few times this year. She seemed better after the first treatment, but the others didn't seem to make much of a difference. The male is very colorful and has appeared to be in good health the whole time.

 

[coralbandit]

I have seen this breathing heavy behavior myself.
I called it "a GBR acting like a corie".
I have had a few that go that way.
Some hold on just fine but the appearance is concerning.
Others do fade fastly.
IMO(again no link but I do the GBR more then most) think the bottom sitting to be more a "dropsy" type indicator.
The fish will become a belly dragger and appear to be breathing heavy regardless of going no where.
I have only reversed this condition in one fish over years.
Can't say the ram lived more then a year more but it was without this behavior more importantly.
I will add that the issue I feel is 100% NOT CONTAGIOUS for other fish but more a strange affliction of the GBR.


I dosed these very rams with Prazi for over 4 months(the proper way) and it did not help with this issue.


Again if this is a viral issue there is nothing any of us can do.


If it is something else I am working on it?

Some how we haven't screwed up the Bolivians as much yet.....

 

[PNWaquarist]

Just euthanized the poor girl. She'd been hanging up near the top of the tank for most of the past 3-4 days (so perhaps the recent affliction was in part dropsy). She didn't even have the ability to quickly swim away from the net.

Mine did not belly-drag like a cory. Over most of the past 6 or so months, she acted normally but with the excessive "mouthing" and/or the lymphocystis.

This one was from a highly regarded breeder, not the LFS. Sometimes the better genes still aren't enough.

 

[coralbandit]

Just euthanized the poor girl. She'd been hanging up near the top of the tank for most of the past 3-4 days (so perhaps the recent affliction was in part dropsy). She didn't even have the ability to quickly swim away from the net.

Mine did not belly-drag like a cory. Over most of the past 6 or so months, she acted normally but with the excessive "mouthing" and/or the lymphocystis.

This one was from a highly regarded breeder, not the LFS. Sometimes the better genes still aren't enough.

Breeder Yunite ??

 

[PNWaquarist]

Breeder Yunite ??

Yep, that is the one.

 

[Brookster123]

Breeder Yunite ??

Yep, that is the one.

Don't feel too bad. I killed a female from him after 6 months or so. was yours kind of small?


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[PNWaquarist]

Don't feel too bad. I killed a female from him after 6 months or so. was yours kind of small?


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Can't say that I'll be crying myself to sleep this evening, but I do feel bad for her widower. They were a pretty tight pair.

She was a little over a year old and a little under 2" long. The male is about the same age and a good 2.5".

 

[coralbandit]

Can't say that I'll be crying myself to sleep this evening, but I do feel bad for her widower. They were a pretty tight pair.

She was a little over a year old and a little under 2" long. The male is about the same age and a good 2.5".

I have some Yunite stock in my lines.
The symptoms sounded familiar besides the top hanging.
My fish of issue seem to hang on the bottom.

I don't think it is all on the breeder,at least not Yunite.
They sent me what I expected.
I just euthanized one of my retired stock(to the 180g) for rapid development of cyst/tumors.
Fish seemed fine for time I noted but to lose such a fish and have it scavenged by others is a nightmare in the making IMO.

Is age of fish time with you alone or accounting for age before purchase?

 

[PNWaquarist]

I don't think it is all on the breeder,at least not Yunite.
They sent me what I expected.

Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't necessarily expect GBRs from a good breeder like Yunite to live more than a couple of years anyway. GBRs aren't exactly Clown Plecos.

Is age of fish time with you alone or accounting for age before purchase?

When I purchased this pair last December, they were about 3 months old. So, the female lived a little over a year. If the male makes it another year, I won't feel like a victim of bad luck.

 

[coralbandit]

Thanks for sharing info.
These are tough fish for so may of us.

 

[Brookster123]

I wasn't knocking him, he was a pleasure to deal with and I'm 86.98767% sure it was my doings that did her in!

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[KKAY27]

I had a male Bolivan and two female Gbr together and it was ok but I had a male GBR and bolivan in a 29 heavily planted and it did not go well the Gbr chased my bolivan I had to leave and when I came back I was going to seperate them and my bolivan was no where to be found!!!! I guess he chased him out of the tank but I never found him?! NOW all holes are covered!!!!!!!

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[PNWaquarist]

I had a male Bolivan and two female Gbr together and it was ok but I had a male GBR and bolivan in a 29 heavily planted and it did not go well the Gbr chased my bolivan I had to leave and when I came back I was going to seperate them and my bolivan was no where to be found!!!! I guess he chased him out of the tank but I never found him?! NOW all holes are covered!!!!!!!

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Yikes, sorry to hear that.



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