# 25 gallon Bolivian ram tank set up



## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

I'll be resealing my 25G tomorrow, and I'd love to have some bolivians in it! It's a Hagen Waterhome, and the dimensions are 30x12x16.

Here's what I was thinking:

3 Bolivian Rams (1m/2f)
1 Twig catfish (a shame you don't see them often, they're AMAZING algae eaters)
3 pygmy cories (are these big enough to eat bolivian eggs?)
some tetras, neon or rummy nose (how many?)

Would this be a good set up? Can I add anything else, or is this full? I already have the pygmy cories and twig catfish.

Thanks!


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## KoalaBear (Jan 13, 2009)

I am sure that someone else will chime in with more info... I know that in the past my cories have eaten eggs & even fry at times... Rams are known for guarding eggs pretty well though if I am not mistaken. Unfortunaly I ended up with 3 gorgeous males some time back... Would have loved to have a pair just to watch them & and their mating behaviors.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *Isis24*,

What is the scientific name of your Twig catfish? I used to have a couple of Sturisoma aureum in a 6 foot set up and found them to be excellent algea eaters.

I would look at doubling the number of pygmy corydoras as well. Corydoras definately prefer to be in larger groups. I have six C. hastutus, another dwarf corydoras species, in one of my tanks and have order another six to bulk up the little school. Are your corydoras, Corydoras pygmaeus, or another of the dwarf species?

The pygmy corys shouldn't pose any threat to eggs or fry, but tetras definately will. I have found rummynose and black neon tetras to be very efficient fry predators. So far the only dither fish I have had success with are my marbled hatchetfish. They stay at the surface, and have never hunted fry.


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

The Bolivian rams tend to pair if I remember correctly. I think you might end up with one odd female that might get stressed out.


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

The twig catfish is a Farlowella acus. In my 40G, I have one that's about 6.5" long. They're really cool looking. I have a 3" one for the 25G (she's currently in the 40).

Yes, the pygmy cories are Corydoras pygmaeus. I will increase the number to 6 then! As for the tetras...if you say they'll eat the bolivian eggs...then it's a no go! I'll try for hatchetfish. I'll have to warm up to the look of them...they're not "pretty" fish.

lotsofish: I've always seen people on this site keep 1m/2f or 2m/3f, so I assumed that's how things were done. If they're strictly pairing, I'd love to have 2 pairs, though that may be too much for a 25 gallon.

Can't wait to have that tank running! I'll post pictures when it's set up, though I think I'll be embarrassed. It's very low budget tank, so I'll have the reuse the gravel that's already in it and I won't be able to get many plants. At least I already have a nice piece of driftwood 

If anyone else has any advice, I'd love to hear it!


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

> I'll try for hatchetfish. I'll have to warm up to the look of them...they're not "pretty" fish.


Whaaa? cue photo's. 

I find normal silver hatchetfish rather plain, but love the look of Marbled hatchetfish.




























Only things you have to make sure of, are good lids as they are jumpers, and low surface currents as they don't like much current.


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

They're pretty cute I guess... :wink: I hope an AC50 will not be too much surface current for these guys. On second thought, I might go with a different fish, because the hatchets get too big! 2.5"!!?? I was hoping for something tiny!

The last thing I have to decide on is the number of Rams. If I have 1m/2f, will the lone female be picked on (when the other two pair up)? If so, can I go with 4 rams in the tank?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Marbled hatchetfish are smaller than most of the other hatchetfish species. Mine are less than an inch TL.


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

If I can find some marbled hatchetfish, I'll go with those. Doubt I will though 

Today, I found a different type of dwarf cory that was absolutely adorable!!! C. habrosus. I got 3 of them to complement my 3 pygmy cories. Will they hang out together, or do I need to get more of each?

I posted pics of my 2 new Bolivians on the BRC thread. I'm going to reseal my 25G right now. I removed all the old silicone today-- took 2.5 hours!! I'll get some pictures when it's ready.


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## DCguy (Mar 9, 2008)

Pencil fish make geat dither fish for dwarf cichlids and I think they would do well in your tank. there are a number of different species and they all stay fairly small.

DC


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

C. habrosus, salt and pepper corys, are a great little corydoras. Definately nicer and a lot fun than C. pygmaeus. I don't know if they'll hang out together, as I've never mixed species in the one tank. If it were me, I'd be getting 3 more of each. :lol: Or taking the pygmaeus in to LFS to do a swap and cash for 6 more habrosus. :wink:


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

DCguy said:


> Pencil fish make geat dither fish for dwarf cichlids and I think they would do well in your tank. there are a number of different species and they all stay fairly small.
> 
> DC


Agreed. I didn't mention them earlier as the Golden pencilfish, Nannostomus beckfordi, is the most commonly seen in LFS and is a very effective fry predator. I have also kept Nannostomus marginatus, the Dwarf pencilfish, these are not often seen in LFS down here and are not such good fry predators.


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

Ok, here are some pics of the tank:
There are 4 Bolivians in there now, but 2 are being returned today since I have a pair!!




























Proud parents!









Dad (edit: changed the picture--the first one wasn't dad...)









Mom, thought she's usually much more bright than this! I was just super lucky to get her to sit still, drab colors or not. She has a bit of a strange shape...almost like a GBR









Inhabitants:
2 Bolivian Rams
8 dwarf cories
100 wrigglers!!

Can I pretty please add a Keyhole to this? My LFS has lots of tiny ones, and I've always wanted a keyhole.


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

What sweet rams. Your tank looks great! 
The plants turned out nice enough, eventhough you said you didn't have many, they look really good. 
I have questions, but sadly, no answer for your Keyhole query...
 
Are those the dwarf cories along the bottom left in the first and second picts?
Did you go with all "Salt and Pepper" cories or are they mixed with the "Pigmys"?
What upper water fish did you go with?


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

Thanks! I bought a few more plants than I intended, but I'm content with the way it turned out  I always want to improve my tanks, so I'm always open to suggestions (even if it costs just a little more :wink: ).

To answer your question, I kept my 3 pygmy cories, and I added 6 salt and pepper cories. They do tend to stay together. They're so cute when they swim together!

I didn't get any answers yet to the keyhole question  but I was at my LFS today and I couldn't resist. I bought a 1" keyhole. It's adorable. The Bolivians only chase it once in awhile, and the keyhole doesn't seem too shy. I'd still love opinions on the keyhole in this tank...before I get too attached!


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

alicem: I forgot to answer your second question! I haven't chosen an upper fish yet. My LFS doesn't have any marbled hatchets, and the silver ones get too big. What about Endler's livebearers? They're kind of cute. Will they eat the eggs/fry?


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