# Bolivian rams - advice for a beginner.



## matt2085 (Aug 4, 2012)

Hi everyone,

Having just moved into my first "proper" house - big enough for a good size aquarium anyway, I decided to start an aquarium. I have had several small ones in the past but this is the biggest I have had and have been thinking of what to stock it with. I came across Bolivian rams recently and just feel in love with these litte guys...they seem so inquisitive and personable. So I am just looking for some advice on keeping these cool fish really. My aquarium has been up and running now for nearly a month, bought a few guppies recently just to settle the tank down and add some interest - babies arrived within a day!!! The aquarium itself is 130 litres with a footprint of 93cm x 45cm. I have tried to create some specific hiding spots in preparation for my rams, including Mopani wood and mangrove roots, as well as some plants...fake I have to admit as I am not ready for real ones yet  When I figure out how I will try and post an image on here...am unsure of how to post images as not great with technology!

My PH is at 8.2...I know this is quite high but would this be OK for Bolivians? How many Bolivians would be a good number? one pair, 3 individuals or 2 pairs? Also what fish should I look to keep with them. I have guppies and was wondering whether these would be suitable ditherers or whether some tetras would also be needed? And Amano shrips or some sort of catfish for algae cleaners?

I'm sorry for the vagueness but any advice on basics for Bolivians would be great. I was tempted by GBRs but I am not confident enought for these yet and worry about ther sensitivity of these fish from what I have read.

Anyway, thanks for your time and I hope to get some advice from you experts soon. I won't be buying them for a couple more weeks yet, just to make sure everything is perfect for them but wil try to keep you updated as and when they settle in.

Cheers!


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## JoeE (Jun 11, 2012)

I would probably get six to start with,and rehome them as they form pairs. You could probably get two pairs with that footprint, but these guys can be a bit finicky about pairing off and you may only end up with one, in which case you could probably keep one or two females without any issues and they would just stay away from the breeding pair's territory. Or just buy two already formed pairs, if you can find them locally.

Your hiding spots will make the Bolivians feel a lot more comfortable with whatever your stocking density is.

8.2 is pushing it a little bit on the pH. Blue Rams would definitely drop dead. Bolivians might survive that pH but I personally would not keep them that high - someone else who has kept them at a high pH might be better equipped to chime in.

Your guppies will be OK. You could probably keep tetras in there as well depending on your stock, but stay away from the fin-nipping varieties. If you're going to add shrimp make sure to add adult Amanos - the rams may eat the babies but won't mess with adults too much.

Otocinclus catfish do very well with Bolivian Rams and will eat algae. They are very cute, but you may not see them a whole lot since they like to hide. You could have a bristlenose pleco for algae control, but he'll eat the eggs if you ever want to attempt to breed these fish.


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## matt2085 (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks for your reply. The pH was my main concern really and at least I know that GBRs are out of the question now. I have read in various forums that people have had success at 8.0 pH so will maybe try and get it down a bit. I'd love to hear of other peoples experiences with higher pH and keeping Bolivians.

I think I will probably just start off with one pair to be honest. I don't want to overcrowd and returning fish isn't so easy for me not having my own transport and relying on London's Underground network isn't ideal really. I don't want to stress them out by having to take them back to the LFS.

I'll check out a few tetras and the Otocinclus catfish look like a nice option so thanks for that


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## benck8 (Aug 5, 2011)

I have kept bolivians that a PH of about 8.3-ish for about 3 years now and they have both paired up and bred in these conditions. I keep mine in a community so I dont usally see many fry around but I have seen a few managing to evade my cory cats :laugh: I have to say a friend of mine keeps his at about a PH of 6.6 and he has had a terrible time keeping them which some might think as reveresed. I don't boil my driftwood very hard as to allow some of the extra tanins to leech into my water. I believe the most important thing is your water hardness - if your PH is stable thats the main thing then you can allow the driftwood to take care of the hardness.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

The average bolivian ram is probably tank raised and imported from parts of Asia, Europe, or the states, so pH won't make a huge difference so long as it's stable. I'd be more worried about space; in a 3 foot tank I'd put 2 pairs, with plenty of driftwood/rocks for them to mark their territory. Starting with 6 juvies is a good way to obtain 2 pairs. guppies make alright dithers, and the endless stream of fry make for nice snacks. However, the long flowing tails may draw unwanted attention. Best bet would be to pick up a nice school of tetras (15-20 should do the trick). For algae control, I'd go for otos; amano shrimp may become tasty snacks for the rams somewhere down the road, unless the shrimp are significantly larger than the rams.

PS: try and make sure the water is soft, even if there's nothing you can do about the alkalinity.


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