# how to get my bolivain rams to pair up?!



## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

i have 4 bolivain rams in my 38 gallon tank with
2 black angels
6 lemon tetras
3 platties
1 male albino brstielnose pleco 
and like 8 baby cories.

so of my 4 bolivian rams i have 2 males and 2 females.

1 of the males and 1 of the females has become a pair but have not yet mated.
leavign me with a single male and a single female. but id really like to have 2 pairs for this tank!

so i need some ideas on what i can do to get that second pair that i would like!
the only 2 ideas i can think of is
1. just keep waiting and see if the singel male and femael pair up over time,
or 2. get another female sot he male has 2 females to choose from and if he ever picks one of the females, i can move the last female into my 75 gallon tank with preacox rainbows, male dwarf gorami, more cories, some tetras, plecos and there babies, guppies, and platties.

i actualy prefer to get a second female so i could have another pair + have one female in my 75 gal!

so what do ya think?


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

And is it common that a pair will break up? Without haveing any babies?


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

can anyone offer me an opinion? :fish:


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

z?


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## ADG (Jan 2, 2011)

Rams are fickle. You could introduce another female and the so-called paired up male may get tempted by her. You never know what might happen. Just expect the unexpected is the best advice really.

Here is what happened in my tank: two original rams, make and female. For a long time they tolerated each other well, even started flirting with each other for a while and cleaned rocks but nothing came of it. A little while later the female was harassed and bullied into the top corner of the tank where the male didn't go. I bought two extrA rams, a female and male - or so I thought. The original female was left alone again and the new rams got the attention if the original male. Six months past and no action. Then the original male and new fEmale spAwned twice in a month, then nothing for four months. Now that second male showed HER true colours and became flavour of the month and spawned with the male. Got the fry in a spare tAnk at the moment.

Long story short: you just can't predict with certainty what they might do. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Try not to place too much importance on pairing up your rams. If that is all that is important you might be better off with a pair of convicts.

If you must meddle consider tank rescaping, feeding mysis shrimp and blood worms, large water changes, and mist importantly spinning around three times and clicking your heels.

Good luck!


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks, I think now that you say that, waiting is a good idea! Like the only problem I have tho is I am not sure if the single female I have is actualy a female. I've den told is was but doesn't look like all the females I've seen.

I have a question:
Will a femAle Bolivian ram, male dwarf gourami and 1 or 2 pearl gouramis all get along in a 75 gal? Or 1 male Bolivian ram I stead of female


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Hey guys, just a little update and some of my concerns.

So there is definitely a dominant male of the 2. He bosses the 2nd male and even his girl around. I'm kind of concerned about the 2nd male. He has gone to a separate cave in the corner and I notice like his buttwhole is like chewed up kinda. And I would like to move him.

I no it could be a good decision to just wait but I think it's necessary.

So can I move him to my 75 gal with rainbows, male dwarf gourMi, cories tetrS..... Etc? Leaving the dominNt mAle, his partner, and the 2nd female, who seems to hold her own better than the male.?


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

would it be a better idea to move my male bolivian ram into my 75 gal so he isnt being harrassed or should i just keep him in the 38 gal and have him get chased and stuff alot?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

If there's more than just a few torn fins, then separating the pairs would probably be a good idea; bolivians are usually fairly docile, but there are exceptions to every rule. If you can, I would put the subdominant pair in a separate tank and wait for them to heal up before introducing the pair to other fish.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

actually, i only have 1 pair. lets call them male and female #1. and then female #2 is single, and male #2 is also single. 
for some reason male and female #2 have not paired up yet. which is kind of werid cuz its been awhile.
im still not 100% convince the second female is actualy a female even tho *** posted it on here and was told it is a female. it just looks totaly different from my female. female #1 has a fat belly, gains weight, has grown quite a bit, and just looks like a normal female. female #2 has a striaght belly, looks way different, and doest seem to be gaining weight or getign bigger as i see her eat bloodworms like everyother night. she is also like not agressive but more tetrritoriale about this one spot the male # 2. shes just weird.

i was actualy planning on adding nother female so male #2 could have 2 females to choose from hoping that he would eventualy pick one, then i would put the female that wasnt chosen into my 75 gal with her being the only ram in the tank. but im not sure if i shoudl do that or not. should i?

or should i just put male #2 and female #2 in my 75 gal leavign the only pair i have(male and female #1 in the 38 gal?
im not sure what is the best option


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Up to you really... If you really want 2 pairs, then getting another female or two would definitely help. If you're not looking to breed them though, having pairs is not neccesary, although the interactions between rival pairs is very interesting to watch.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

Yea I think I'd like to breed them! And selling the babies hopefully won't be that hard As I no of 3 stores that might be interested in buying + off craigslist. Which is how I sold all my baby plecos.

So I think its official! I will be getting another female! I don't have to like rearange the decor befor adding the new female right? Or do I have to?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

You shouldn't have to, and I wouldn't unless i see a need for it.


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## jsmeesterr (Nov 28, 2011)

just a littel clearification.....

tomorrow i will be getting another female bolivain ram to add to my tank with 4 bolivain rams already in it(2m2f).
since i have 11 par already and the 2 that are single are pairing up so i will be getting the new female, wiating till they pair up if they do, then adding the unchosen female into my 75 gal.

orrr. should i just add the male and female that i already have that wont pair up into my 75 gal? leaving the paired couple in my other tank. but then i want to make sure that they will stay nice with eachtoher and not have the male just pick on his girlfriend and not have anoyother rams to pick on?
so will he still be nice?


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## neutrino (May 4, 2007)

I've kept rams in the past in tanks that included gouramis, particularly pearl gouramis, which are fairly peaceful ime, also chocolate gouramis. Like a lot of pairing cichlids, you can't really make them be a pair imo, it's something they have to figure out for themselves. Fish have their own criteria for mating selection and it's not always something we can see. So, if it was me and I had a pair that was getting along ok I'd prefer to leave them where they are in most cases, unless there was some good reason to move them. You never know when moving may upset them and interfere with the bond they're forming.

But, as mentioned above, you can't always predict their behavior as far as how long the present pair will get along. With a lot of fish you just have to be prepared to be flexible and adjust things as necessary.


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