German Rams and Bolivian Rams together

[oscarbuffalo]

I had two German rams, but one died after a week. The other one is doing fine, but appears to be lonely. She had spent all of her time with the other Ram. The only other tank mates are Furcata Rainbows, which are to fast for her to interact with, and a young clown peco, which doesn't move from his driftwood. I have considered adding a bolivian Ram to keep her company. I do not want another German Ram because they so often die randomly. What is your opinion on bolivian rams and german rams.

 

[mike gergley]

German rams like much warmer water than the Bolivian rams, so I don't think it would be a good idea to keep them in the same tank

 

[NYgiantsRP]

What size is the tank?

 

[oscarbuffalo]

20 gallon planted

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[NYgiantsRP]

You can try it. It may not work, but if you really want to try it it's worth it. I don't know why the other ram would die. Was the tank cycled? Do you do weekly water changes? How long was this tank established?

 

[oscarbuffalo]

It was cycled and the water conditions were perfect.

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[oscarbuffalo]

If I were to add a Bolivian ram, should I add a male, female or 2 female? I adding a male and female could lead to aggression.

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[NYgiantsRP]

Definitely only 1. 2 would make 3 rams in total and that's too many for a 20g tank. Even the one Bolivian (making 2 total) might be too many. I personally would only keep 1 ram in a 20g, unless they were a mating pair. When you talk about the two blue rams you had are you 100% they were m/f? When you say that she spent all her time with the other ram...was there any aggression going on? Sometimes if its two males one will dominate and the one being bullied will have dull colors and look bad, so people will mistaken it for a female.

 

[oscarbuffalo]

There was no aggression and one had a pink belly while the other did not. Also if I got a Bolivian should I do a male or female.

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[gilpi]

Definitely only 1. 2 would make 3 rams in total and that's too many for a 20g tank. Even the one Bolivian (making 2 total) might be too many. I personally would only keep 1 ram in a 20g, unless they were a mating pair. When you talk about the two blue rams you had are you 100% they were m/f? When you say that she spent all her time with the other ram...was there any aggression going on? Sometimes if its two males one will dominate and the one being bullied will have dull colors and look bad, so people will mistaken it for a female.

Not to disagree.... I have 4 Bolivians in a 20 long that are doing quite well. They are just over 2 inches and have been there for months, there seems to be a little pecking during feeding but for the most part they all hang together (at least when I see them)
Then again I could be lucky and have 3 females with one male

 

[oscarbuffalo]

Would a female or Male be better for the situation?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Not to disagree.... I have 4 Bolivians in a 20 long that are doing quite well. They are just over 2 inches and have been there for months, there seems to be a little pecking during feeding but for the most part they all hang together (at least when I see them)
Then again I could be lucky and have 3 females with one male

You can disagree thats fine. I am just giving my opinion. Im sure it could work, and has worked many times. I have only done it twice, and both times it ended with 1 Ram being bullied to death. Maybe it is working because the m/f ratio.

 

[siva]

I had two German rams, but one died after a week. The other one is doing fine, but appears to be lonely. She had spent all of her time with the other Ram. The only other tank mates are Furcata Rainbows, which are to fast for her to interact with, and a young clown peco, which doesn't move from his driftwood. I have considered adding a bolivian Ram to keep her company. I do not want another German Ram because they so often die randomly. What is your opinion on bolivian rams and german rams.

I've kept both species together with no problems, though they don't really interact.

I wouldn't add anything specifically for your ram. I say this because I've kept so many I've lost count, and I don't think I've ever had one last more than a couple months. I've kept almost all of the other dwarf cichlids and have had a completely different experience with them so this is definitely a species issue. Unless you were lucky enough to get it from a local breeder, it's unlikely you will have long term success with the fish. I'm definitely not saying it isn't possible, but it is not at all uncommon for even the most experienced hobbyists to lose their GBR/GGR pretty quickly.

 

[oscarbuffalo]

Are Bolivian rams hardier and longer lived?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Without a dout. Bolivians are much hardier.

 

[oscarbuffalo]

So would you recommend a female or male? On an unrelated note how would a peacock Gudgeon fit in this tank?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

What else is in the tank?

 

[oscarbuffalo]

6 Furcata rainbows and a baby clown pleco

 

[siva]

I agree Bolivians are much easier to keep. They aren't at all as picky about the water chemistry.They are also more difficult to sex but either sex should be fine. I wouldn't mix the gudgeons with rams myself, but it's possible the combo might work.

 

[oscarbuffalo]

Thanks, should i do one or two Bolivians. I might move them to a bigger tank later.