Bolivian Ram in 29 gal

[rjs2115]

I have a couple questions, regarding adding Bolivian Rams to my 29 gallon.
Currently have 6 black skirt tetra and 2 platies. Thank tank has a couple plants, as well as multiple rock formations/caves, for hiding and claiming.

1) will Bolivian Rams be okay with these community fish?
2) If so, do I add a pair of Rams, a single male, 2 femals and a male, etc?

Thanks for the help and suggestions!

 

[bsantucci]

I have a couple questions, regarding adding Bolivian Rams to my 29 gallon.
Currently have 6 black skirt tetra and 2 platies. Thank tank has a couple plants, as well as multiple rock formations/caves, for hiding and claiming.

1) will Bolivian Rams be okay with these community fish?
2) If so, do I add a pair of Rams, a single male, 2 femals and a male, etc?

Thanks for the help and suggestions!

I don't think you'd have any issues with that stocking. My rams are perfectly peaceful with guppies, danios, peacock gudgeons and cories. They squable with each other during feeding time, but nothing major.

I have a male and female that I'm hoping eventually pair up, but sometimes they do not. It's easier to get a paired couple if you can pick them out from the LFS or a breeder. You can probably get away with 3 rams if you have enough hiding areas to break up line of site, but if you have 2 that pair and a third female they may end up killing the female from what I've seen and read. I think it would be best to rehome the unpaired female if you do end up with a pair.

 

[rjs2115]

Thanks for the reply and input!
Do you think a single male would be unhappy? Do they need companions or are they ok solo?
Also, are blue rams much more difficult to keep? It seems that Bolivian Rams are the better fit, for community tanks.

Thanks!

 

[bsantucci]

A single would be fine, it wouldn't be lonely. Blue rams I wouldn't say are harder to keep, but they require a more established tank and certain parameters to be maintained to thrive. If this is your first jump to dwarf cichlids I'd start with the Bolivian. The blues are more colorful, but the Bolivians are gorgeous too and have great personalities.

 

[rjs2115]

Yeah this is my first try at a cichlid, so I think I'll give the Bolivian a go.

Thanks for the help!

 

[bsantucci]

No problem. Word of advise, make sure you thoroughly check what you buy for health and quarantine if you can. I got 2 rams from a store knowing nothing really and put them in my main tank. They had camallanus worms and it took me 6 weeks or so to get rid of them and I lost my first male. The female survived and my tank is worm free, but it's something to look for. The worms if mature are visible through the anus of the fish. They look like red bristles. I've seen a lot at my local Petsmarts and Petcos with these worms now that I know what to look for.

 

[rjs2115]

oh yikes. Thank you so much for that heads up. Appreciate it!
It is kinda scary when you walk into a petsmart or similar store and it's a 16 year old girl running the fish section. Kinda makes you wonder how well they take care of the fish.

 

[bsantucci]

Sure is, sad to say and I feel bad not supporting LFS near me, but they are all dumps. I only buy online now from reputable sources/breeders. I've had great success so far doing that.

 

[rjs2115]

I thought about ordering online. I guess it's a reputable and proven system, but it's just seems odd to order live fish and have them shipped. I think that is just something I need to get my head around, because people do it every day.
What sites do you suggest?

 

[bsantucci]

Yeah, just think of it this way, how do the fish get to the stores? shipped! haha.

I've used Liveaquaria.com for a few fish and snails. They are a bit more than others, but they ship very good with hot or cold packs and packed perfect. I bought my apistos from a breeder directly.

Aquabid.com is very good too for buying from breeders. It's like ebay for fish and you can look at the reviews of the breeders.

 

[rjs2115]

Thanks for all your help and info!!

 

[rjs2115]

Sorry, one last question.
Do rams need live plants or do they just need something to hide in...real or fake?

 

[bsantucci]

They don't need live, but they'd appreciate them. They really just need more cover. They are not cave dwellers like other cichlids. I have a planted tank with some bridge type setups and they like to go under them and in and out of the plants.

 

[rjs2115]

Yeah I have a couple rock structures that they can go in and I have several fake plants. I only have one real plant right now...but I don't know how well it's doing. It's only been in there for a few days.

 

[bsantucci]

should be fine as long as they are situated in such a way that the line of site can be broken up in case they do not get along (2 rams that is). My rams do not go after any other fish in my tank aside from each other.